Coach Stevens elected to Basketball Hall of Fame
Women’s Basketball Coach Barbara Stevens, the fourth winningest women’s basketball coach in NCAA history, has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The 2020 Hall of Fame class also includes NBA legen
ds Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, former NBA player and coach Rudy Tomjanovich, longtime NCAA men’s coach Eddie Sutton, Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey and former WNBA star Tamika Catchings.
“I am so honored, I am so humbled to be included in this unbelievable class of inductees into the Hall of Fame,” said Stevens. “This is something that is overwhelming. The incredible emotions that I felt after receiving the call from the Hall of Fame, I can’t even put into words.”
A five-time Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II National Coach of the Year, Stevens recently completed her 34th season at Bentley and her 43rd as a college coach. Before her arrival in Waltham in 1986, the Bridgewater State College graduate spent six years coaching at Clark University and three at Massachusetts.
Stevens owns a career record of 1058-291. She’s one of six NCAA women’s basketball coaches with at least 1,000 wins. Her Bentley record stands at 901-200.
Bentley President Alison Davis-Blake praised Stevens’ commitment to the university’s student-athletes, on and off the court. “Coach Stevens has long been a respected role model for our student-athletes and entire community,” Davis-Blake said in an email to the community congratulating Stevens on her induction.
A dozen of Stevens’ Bentley teams have won at least 30 games, including the 2013-14 team which capped a remarkable 35-0 season with a come-from-behind 73-65 win over West Texas A&M to win the national championship.
Stevens has won at least 20 games in 30 of her 34 Bentley seasons and 19 games three other times. Her Bentley tenure has included an .818 winning percentage, 31 NCAA tournament berths, 14 NCAA regional championships, 10 appearances in the national semifinals, 20 Northeast-10 regular season championships and 17 Northeast-10 tournament titles.
“I have been a fan of Coach Stevens since I arrived at Bentley 27 years ago,” said Andrew Shepardson, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students. “I am proud to call her a colleague and a friend. She epitomizes Bentley – a commitment to excellence, a championship spirit and a humility to understand that it is team above all else. To say all of us at Bentley are proud is an understatement. We are thrilled to know that the Bentley name and hers will forever be linked.”
In addition to being honored as the WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year in 1992, 1999, 2001, 2013 and 2014, Stevens has also been recognized as the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year 16 times. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, and is also a member of the Bentley, Clark, Bridgewater State and New England Basketball halls of fame.
Stevens will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Springfield, Mass., that are currently scheduled for Aug. 28-30.
Director of Athletics Bob DeFelice said, “pages could be written about Barbara’s accomplishments.
“Simply stated,” he said, “it’s a great award for a great person.”