Already a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The announcement was made by Hall of Fame officials at the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Cooper-Dyke competed at the University of Southern California, where she won two NCAA Championships and participated in three Final Fours.
As a member of the Houston Comets, she won four WNBA Championships and was named WNBA Finals MVP with each title. Cooper was named to three WNBA All-Star teams and was also selected WNBA regular season MVP twice.
Cooper won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1988 and an Olympic Bronze Medal in 1992 to go along with two FIBA Women’s World Championship Gold Medals.
Now the Coach at Prairie View A&M, Cooper-Dyke has had incredible success during her time on the “Hill.” Prior to her arrival in 2005 the Lady Panthers had never had a winning season.
Since Cooper-Dyke took over, Prairie View has won three Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season titles and two postseason tournament championships. The Lady Panthers earned trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and 2009 and to the WNIT in 2008 and 2010.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 2010 class also includes Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, the late Dennis Johnson and Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
Being elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is the highest individual honor any basketball player or coach can receive.