BY
JAMES RADA JR.
News Editor
jrada@thedispatch.us
EMMITSBURG,
Md. – It was April 1—April Fool’s
Day—when Jim Phelan got a phone call telling him he was going
to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I thought somebody out there was playing
games with me,” Phelan said.
However, the caller said he was Jim Haney,
president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and the
caller ID showed the phone call was from Kansas City, Mo. where the
organization’s headquarters is located. It turns out that
although Phelan didn’t know he had been nominated, and
certainly hadn’t lobbied for acceptance, he is going to be
part of the third group inducted into the hall of fame.
Phelan became one of college
basketball’s all-time winners with a record of 830 wins and
524 losses over the course of 49 basketball seasons. The man known for
wearing bow ties coached in a total of 1,354 games, all as head coach
at Mount St. Mary’s University.
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.
“It’s a pleasant surprise and
I’m honored to be a part of such a distinguished
group,” Phelan said of the announcement.
Phelan and six others will be inducted into the
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Nov. 23. The ceremony
will be held at the College Basketball Experience and Sprint Center in
Kansas City, Mo. The other inductees 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.
For Phelan, it will be his 10th induction into a
hall of fame. His name is also part of athletic and alumni halls of
fame for Maryland; Pennsylvania; Frederick County; Washington County;
Delaware County, Pa.; Mount St. Mary’s; LaSalle High School;
LaSalle College and St. Monica’s School.
According to Mount Director of Communications
Linda Sherman, the Mount will also hold its own ceremony to honor
Phelan’s induction closer to the actual event.
“What a year for Mount
basketball!” said Mount President, Thomas H. Powell in a
written statement. “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.”
