March 7, 2008
St. Louis -
Former Illinois State head women's basketball coach Jill Hutchison was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame at a ceremony in the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Friday, March 7. Hutchison, who was notified of the honor in November, was enshrined in the Lifetime Achievement category, becoming the second Redbird to receive the honor along with former men's basketball player Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw.
Hutchison spent 28 seasons (1970-73, 1974-99) as the head women's basketball coach at Illinois State and compiled a record of 461-323. The winningest coach in Illinois State basketball history (men or women), Hutchison led her teams to 19 winning seasons, five Gateway Conference titles, seven AIAW state championships, two AIAW national tournaments, seven WNIT appearances and three NCAA Tournaments. The three-time Rawlings MVC Coach of the Year (1985, 1988, 1996) coached 13 first-team all-conference players. She was inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.
Earlier this season, during the Illinois State women's basketball game against Bradley, a banner was hung from the rafters of Redbird Arena commemorating Hutchison's years of service at ISU.
Hutchison was also a very successful coach on the international level. She led the United States to a gold medal at the 1983 World University Games and a silver medal at the 1978 Pan American Games. Two of the greatest players in school history, Cathy Boswell and Charlotte Lewis, played for Hutchison, as well as being members of Olympic and professional basketball teams.
Hutchison was a four-time president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and is widely credited with influencing the growth of the women's game from a level of relative obscurity to its current popularity. She is the author of "Coaching Girls' Basketball Successfully", an instructional book designed to help coaches successfully teach fundamentals to developing players.
The Albuquerque, N.M., native earned her bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico in 1967, where she is also a member of the athletics hall of fame. She also earned a master's degree from Illinois State and a doctorate from UNC-Greensboro.
Bob Harstad (Creighton), Kevin Little (Drake), Ed Jucker (Cincinnati), Jim Byers (Evansville) and A.J. Robertson (Bradley) are the other members of the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame induction class.
