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Penicheiro, Riley among seven to be inducted into Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame

By Carly Grenfell

TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 13: Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky poses with WNBA Legends Ticha Penichiero and Ruth Riley during the NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Game as part of 2016 All-Star Weekend at the Enercare Centre on February 13, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 13: Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky poses with WNBA Legends Ticha Penichiero and Ruth Riley during the NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Game as part of 2016 All-Star Weekend at the Enercare Centre on February 13, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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New, worthy honorees to be enshrined.

After the ball dropped and the calendar year officially switched from 2018, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame celebrated by unveiling its 12 finalists for the Class of 2019. Monday night, the Class of 2019 and the 2019 Trailblazers of the Game Award Recipient were announced.

Even the finalists represented the consummate list of the women’s basketball movers and shakers of the world—including  Beth Bass, Debbie Brock, Joan Cronan, Nora Lynn Finch, Lucille Kyvallos, Ticha Penicheiro, Ruth Riley, Carolyn Bush Roddy, Paul Sanderford, Bob Schneider, Valerie Still and Amy Tucker. Out of this dozen, three are contributors, five are players and four are coaches.

Voting is based on performance, recognition at the international or national level and overall contributions to the game of women’s basketball. The selection committee, made up of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors, decides who is inducted each year.

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All 12 accounted for ridiculous win percentages, total wins, championships, records and awards, but these seven will be enshrined into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame this June.

  • Beth Bass (contributor)
  • Joan Cronan (contributor)
  • Nora Lynn Finch (contributor)
  • Ticha Penicheiro (player)
  • Ruth Riley (player)
  • Carolyn Bush Roddy (player)
  • Valerie Still (player)

Former teammates Penicheiro and Riley will now be Hall of Fame inductee teammates, too. They are both familiar with what it takes to win and compete at the highest level: Penicheiro was the point guard for Sacramento’s 2005 WNBA championship team and Riley won two WNBA championships with the Detroit Shock in both 2003 and 2006.

At center, Riley also propelled Notre Dame to a national championship in 2001 and earned MVP honors. As a point guard, Penicheiro still ranks second all-time in career assists (2,599) in the WNBA and leads the league in assist percentage (34.7). It wasn’t until 2017 that Sue Bird passed Penicheiro in career assists to slide into the top spot.

It’s safe to say Penicheiro and Riley have given more to this game than most. They went on to play in the WNBA for 15 and 13 years, respectively, and are still using their platform and well-respected voices in a big way today. Riley is a TV studio analyst and radio color commentator for the Miami Heat and Fox Sports Sun; Penicheiro, who hails from Portugal, is now an agent for Sports International Group.

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