University Park, Pa. -- Former Lady Lion standout Suzie McConnell Serio is among six individuals selected to be enshrined into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, it was announced during halftime of the recent WNBA All-Star game. The 10th Women's Basketball Hall of Fame class will be inducted on June 13-14, 2008 in Knoxville, Tenn.
The other members of the 2008 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame class include longtime referee Patty Broderick, Central Arizona College head coach Lin Laursen, Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan, former Wayland Baptist and Tennessee standout Jill Rankin-Schneider and three-time Australian Olympian and former WNBA standout Michelle Timms.
McConnell Serio was Penn State's first-ever first team All-American and was the 1988 winner of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award for the nation's best senior player under 5-8. A two-time Olympian, McConnell Serio set and still holds the NCAA record for career assists (1,307), assists in a season (355) and single-season assists per game (11.8). She also continues to hold the Penn State record for steals (507), assists in a game (21), double-digit assist games (71), double-doubles (61) and triple-doubles (7).
The four-time All-Atlantic 10 player went on to play for three seasons in the WNBA with the Cleveland Rockers where she was the 1998 WNBA Newcomer of the Year, a first-team All-WNBA selection and a two-time Sportsmanship award winner.
McConnell Serio, a 2007 inductee into the WPIAL Hall of Fame, also found success roaming the sidelines. She first started in the coaching ranks at Oakland Catholic High School where she guided the Eagles to three state titles and four district championships in 13 seasons. McConnell Serio then moved to the WNBA where she coached the Minnesota Lynx to back-to-back playoff appearances and earned WNBA Coach of the Year accolades in 2004. McConnell Serio is currently in her first season as head coach at Duquesne University in her hometown of Pittsburgh.
To be eligible for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, an individual must meet the following: players must be retired from the highest level of competition for at least five years; coaches must have coached the women's game for at least 20 years; referees must have officiated the women's game for at least 10 years; and contributors must have significantly impacted the game of women's basketball.
The mission of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, which opened in June 1999, is to "honor the past, celebrate the present and promote the future" of women's basketball. With the addition of the Class of 2008, the number of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductees increases to 103.
The Lady Lions open the 2007-08 season as they host the WBCA/Basketball Travelers Classic at the Bryce Jordan Center November 9-11. Penn State will face Arizona on Nov. 9, before meeting Charlotte (Nov. 10) and in-state rival Pittsburgh (Nov. 11).