Hatchell Chosen to Enter Naismith Hall of Fame

Posted on April 10, 2013

Head women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell has been selected for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2013 class. Hatchell, whose Tar Heels finished 29-8 this year, will officially join the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Springfield, Mass., on Sept. 8.

A three-time national coach of the year, Hatchell is the first woman with Carolina ties to earn induction and joins nine other Tar Heels in the Naismith hall — coaches Ben Carnevale, Frank McGuire, Dean Smith, Larry Brown ’63 and Roy Williams ’72, player/coach Billy Cunningham ’65 and players James Worthy ’85, Robert McAdoo ’72 and Michael Jordan ’86. In 2013, Hatchell became just the third women’s coach in history to reach 900 career wins, and she currently stands No. 2 all-time behind legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

In addition to her 27 years in Chapel Hill, Hatchell’s career includes 11 seasons at Francis Marion in Florence, S.C. Her teams at Francis Marion won 272 games and national titles in 1982 and 1986.

She also has a lengthy international resume, assisting Kay Yow with the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 1988 Summer Olympics as well as leading several World University Games, World Championships, Goodwill Games and Jones Cup teams to gold as a head coach.

Hatchell has a record of 636-242 as the head coach at UNC in her 27 seasons at the helm. She has led the Tar Heels to eight ACC tournament titles and won the NCAA championship in 1994.

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More online…

• Squeeze the Charmin: Hatchell Wins No. 500
  February 2008 news report
• Hatchell, Swofford Enter N.C. Sports Hall of Fame
  May 2008 news report
• Williams, Hatchell Both National Coaches of Year
  April 2006 news report

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