University of North Carolina Athletics
Hatchell, Larkins, Latta Earn WBCA Region Honors
March 15, 2006 | Women's Basketball
March 15, 2006
ATLANTA -- North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell has been named a RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA Regional Coach of the Year and Tar Heel student-athletes Erlana Larkins and Ivory Latta have been named region finalists for Kodak/WBCA All-America honors, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced Tuesday.
Hatchell is one of eight coaches honored and is now in the running for WBCA National Coach of the Year honors, which will be announced on April 4. Other region winners for NCAA Division I are C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers), Pat Summitt (Tennessee), Curt Miller (Bowling Green State), Sherri Coale (Oklahoma), Jim Wiedie (Indiana State), Don Flanagan (New Mexico) and Charli Thorne (Arizona State).
Now in her 20th season at UNC, Hatchell has led the 2005-06 Tar Heels to a 29-1 regular-season record and a No. 1 national ranking. Carolina was the final undefeated team in NCAA Division I basketball this season and had the best start - 22-0 - in ACC history. Hatchell has led the Tar Heels to their ninth 25-win season in school history, all of which have come in the past 13 years.
Earlier this season, Hatchell became the fifth coach in Division I women's basketball to reach the 700-career-wins mark. She currently has a career record of 713-267 over 31 years and is 441-187 in her 20th season at UNC. She was selected as the 2006 ACC Coach of the Year.
Larkins, a sophomore, and Latta, a junior, are among the 48 Kodak region finalists for the second year in a row. The 10-member All-America team will be announced on April 1 in Boston. Both players have earned All-ACC and All-ACC Tournament honors this season. Latta was named ACC Player of the Year and was the ACC Tournament MVP for the second year in a row.
Joining the Tar Heels on the six-member Region 2 team are Monique Currie (Duke), Lindsey Harding (Duke), Tamara James (Miami) and Crystal Langhorne (Maryland).
UNC is a No. 1 seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and opens play Saturday against UC Riverside in Nashville, Tenn.
