SPRINGFIELD, MASS., May 24, 2000-The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced that two players, two coaches and two contributors — including University of Kentucky athletics director C.M. Newton — have been elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Don E.N. Gibson, chief operating officer at the Basketball Hall of Fame, announced today that two players — ISIAH THOMAS and BOB MCADOO, two coaches — PAT SUMMITT and MORGAN WOOTTEN, and two contributors — DANNY BIASONE and C.M. NEWTON, comprise the list of 2000 electees. The Enshrinement will take place on Oct. 13, 2000 at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball. To purchase tickets to any forthcoming Enshrinement Weekend activities, call 413-781-6500 ext. 129 for details.
The announcement of the Class of 2000 comes at a historic time. Construction of a new Basketball Hall of Fame, which is part of a $103 million, 18 1/2-acre redevelopment project along the bank of the Connecticut River, is set to begin this summer. The new 100,000-square-foot museum doubles the size of the current facility and will serve as a national and international shrine to the game of basketball. Project designs and building specifications are available fromthe Basketball Hall of Fame.
Newton, Thomas and Summit are first-time electees, the other three electees have been previously nominated. An individual needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for Enshrinement.
“For someone who has spent their life dedicated to the game of basketball, election into the Basketball Hall of Fame is the crowning achievement of their career,” said Gibson. “We are excited about the stature of quality of electees that comprise the Class of 2000. It is a diverse group of individuals that represent every basketball level — from those who have achieved greatness as players and coaches and contributors. The Class of 2000 keeps the Hall of Fame’s long-standing mission of honoring the game from every perspective firmly intact.”
The Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2000 includes:
Isiah Thomas, named to the NBA’s Top 50 team and led the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.Bob McAdoo, one of the greatest scoring forwards in NBA history, tallied 18,787 points (22.1 ppg), 35th best in league history.Pat Summitt, one of the finest women’s coaches in the nation has led the University of Tennessee to six NCAA championships.Morgan Wootten, the winningest coach in high school history, led DeMatha High School to the mythical scholastic championship in 1962, 1965, 1968 and 1984.Danny Biasone, one of the founding fathers of the NBA, and inventor of the 24-second clock.C.M. Newton, who has been involved in the game of basketball for more than 50 years as a player, coach and administrator at Transylvania, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and USA Basketball.
PLAYERS
ISIAH THOMAS, a native of Chicago, Illinois, was one of the NBA’s best small guards. At 6-foot-1, 182-pounds, he brought scoring, passing and flair to the game and a willingness to attack the basket. An All-America at Indiana University, Thomas led the Hoosiers to a 47-17 record and the 1981 NCAA championship. He played 13 NBA seasons with the Detroit Pistons, 12 of which he was named an NBA All-Star, and was MVP of the 1984 and 1986 All-Star Games. He ranks as Detroit’s all-time leading scorer (18,822, 19.2 ppg, 34th best in NBA history) and assist-holder (9,061). Thomas, named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996, led the Pistons to the 1989 and 1990 NBA championship under Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly, and was named MVP of the 1990 Finals (27.6 ppg, 7.0 apg, 5.2 rpg). Thomas, the 1982 NBA Rookie of the Year, was named All-NBA First-Team in 1984, 1985 and 1986 and Second-Team in 1983 and 1987. Thomas currently ranks fourth in NBA history in assists (9,061, 9.3 apg) and ninth in steals (1,861). He is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).
BOB McADOO, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, was a potent offensive player for 14 years and with seven NBA teams, most notably the Buffalo Braves. The 1973 NBA Rookie of the Year (18.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg) with the Braves, the 6-foot-9, 225-pound McAdoo led the NBA in scoring in 1974 (30.6 ppg), 1975 (34.5 ppg) and 1976 (31.1 ppg). For his career, McAdoo tallied 18,787 points (22.1 ppg), 35th best in league history, and averaged 20 points or more in seven seasons. The NBA MVP and All-NBA First-Team selection in 1975 (Second-Team in 1974), McAdoo was selected to five NBA All-Star teams (1974-78). He earned two NBA championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and 1985. Following his final NBA season with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1986, McAdoo played seven international seasons in the Italian professional league, averaging 26.6 points and 8.7 rebounds a game during that time. Before his professional career, McAdoo starred at Vincennes Junior College and the University of North Carolina. He was a junior college All-America in 1970 and 1971 and led Vincennes to the national title in 1970. In his lone season at UNC, McAdoo led the Tar Heels to the 1972 Final Four. He was MVP of the ACC Tournament and was named an All-America following a 19.5-ppg season. McAdoo recently completed his fifth year as an assistant coach with the NBAs Miami Heat.
