Holy Cross retires jerseys of 5 women's basketball legends in splendid ceremonies

WORCESTER — Amy (O’Brien) Davagian’s uncle, Phil Karpowich, lives on College Street, right across from the main entrance to Holy Cross, and when Davagian was about 8 years old, Karpowich, her biggest fan and father figure, started taking her to HC football games and women’s basketball games.

In the Fitton Field stands, Davagian would drink hot cocoa and watch the cheerleaders, and at the Hart Center, she would cheer on Annie Davis, Mary Helen Walker, Kris Shields and the other stars of those outstanding early 1990s teams.

“I was in awe of all those women,” Davagian said.

After starring at nearby Holy Name High, Davagian followed in the footsteps of her Holy Cross heroines, and became one of the greatest players in HC history.

On Saturday, in first-class fashion, Holy Cross honored five of its women’s basketball legends, including Davagian, during a pregame gathering in Blaney Gymnasium and a special jersey retirement ceremony on the Hart Center court at halftime of HC’s game against Army.

Davagian ’99, the late Janet Hourihan Brooks ’86, Kathleen Courtney ’97, Sherry Levin ’84 and Lauren Maney George ’96 — an awesome starting five — are the first female athletes in school history to have their jerseys retired.

“This is a momentous day,” Holy Cross senior associate director of athletics Nick Smith said, “as we honor five women who helped set the standard for excellence in athletics at Holy Cross.”

The recognition is part of the 50^th anniversaries of Title IX and coeducation at Holy Cross, and a celebration of excellence within the women’s basketball program.

The retired jerseys — Maney George’s No. 4, Davagian’s No. 22, Levin’s No. 24, Courtney’s No. 33 and Hourihan Brooks’ No. 45 — will soon hang in the Hart Center rafters, on the opposite side of the court from the six retired men’s jerseys.

“Holy Cross basketball was such a huge part of my life,” Courtney said, “and continues to be a huge part of my life, and I’m so excited to celebrate Lauren and Amy and Sherry and Janet in heaven, and to celebrate women’s basketball in general.”

Five provided program cornerstone

All five women’s honorees are members of the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame, and each left a lasting mark on the program.

Levin, the Worcester Academy girls’ coach, and Davagian, rank 1-2 on the all-time HC scoring list. Courtney is the Crusaders’ all-time leader in blocked shots, and she recorded two of the three triple-doubles in program history.

Maney George and Davagian were two-time Patriot League Players of the Year, and each led HC to three league titles and NCAA Tournament berths. Hourihan Brooks was the first HC basketball player to reach 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

Hourihan Brooks, who waged a long, brave battle against cancer, passed away on Sept. 19. Six days before her death, Holy Cross director of athletics Kit Hughes called to inform her of Saturday’s honor.

“She so wanted to be here today,” said Hourihan Brooks’ sister, Lisa Jackson, who spoke on her behalf during the pregame event.

Hourihan Brooks raised her family in Dudley and was very involved in the town’s youth program. Many of her former players were in attendance Saturday, as well as the Shepherd Hill Regional boys’ basketball team. Her son, Ryan, stars for the Rams.

“I was sitting next to her when she got (Hughes’) call,” Janet’s husband, Bill Brooks said. “Her first question was who else would be honored. She was thrilled, she thought it was great honor. She loved Holy Cross. The support today is phenomenal and tribute to Janet.”

Levin, the first female to receive a full athletic scholarship to Holy Cross, scored her 2,253 career points in just 103 games, without the 3-point arc and shooting a men’s basketball.

“I look at my teams and my class, and I feel like we were the cornerstones of the winning tradition of what is now women’s basketball at Holy Cross,” said Levin, who played for coach Togo Palazzi. “It took the first group. Because of Togo and my teammates, we were able to start something that was pretty extraordinary.”

During her pregame speech, Levin gave a tearful tribute to Palazzi, her mentor, motivator and confidante, who passed away in August. It means so much to Levin that her retired jersey will hang across the way from Palazzi’s.

Holy Cross retired the jerseys of men’s legends George Kaftan, Bob Cousy, Palazzi and Tom Heinsohn in 2008, and those of Ronnie Perry and Jack “The Shot” Foley in 2011.

Hundreds, including numerous HC women’s basketball alums, gathered in Blaney Gymnasium for the pregame event, and the speeches by each of the honorees were eloquent and entertaining.

Maney George, Courtney and Davagian each praised and thanked their Holy Cross coach, Bill Gibbons.

“He established a culture of teamwork and family,” Maney George said, “and he cared about us like we were his own daughters, and established a bond with all of us that can never be broken.”

Gibbons won 613 games during his 34 seasons coaching the Crusaders. On Jan. 31, 2019, Holy Cross suspended Gibbons for what the college termed a personnel matter, and two months later announced he would not return as coach. In September 2019, Gibbons filed a civil lawsuit against Holy Cross.

Gibbons was not at Saturday’s ceremony. The school issued a no-trespass order to Gibbons in April 2019.

Favorite on-court memories

While watching the Crusaders take on Army Saturday afternoon, the honorees thought back to some of their favorite Hart Center memories. For Maney George and Courtney, it was beating Fordham in the 1995 Patriot League Tournament championship game. For Davagian, it was all the practices.

“We spent so much time in here and loved every hour of it,” Davagian said. “People got to see us when we were on the court and performing in a game, and that was a culmination of a lot of things that went on behind the scenes that got us to that point when we were all playing in sync on a court. I remember all the hard work that went into it when there was nobody in the gym. It was just us working hard for each other and having fun no matter when we were in there.”

During her speech, Davagian, who was born in Worcester, referenced some of her favorite and iconic hometown spots like Coney Island and the Wonder Bar, and her first job, as a fourth grader, delivering the Evening Gazette.

Davagian, who now lives in Concord, is in her second season coaching the Concord-Carlisle girls’ basketball team.

“I love (Worcester),” Davagian said, “and I love coming back, especially to Holy Cross, because it feels like home.”

The Crusaders (16-5, 8-2 Patriot) fell to Army, 74-66. They struggled to score in the second half, and the Black Knights (8-12, 6-4) had a decisive 10-0 run.

Greeting current Crusaders

After the game, the honorees met with the Holy Cross players in the locker room.

“They were amazing,” Holy Cross coach Maureen Magarity said. “They talked about how much they loved when they played here and how they would give anything to be able to put a uniform back on. And as disappointing as (the loss) is, it’s just one day. They said hopefully we’re going to continue to make them proud and how proud they have been watching us play and what an unselfish team we are. It means so much to all of us.”

The get-together was special for the legends, too.

“I stood on the shoulders of the women who came before me,” Levin said, “and I hope that the current players and the players beyond them will understand that they’re standing on the shoulders of the women included in this group, and they can look up and have the hopes and dreams of seeing what they can now see.

"It used to be you just saw the men’s banners and the women might have looked up and went, ‘Oh, maybe.’ Now, they can look up and see the women’s banners and say, ‘Yes.’ ”

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTolandTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Holy Cross retires jerseys of five women's basketball legends