Kansas Head Coach Bill Self, former Villanova (and current Keiser University) head coach Rollie Massimino, and former Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan are among fourteen finalists nominated for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2017 will be announced on Monday, April 3 at a press conference in Phoenix prior to the NCAA Men’s Championship game. A finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2017 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball, September 7-9, 2017. Tickets for the various Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
ROLLIE MASSIMINO – Massimino has coached collegiate basketball for nearly 50 years, including stints with Stony Brook (1969-1971), Pennsylvania (1971-1973), Villanova (1973-1992), UNLV (1992-1994), Cleveland State (1996-2003), Northwood University (2006-2015) and Keiser University (2015-present). In 19 years with Villanova, he guided his team to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and five Sweet Sixteen finishes, plus a National Championship in 1985. He was voted Conference Coach of the Year eight times in varying conferences, including the Big East Coach of the Year in 1982. Massimino has compiled over 800 wins and was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
BO RYAN – A native of Chester, Penn., Ryan was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year four times (2002, 2003, 2013, 2015) during his 14 years coaching University of Wisconsin. Prior to Wisconsin, he coached University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1999-2000) and University of Wisconsin-Platteville (1984-1999) where his team won four NCAA Division III Championships (1991, 1995, 1998, 1999). Ryan compiled an overall collegiate coaching record of 747-223 (.762) and led Wisconsin to four Big Ten regular season championships (2002, 2003, 2008, 2015), three Big Ten Tournament championships (2004, 2008, 2015), and the NCAA Final Four (2014). He is a recipient of the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award (2007), NABC Outstanding Service Award (2009) and Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award (2013).
BILL SELF – Self is a two-time AP College Coach of the Year (2009, 2016) and six-time Conference Coach of the Year (WAC: 2000; Big 12: 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016). He was named the Naismith Coach of the Year in 2012 and NABC Coach of the Year and USA Today National Coach of the Year in 2016. Self has compiled an overall coaching record of 613-190 (.763) during his time as the head coach of Oral Roberts (1993-1997), Tulsa (1997-2000), Illinois (2000-2003) and Kansas (2003-present). He is one of six coaches in NCAA history to lead three different teams to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight and he guided Tulsa and Kansas to eight 30-win seasons. Self has led Kansas to 12 consecutive Big 12 regular season championships (2005-2016) and 13 straight NCAA tournament appearances, including an NCAA National Championship in 2008. He received the Mannie Jackson Basketball’s Human Spirit Award in 2015.
Other finalists are; 28-year NBA referee Hugh Evans, AP Female Athlete of the Year and ESPN Analyst Rebecca Lobo, two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady, two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Sidney Moncrief, two-time NCAA National Championship Coach of Baylor Kim Mulkey, two-time NBA Champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich, five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber, five-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist Tim Hardaway, all-time winningest boys high school coach Robert Hughes, three-time Consensus National College Coach of the Year from Notre Dame Muffet McGraw, and 10-time AAU National Champions Wayland Baptist University.
Complete write-ups on all of the finalists can be found HERE.