COACHES
PAT HEAD SUMMITT, a native of Henrietta, Tennessee, was recently named Naismith Coach of the Century. In 26 seasons at Tennessee, she had compiled a 728-150 record (second active winningest coach in history) and has led the Lady Vols to 26 consecutive post-season berths, including 16 Final Fours (four AIAW) and 11 title games. Her 12 trips to the NCAA Final Four ties legendary UCLA coach John Wooden for best in history. Summitt’s Tennessee Lady Vols dominated the decade of the 1990s by winning four NCAA national championships in 1991, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Summitt also led the Lady Vols to national championships in 1987 and 1989. She has compiled a 69-13 NCAA Tournament record, best in history. She also led UT to the 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1981 AIAW Final Four. Summitt, who has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year in 1987, 1989, 1994 and 1998, led the Lady Vols to a perfect 39-0 record in the 1997-98 season and the NCAA championship. In total, she has coached UT to nine Southeast Conference regular season titles and ten SEC tournament titles. She has been named SEC Coach of the Year in 1993, 1995 and 1998. A member of the inaugural class of inductees into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (1999), Summitt coached the U.S. to the 1984 Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in addition to gold medals in the 1979 Jones Cup and Pan Am Games.
MORGAN WOOTTEN, a native of Durham, North Carolina has compiled a 1,210-183 (.870) record at DeMatha High School in Washington, D.C., the all-time best record among high school basketball coaches. Under Wootten, who has coached at DeMatha since 1956, DeMatha has won mythical national championships in 1962, 1965, 1968 and 1984. In 1984, USA Today named Wootten the National Coach of the Year. His teams have recorded 42 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins and have won 31 conference championships. Most impressively, DeMatha has finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Washington, D.C., area 20 times in the last 33 years. When Wootten’s teams have played games outside the area, which is common for DeMatha, the results have been impressive. The 1965 DeMatha team broke the 71-game winning streak of Lew Alcindor’s Power Memorial team. To his credit, more than 150 of Wootten’s former players have played college basketball, while a dozen have played in the NBA, including Adrian Dantley and Danny Ferry. More than 20 of his former coaches or players are now coaching on the high school, collegiate or professional level. Wootten attended both Montgomery Junior College and the University of Maryland.
CONTRIBUTORS
DANNY BIASONE, who was one of the NBA’s founding fathers as owner of the Syracuse Nationals (1946-63), introduced the 24-second clock in the 1954-55 season. He conceived the 24-second clock based on teams averaging 60 shots a game. Given that teams would use the entire time to shoot, Biasone figured they would still average 60 shots a game, but play a faster game. The year prior to the shot clock, NBA teams averaged 79.5 points a game. With the shot clock, teams averaged 93.1 points a game and the number of field goals attempted rose from 75.4 to 86.4. Biasone, a native of Miglianico of Chieti, Italy, played basketball at Blodgett Vocational High School in Syracuse. He founded the Syracuse Nationals in 1946 and the team posted winning records in 11 of 14 seasons, including winning the NBA championship in 1955. In addition to the 24-second clock, Biasone championed for a backcourt rule that awarded two foul shots for backcourt fouls (1953). Biasone, who earned the Hall of Fame’s John Bunn Award in 1982, passed away on May 25, 1992.
CHARLES MARTIN “C.M” NEWTON, a native of Rockwood, Tennessee, has been involved in the game of basketball for more than 50 years as a player, coach and administrator. As a player, Newton was a member of the 1951 University of Kentucky team that compiled a 32-2 record and won the NCAA Championship. From 1956 to 1989, Newton coached at Transylvania College, the University of Alabama and Vanderbilt University and compiled a 509-375 record. He led Alabama to SEC Championships in 1974, 1975 and 1976 and appearances in four NIT and two NCAA Tournaments. He led Vanderbilt into the 1988 and 1989 NCAA Tournament and was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1972, 1978 and 1979. Newton became athletic director at Kentucky in 1989 and is credited with hiring Bernadette Mattox, the school’s first African-American women’s basketball coach (1985) and Orlando “Tubby” Smith, the school’s first African-American men’s basketball coach (1997). Newton, who has served on numerous NCAA Division I Basketball Committee’s, was President of USA Basketball from 1992 to 1996, when the U.S. Olympic Team went from college to professional players, and was instrumental in the selection of the original Dream Team in 1992.
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