RALEIGH, N.C. – On Tuesday, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame announced that Vanderbilt women’s basketball head coach Shea Ralph will be inducted as part of its 2024 induction class.
Ralph will be one of 11 inductees that will be enshrined during the 60th annual Induction Celebration on the evening of Friday, May 10, at the Charlotte Convention Center, starting at 4 p.m. CT.
A standout basketball player at Fayetteville’s Terry Sanford High School, Ralph averaged 39.1 points per game as a junior in 1995 and held 17 state records when she graduated in 1996. She played collegiately at UConn where she led the Huskies to the NCAA Women’s Championship in 2000 and was named the Final Four MVP. In 2000, she was the Big East Player of the Year, won the Honda Award, and was named Sports Illustrated’s National Player of the Year. Now the head coach at Vanderbilt, she finished her career with 1,678 points despite overcoming five ACL injuries and a struggle against anorexia nervosa.
Ralph has guided Vanderbilt to a 10-1 start this season, which is the team’s best start to a season since the 2016-17 campaign. In her inaugural season, Ralph led Vanderbilt to its first postseason appearance since 2014. The Commodores reached the third round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, their longest postseason run since 2013. Vanderbilt also recorded its first SEC Tournament victory in six years when it defeated Texas A&M 85-69 on March 2, 2022.
The N.C. Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1962. A permanent exhibit, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame is located on the third floor of the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh and features over 200 significant objects and memorabilia donated by inductees. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
The North Carolina Museum of History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, fosters a passion for North Carolina history. This museum collects and preserves artifacts of state history and educates the public on the history of the state and the nation through exhibits and educational programs. Admission is free. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums are part of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
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