University of North Carolina Athletics
Sylvia Hatchell with Ivory Latta (left) and Charlotte Smith at Saturday's ceremony.
Hatchell Honored With HOF Bench
August 13, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Sylvia Hatchell has received another recognition from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Hatchell, a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee who coached UNC to the 1994 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, has been honored with a bench in the Championship Coaches Legacy Garden in Springfield, Mass.
Hatchell is one of just four women's basketball coaches to have been honored with a bench. She joins Dean Smith and Roy Williams as former UNC coaches with benches in the garden.
Hatchell's bench was unveiled on Saturday, along with benches honoring the late Kay Yow of NC State, as well as men's coaches Rollie Massimino of Villanova and Tom Young of Rutgers.
Ivory Latta and Charlotte Smith, the only two UNC women's basketball players to have their jerseys retired, were on hand for the presentation.Also in attendance were program alums Jennifer (Thomas) Williams, now Chief Development Officer for USA Basketball, and Bernadette McGlade, Commissioner of the Atlantic 10.
After winning AIAW and NAIA national titles at Frances Marion, Hatchell coached the Tar Heels from 1986 to 2019. She led the team to three Final Fours, including the team's first NCAA crown in 1994. She is also a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Championship Coaches Legacy Garden program was launched in 2015 and is part of the Hall of Fame's induction weekend.
Hatchell is one of just four women's basketball coaches to have been honored with a bench. She joins Dean Smith and Roy Williams as former UNC coaches with benches in the garden.
Hatchell's bench was unveiled on Saturday, along with benches honoring the late Kay Yow of NC State, as well as men's coaches Rollie Massimino of Villanova and Tom Young of Rutgers.
Ivory Latta and Charlotte Smith, the only two UNC women's basketball players to have their jerseys retired, were on hand for the presentation.Also in attendance were program alums Jennifer (Thomas) Williams, now Chief Development Officer for USA Basketball, and Bernadette McGlade, Commissioner of the Atlantic 10.
Heels in the house for the unveiling of a bench honoring Sylvia Hatchell at the Naismith Hall of Fame's Championship Coaches Legacy Garden 👣🏀
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/Uaf8iJtFla#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/hDOUdFNSJW
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) August 13, 2023
After winning AIAW and NAIA national titles at Frances Marion, Hatchell coached the Tar Heels from 1986 to 2019. She led the team to three Final Fours, including the team's first NCAA crown in 1994. She is also a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Championship Coaches Legacy Garden program was launched in 2015 and is part of the Hall of Fame's induction weekend.
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