Lisa Leslie to enter Hall of Fame

Saturday, July 19, 2014

PHOENIX -- WNBA legend Lisa Leslie and five others will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

The six-member class, the Hall of Fame's 17th group of inductees, was announced during Saturday's WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. The group includes three players and three coaches. It will be inducted in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 13, 2015.

Joining Leslie are former Houston Comets star Janeth Arcain, former University of Georgia standout Janet Harris, former Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke, former Duke and University of Texas coach Gail Goestenkors, and former Oregon City High School coach Brad Smith.

Leslie won four Olympic gold medals for USA Basketball and two WNBA championships with the Los Angeles Sparks before retiring in 2009. Arcain, who helped the Comets win four consecutive WNBA titles, also was a mainstay on the Brazilian national team. Harris, a three-time Kodak All-American, was the first NCAA woman to tally 2,500 points and 1,250 rebounds.

Budke will be honored posthumously. After redefining success at the junior college level, Budke rebuilt Oklahoma State as the Big 12 emerged as one of the nation's top conferences. Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna died in a plane crash in 2011.

Goestenkors built Duke into a national power, guiding the Blue Devils to four Final Four appearances and seven straight seasons with at least 30 victories.

Smith, who retired in 2006 with a 629-87 record over 27 seasons, was honored in 2012 with the Morgan Wooten Award for lifetime achievement for coaching high school basketball by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In addition to the Class of 2015, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame will recognize the 1972-74 Immaculata College teams by adding them to the "Trailblazers of the Game" display. The Mighty Macs are the sixth group to be recognized at the Hall, joining the All American Red Heads, Edmonton Grads, the Former Helms/Citizens Savings/Founders Bank, the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens, and the 1976 USA Olympic team.