University of North Carolina women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell got her 1,000th victory today when the Lady Tar Heels defeated Grambling State 79-63 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Hatchell became just the fourth coach to reach that plateau. Later Tuesday evening, Connecticuts Geno Auriemma also can join the club if the Huskies beat Oklahoma.
Pat Summitt holds the record with 1,098 wins with the Tennessee womens team. Dukes Mike Krzyzewski is second with 1,082 on the mens side. Stanfords Tara VanDerveer is next on the list with 1,017 wins with the Cardinal women. Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer is at 988 victories and also could reach 1,000 this season. Her Scarlet Knights are currently 12-2.
Hatchell, who has been a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 2013, also is only one of two coaches with at least 700 wins at an ACC school. Former Virginia coach Debbie Ryan is the other. Ryan won 739 games in 34 years at UVa., Hatchells mark at UNC is now 728-286.
UNC Women’s Basketball: THROWBACK THURSDAY
1994 Women’s Basketball National Championship Charlotte Smith Game Winner
Among her most memorable victories was the Tar Heels 1994 national championship when Charlotte Smith, with only .7 seconds left on the clock, hit a 3-pointer as time expired to give UNC a 60-59 win over Louisiana Tech.
Hatchell also has eight ACC championship teams, including a four-year run of consecutive titles from 2005-08. She began her career at Francis Marion in Florence, South Carolina and won her first 272 games there, including a pair of national titles. She is the first and only coach to lead teams to national championships at the AIAW, NAIA and NCAA levels.
