Emmitsburg, MD-- Legendary Mount St. Mary’s University men’s basketball coach Jim Phelan is among seven inductees to be enshrined in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday, November 23, 2008. The announcement was made by the National Association of Basketball Coaches Foundation.
“It is an honor to be selected for induction. It’s a great feeling to be in such a distinguished group of gentlemen. They have all achieved so much in the realm of basketball and are all so worthwhile." says Coach Phelan, adding, "I had a wonderful 49 years at the Mount with a great opportunity to contribute with a lot of fine players."
Coach Phelan became one of the basketball’s all-time winners with a record of 830 wins and 524 losses over the course of 49 basketball seasons. The man with the bow tie coached in a total of 1,354 games, all as head coach at the Mount.
The Philadelphia native and former basketball star at LaSalle ranks fourth all-time in career wins behind Bob Knight, Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp. The two-time national coach of the year led his team to the NCAA College Division championship in 1962 and guided the Mount in 19 seasons with at least 20 wins. After moving to Division I, his teams earned NCAA Tournament berths in 1995 and 1999 as well as the National Invitation Tournament in 1996.
“What a year for Mount basketball!” says Mount President, Thomas H. Powell. “We can't begin to express how grateful we are to Coach Phelan's dedication and love for the Mount. His hard work and appreciation for the sport remain the backbone of what is still a championship basketball program today. “
The ceremony will be held at the College Basketball Experience (CBE) and Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., which opened in October, 2007. The CBE, a world-class entertainment facility that provides a multi-faceted interactive experience for fans, shares a common lobby with Sprint Center and is the home of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Also to be inducted are former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson, CBS commentator Billy Packer, ESPN commentator Dick Vitale, former Utah star Arnie Ferrin, former Kansas great Danny Manning and former Auburn star Charles Barkley.