Guru’s WBB Report: Reaction to WNBA Indiana Fever Coach Marianne Stanley’s Naismith Hall of Fame Finalist Nomination

By Mel Greenberg @eomhoopsguru

While there is a little gap between the the postseason bracket revelations and beginning of play, the Guru had been collecting some reactions from people on Marianne Stanley being one of the  four women’s hoops committee finalists for induction to the Class of 2021 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Here are those comments, leading with her Southern Cal star and long since inductee herself, Lisa Leslie.

I am a Hall of Famer because of the impact Coach Stanley had on me. 

She won championships as a player and a coach. 

She taught me the importance of leading by example with my actions every single day in practice my freshman year at USC. 

As I learned to complete and give each practice all I had, I was able to lead my teammates and gain their respect. 

Coach Stanley taught me that. My family has been blessed to have Coach Stanley in our lives. 

When you send your child off to college, you want them in good hands with a coach who really cares about molding them into more than just a basketball player but into an amazing person and citizen.

Thank you Coach Stanley for being a mentor, a fighter, a hard worker, a leader, a teacher, a mother and a friend. You truly embody what any player would want, if they have a desire to be great and passion for the game.

I love you with all my heart! Thank you and congratulations on your nomination. I have no doubt where you belong... The Hall of Fame baby!!!!

Love,

Lisa Leslie

I’m very excited for Marianne — a terrific player, a terrific coach, an even better person!

She has contributed so much at every level of the game and has had a positive impact on so many people over the course of her career.

I’m very blessed to have had our paths crosse and form a great friendship.”

— Mike Thibault, WNBA Washington Mystics

She took over a team and won first national tournament as a 24-year-old.Youngest ever (beat me by two weeks.

Then she rebuilt her team and won two more times. Her resume at Old Dominion was quite impressive.

Cathy Rush (Marianne’s Immaculata Coach)

Such great news. So well deserved.

Marianne has always had such passion for the game of basketball. She was a great teammate and friend.

I am happy to hear she is being recognized by the Hall of Fame for all of her accomplishments.

Congrats!!!!!

— Judy Martelli (Mighty Macs teammate)

She’s one of the finest bench coaches the game has ever seen — male or female.

Innovative ideas defensively and creative sets offensively!

Competitor personified ! At any level.

— Wendy Larry (former Old Dominion coach and a Stanley grad assistant at ODU)

And her is Marianne Stanley’s own reaction that the Indiana Fever produced this week:

“[It’s] a truly humbling moment in my life to be considered seriously as finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.”

Those were the first words spoken by Indiana Fever head coach Marianne Stanley after learning she was one of 14 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

A first-time finalist, Stanley is joined by coach Rick Adelman, Chris Bosh, Michael Cooper, Paul Pierce, Bill Russell, Jay Wright, Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson. Other finalists who are up for consideration again are Leta Andrews, Tim Hardaway, Marques Johnson, Ben Wallace and Chris Webber.

“As a young person you couldn’t even imagine,” Coach Stanley said. “You know I spent my life in basketball and to have my work and what I do recognized in this way is really humbling. I’m certainly thrilled to be included in the same sentence with some of the other finalists and honorees, so it’s a really exciting time for sure.”

An NCAA national champion and WNBA Coach of the Year, Stanley has a women’s basketball coaching career that spans more than 40 years at the collegiate and professional level.

“The first time I played basketball I was six years old if you can believe it,” Stanley said with a fond smile. “I happened to grow up in upper Darby Pennsylvania right outside of Philly. There was a playground across the street and every waking day I would look out the window and there is that basketball court calling me you know. So, when I was six, my father’s twin brother, my uncle, took me out there and showed me how to shoot… [and] it’s been a love affair ever since.”

However, for Stanley her first time shooting a basketball is just as important as her multiple decade journey as a coach. A journey that has allowed her to learn from and mentor others, while building lifelong relationships that she will cherish forever.

“Basketball is a team event,” Stanley stated. “No one achieves any type of accolades or success without understanding that this a group effort and without your teammates, your coaches and the people surrounding you in the supporting cast, no one can achieve anything of substance really.

“So, you know I spent the last 24-48 hours just reminiscing and thinking about all the people I want to thank, and the list is a mile long. I’ve been blessed to be able to work with, to help mentor and be mentored by some of the best people in the business, in my opinion. People who have formed really great lifelong friendships with, so it’s a lot of fun along with the excitement, and I feel an indebtedness to everybody that I have worked with and had the opportunity to share this journey with.”

The official 2021 class will be announced on May 16. An enshrinement ceremony is then scheduled for September, though an exact date will be revealed closer to the class of 2021 announcement.