Out of the 14 finalists named for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh-area natives Suzzie McConnell-Serio and Swin Cash were not among them.
The two basketball legends were both nominees for the honor, but were not among the four women chosen as finalists to be enshrined in the hall later this year. Finalists on the women’s side include Leta Andrews, Yolanda Griffith, Lauren Jackson and Marianne Stanley.
Cash, who is currently working within the New Orleans Pelicans organization, has built up quite the basketball resumé. After winning two national championships at UConn, Cash went second overall in the 2002 WNBA Draft. The McKeesport native translated her success to the next level quite well, becoming a three-time WNBA champion and a four-time all-star. Cash donned American colors during her career as well and won two Olympic gold medals, one coming in 2004 and the other in 2012.
McConnell-Serio made a name for herself at Penn State by helping the Nittany Lions reach four straight NCAA Tournaments in the 1980s before joining the Cleveland Rockers WNBA franchise in the late 1990s. Locally, McConnell-Serio led Oakland Catholic High School to three PIAA State Championships before taking the helm of the Minnesota Linx in 2003, where McConnell-Serio led the team to its first playoff berth and won the WNBA Coach of the Year Award. She made a return to the Pittsburgh area and coached the Duquesne and Pitt women’s basketball teams.
The enshrinement ceremony will take place from May 13-15 at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
