Old Dominion coach DeLisha Milton-Jones named a finalist for Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Old Dominion women’s basketball coach DeLisha Milton-Jones checked off a number of impressive accomplishments during her playing career: Olympic gold medalist (twice), WNBA all-star (twice) and WNBA record-holder (most games played).
Soon, she could add one more feat: Hall of Famer.
Milton-Jones on Thursday night was named one of 12 finalists for the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I’m humbly honored to be recognized as a finalist for the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame,” Milton-Jones said in a statement from ODU. “It would be the cherry on top of my amazing career within the game I love dearly. What an amazing group of powerful pioneers of the game to be amongst. I’m truly grateful!”
Other finalists for the Class of 2022 include players Alice “Cookie” Barron, Cathy Boswell and Becky Hammon; coaches Evelyn Blalock, Doug Bruno, Paul Sanderford and Bob Schneider; contributors Debbie Antonelli and Donna Lopiano; international player Penny Taylor; and official Lisa Mattingly. The inductees will be announced Feb. 14 on ESPN2 during the Maryland-Iowa game.
Milton-Jones was a gold medalist with Team USA in 2000 and 2008 and spent 17 seasons in the WNBA, winning titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and ‘02. She finished her career as the WNBA’s career leader in games played (499).
Milton-Jones was the No. 4 overall WNBA draft pick after a storied career for the University of Florida. As a senior, she won the Wade Trophy as the best player in women’s basketball and was named a first-team All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Associated Press and Basketball Times. Milton-Jones was the SEC Player of the Year in 1997.
Milton-Jones coached Pepperdine for two seasons, finishing 22-10 in 2018-19. She took over at ODU before the 2019-20 season. After a run to the Conference USA semifinals last season, the Monarchs are 13-3 in her second season.
Jami Frankenberry, 757-418-1446, jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com
