Sylvia Hatchell
Encyclopedia
Sylvia Rhyne Hatchell is head coach of the women's basketball
team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
.She competed with USA Basketball
as the Head Coach of the 1994 Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei
.
.
, where she would remain for the next eleven years, compiling a 272–80 record.
In 1986, Hatchell would take the head coaching position at the University of North Carolina
. Under Hatchell's leadership the Tar Heels would become one of the nation's top basketball teams and becoming a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament. They have been to every tournament since 2001, and all but two since 1992.
The highlight of Hatchell's career was winning the national championship in 1994. The title game against Louisiana Tech
was one of the more exciting finishes in Tournament history. Louisiana Tech had scored with 14 seconds to go in the game, giving them a two point lead 59–57. UNC's Tonya Sampson attempted a shot with four seconds to go in the game that would tie the game, but it did not go in. The Tar Heels rebounded the ball and called a time out, with only 0.7 seconds left in the game. Stephanie Lawrence passed the ball inbounds to Charlotte Smith, who hit a 20 foot jump shot for three points to win the game and the National Championship at the buzzer.
In 2009, Hatchell became only the fourth coach of a women's basketball team to reach the 800 win plateau. The win came against in-state rival North Carolina State, and wasn't easy, as the Tar Heels needed overtime to pull out the win. Interestingly, that is the same opponent as UNC faced for Hatchell's 700th victory, on January 16, 2006.
Hatchell's son, Van, is set to graduate from UNC in 2011 and was a walk-on senior on the 2010-11 men's basketball team.
Hatchell was named to the head coaching position to take the USA team to the 1994 R. William Jones Cop competition in Taipei, Taiwan, where the team returned with the gold medal. She also served as the head coach for the USA team at the 1995 World University Games Fukuoka, Japan, where the team won the silver medal.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.She competed with USA Basketball
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
as the Head Coach of the 1994 Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
.
College
Hatchell graduated from Carson–Newman College with a BS degree in physical education in 1974. She completed her masters degree the following year at the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
.
Coaching
Hatchell realized that coaching was her calling when she was asked to coach a junior high girl's basketball team in 1974. She followed that with a brief stint as the junior varsity basketball coach at the University of Tennessee, then moved on to become the coach at Francis Marion CollegeFrancis Marion University
Francis Marion University is a state-supported liberal arts university located six miles east of Florence, South Carolina, USA...
, where she would remain for the next eleven years, compiling a 272–80 record.
In 1986, Hatchell would take the head coaching position at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
. Under Hatchell's leadership the Tar Heels would become one of the nation's top basketball teams and becoming a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament. They have been to every tournament since 2001, and all but two since 1992.
The highlight of Hatchell's career was winning the national championship in 1994. The title game against Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball
The Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team represents Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The current head coach of the Lady Techsters is Teresa Weatherspoon...
was one of the more exciting finishes in Tournament history. Louisiana Tech had scored with 14 seconds to go in the game, giving them a two point lead 59–57. UNC's Tonya Sampson attempted a shot with four seconds to go in the game that would tie the game, but it did not go in. The Tar Heels rebounded the ball and called a time out, with only 0.7 seconds left in the game. Stephanie Lawrence passed the ball inbounds to Charlotte Smith, who hit a 20 foot jump shot for three points to win the game and the National Championship at the buzzer.
In 2009, Hatchell became only the fourth coach of a women's basketball team to reach the 800 win plateau. The win came against in-state rival North Carolina State, and wasn't easy, as the Tar Heels needed overtime to pull out the win. Interestingly, that is the same opponent as UNC faced for Hatchell's 700th victory, on January 16, 2006.
Hatchell's son, Van, is set to graduate from UNC in 2011 and was a walk-on senior on the 2010-11 men's basketball team.
USA Basketball
Hatchell was the assistant coach of the USA Basketball team at the World University games in 1983 and 1985. The team won a gold medal at the 1983 games in Edmonton, Canada, and a silver medal at the 1985 games in Kobe, Japan. She also served as an assistant coach for the USA team at the 1986 World Championships, when the USA team beat the USSR to win gold. She continued on as assistant coach at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, where the USA team also won the gold medal.Hatchell was named to the head coaching position to take the USA team to the 1994 R. William Jones Cop competition in Taipei, Taiwan, where the team returned with the gold medal. She also served as the head coach for the USA team at the 1995 World University Games Fukuoka, Japan, where the team won the silver medal.
Awards and honors
- 1993—Francis Marion University Athletic Hall of Fame
- 1994—USA Today National Coach of the Year
- 1994—College Sports Magazine National Coach of the Year
- 2004—Hatchell was elected to the Women's Basketball Hall of FameWomen's Basketball Hall of FameThe Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors men and women who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA...
, located in Knoxville, TennesseeKnoxville, TennesseeFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. - 2006—Hatchell was awarded the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year award.