Flying Queens named finalist for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

They say the third time is the charm, and the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens sure hope so.
 
For the third consecutive year, the Flying Queens – the winningest program in women's collegiate basketball history – are finalists for election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
Winners of a record 131 straight games from 1953-58 who captured 10 AAU basketball championships from 1953-75, the Flying Queens were one of 13 finalists announced Saturday morning.
 
In addition, it was announced that the Flying Queens' longtime coach, Harley Redin, who also was nominated for Hall of Fame induction, will be given the John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award (see separate story).
 
Besides the Flying Queens, other finalists are Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Maurice Cheeks, Charles "Lefty" Driesell, Hugh Evans, Kim Mulkey, Katie Smith, Tina Thompson, Rudy Tomjanovich and Chris Webber.

A finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The list of those who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame will be revealed during the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio the weekend of March 31-April 2. The Class of 2018 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Mass., the birthplace of basketball, Sept. 8-9, 2018. Tickets for the various Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Enshrinement events are on sale at www.hoophall.com.

Induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame would seem to be the final step to immortalize the Flying Queens, who were groundbreakers in women's collegiate basketball.

Besides their 10 AAU national titles, their 1,600-plus wins being the most of any women's collegiate basketball program, and their 131-game winning streak being the longest of any collegiate program (men or women) in the country, the program's unmatched history includes several other worthy accomplishments.

Wayland was the first school in the nation to offer full basketball scholarships to women, decades ahead of Title IX and most other colleges. Through the years, the Flying Queens have produced more than 200 all-American players and countless players, coaches and administrators who positively affected the history of basketball nationwide.

The Flying Queens' family includes two individuals who have previously been recognized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Marsha Sharp, a former Queens' assistant coach and longtime head coach of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders, was inducted in 2003. And, former Flying Queens player and longtime college official, Kaye Garms, received the Naismith 2014 Honoree for Women's Collegiate Official of the Year Award.
 
Eight individuals with ties to the Flying Queens have been inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF) in Knoxville, Tenn. The WBHOF also inducted the 1953-1958 Queens as Trailblazers of the Game. To read more, click here.

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.

For more information:
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… or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA