USC women s basketball, under head coach Marci Cantrell, becomes the first Division I women s basketball program to award scholarships.

Transcription

1 78 PAM AND PAULA MCGEE USC women s basketball, under head coach Marci Cantrell, becomes the first Division I women s basketball program to award scholarships Prior to the availability of scholarships, USC fielded competitive women s basketball teams, like the 1975 squad pictured above. Twin stars Pam and Paula McGee enroll at USC and lead the Trojans to the university s first NCAA Final Four. Guard Cynthia Cooper earns Freshman All-American honors Linda Sharp begins 12-year stint as head coach of the Women of Troy. In her 12 seasons, Sharp goes and earns two NCAA Championships. LINDA SHARP

2 1987 USC wins the Pac-10 title. CHERYL MILLER RHONDA WINDHAM Cheryl Miller wins the first of three consecutive Naismith Awards as the country s top women s basketball player. USC wins its second consecutive NCAA title with a win over Tennessee. Pam McGee and Cheryl Miller win a gold medal with the USA Basketball Team at the Summer Olympics Center Cheryl Miller begins her career at USC and helps lead the Women of Troy to the program s first-ever National Championship. Cheryl Miller wins her second Naismith Award. The -85 season was the only season in her four-year career that USC did not advance to the NCAA Final Four. Women of Troy become first USC team to be honored at the White House by President Ronald Reagan. Cheryl Miller wins her third Naismith Award and leads USC to the NCAA Championship game. Miller and Cynthia Cooper are both named to the NCAA all-tournament team. CHERYL MILLER (center) with PAM and PAULA MCGEE 1983 Guard Rhonda Windham is honored with the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation s top player under 5-foot-6. 79

3 CYNTHIA COOPER Center Lisa Leslie enrolls at USC and makes an immediate impact on the team. Leslie wins National and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors Forward Cherie Nelson is named Pac-10 Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring and rebounding. Cynthia Cooper wins gold medal with 1988 U.S. Olympic team. LISA LESIE Cheryl Miller returns to USC as head coach of the Women of Troy. CHERYL MILLER

4 1997 Michelle Campbell and Nicky McCrimmon join the ABL. Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper and Pam McGee are all placed on WNBA opening rosters. Thompson, Cooper and Leslie all are picked in the first round. Cheryl Miller is named head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, Rhonda Windham serves as General Manager for the Los Angeles Sparks, and Kim Gessig sees time with the Sparks. Cynthia Cooper is named WNBA Most Valuable Player and Championship MVP after leading the Houston Comets to the first WNBA title, along with teammate Tina Thompson Trojans win the Pac-10 title, but the Women of Troy finish one game short of the Final Four. Lisa Leslie, Thompson and Cooper are all named to WNBA first team. Lisa Leslie becomes the program s fourth Naismith Award winner. Chris Gobrecht is hired as USC women s basketball head coach the sixth head coach in program history. TINA THOMPSON (left), CYNTHIA COOPER (2nd from left) and LISA LESLIE (right) were first round draft picks in Monica Lamb joins the Houston Comets of the WNBA. Cynthia Cooper is named WNBA and Championship MVP for second consecutive year. Cooper, Tina Thompson and Lamb win second straight title with the Houston Comets. Three of the five WNBA first team selections were Trojans Lisa Leslie becomes the fourth Trojan to win an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. national team Future All-American Tina Thompson enrolls at USC. LISA LESLIE 1999 Nicky McCrimmon (L.A. Sparks) and Adrain Williams (Phoenix Mercury) are placed on WNBA rosters. Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson are named to the league s first-ever All-Star Game. Leslie is named All-Star MVP Lisa Leslie guides the Los Angeles Sparks to the WNBA playoff semifinals. She later is named to the All-WNBA second team. Cheryl Miller is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Cooper, Thompson and Monica Lamb lead Houston to their third straight WNBA Championship title. The Houston Comets make Tina Thompson the WNBA s first-ever draft choice

5 2003 LISA LESLIE Louis and Helene Galen donate $35 million to begin construction of the new campus events center. For their donation, the arena is to be named The Galen Center and will be completed in. Lisa Leslie has her greatest year yet with the Los Angeles Sparks. The former USC center leads L.A. to its first WNBA Championship and is named All-Star Game, league and championship MVP. Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper (who returned to the game this season), Tina Thompson and Adrain Williams are all invited to WNBA All-Star Game the most selected from a single university to one All-Star game. Leslie is named to All-WNBA first team. Tina Thompson and Leslie are invited to the WNBA All-Star Game. Cynthia Cooper spends one year as head coach of the WNBA s Phoenix Mercury. Leslie and Thompson named to USA Women s National Team. LOUIS AND HELENE GALEN Former USC head coach Marianne Stanley is inducted to Women s Basketball Hall of Fame. Lisa Leslie becomes first-ever WNBA player to dunk in a game (7/30/02 L.A. vs. Miami). Lisa Leslie leads the Los Angeles Sparks to a second consecutive WNBA Championship and is named championship series and All-Star Game MVP MARK TRAKH 2000 Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson are selected to play in the 2000 WNBA All-Star game. Thompson is honored as game MVP. The Houston Comets win their fourth WNBA Championship and Cynthia Cooper is named the WNBA s -03 championship series MVP. USC celebrates 20th Anniversary of 1983 and Lisa Leslie leads the United States to a gold medal at national championship teams. Former the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Tina Women of Troy are honored at halftime of USCTennessee game on Dec. 14,. Thompson is selected as an alternate. Ebony Hoffman is selected by the WNBA s Indiana Fever in the first round (ninth overall) of the draft. Mark Trakh is hired as USC women s basketball head coach the seventh coach in program history. Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson guide the United States to a gold medal at the Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece. TINA THOMPSON 82 EBONY HOFFMAN 2001

6 The Galen Center opens for competition in October. The new home of USC basketball and volleyball has a 10,258 seating capacity and offers state-of-the-art facilities and amenities to the Trojans and their visitors USC breaks back into the NCAA Tournament after a seven-year drought. The Women of Troy earn a first-round win over Louisville before facing eventual finalist Michigan State in the second round. Brynn Cameron hits a 3-pointer to tie it with 21 seconds left, but Michigan State pulls off a last-second shot to win Even with an injury-depleted roster, USC finishes fourth in the Pac-10 and earns a trip to the NCAA Tournament. For the second straight season, the Trojans win in the first round (beating South Florida 67-65) to move on and face an eventual NCAA finalist (lost to Duke 85-51). Shay Murphy is named a Kodak/WBCA AllAmerica Finalist and finishes the season on a 25-game double-digit scoring streak. Lisa Leslie is named WNBA Most Valuable Player fot the third time in her pro career. Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson are named to the WNBA All-Decade Team for their outstanding performances and contributions during their WNBA careers. ESHAYA MURPHY GALEN CENTER TAKES SHAPE RACHEL WOODWARD 83