Goestenkors set for Hall induction

Former Longhorns coach among six to be recognized.

For

KNOXVILLE, TENN. — mer University of Texas women’s coach Gail Goestenkors will be one of six inductees into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Goestenkors, currently an assistant with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, owns a 498-163 college head coaching record over 20 years. Her teams reached the Final Four four times.

Texas hired Goestenkors from Duke in 2007. She resigned in March 2012 with two years remaining on a seven-year contract paying her $1.25 million per season. Her Texas teams were 102-64.

Lisa Leslie, the threetime WNBA most valuable player and four-time Olympic gold medalist, headlines the class. Other inductees are former Houston Comets and Brazilian national team star Janeth Arcain, former Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke, former Georgia star Janet Harris and former Oregon high school coach Brad Smith.

Leslie, the former Southern California and Los Angeles Sparks star, will enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., later this year. Although dozens of people are members of both halls of fame, Leslie is the first player to get inducted to each of them in the same calendar year. The only others were former UCLA and Cal State Fullerton coach Billie Moore in 1999, former Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore in 2003 and Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma in 2006.

Leslie is the WNBA’s all-time leader in rebounds (3,307) and ranks second in blocks (822) and fifth in points (6,263). She was the WNBA’s MVP in 2001, 2004 and 2006, and she led the Sparks to consecutive titles in 2001-02.

The Hall also is recognizing the Immaculata College teams of 197274 as “trailblazers of the game.”