AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!
Ceal Barry Named WBB Hall of Fame Finalist
- Thread starter cmgoods
- Start date
http://www.cubuffs.com/news/2018/1/...lists-for-womens-basketball-hall-of-fame.aspx
Barry Named One Of 10 Finalists For Women's Basketball Hall Of Fame
The finalists were announced Thursday evening at halftime of ESPN's telecast of the Notre Dame/Louisville game. The class, which will be comprised of approximately four to seven of the finalists, will be announced on Feb. 12 and will be introduced during the Women's Final Four in Columbus. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on June 9.
"It is a real honor to be included as a finalist with the nine other incredible women who have dedicated a major part of their lives to the growth and popularity of collegiate women's basketball," Barry said. "I loved my time as head coach of the CU women's basketball team and am so fortunate to still be involved with the women's sport programs."
Barry was CU's head coach for 22 seasons from 1983 to 2005, leading the Buffs to four regular-season Big Eight championships, four Big Eight Tournament championships and one Big 12 Tournament championship. She also guided the Buffs to the NCAA Tournament 12 times, including three teams that reached the Elite Eight and three more in the Sweet Sixteen.
She was named Big Eight Coach of the Year four times, including 1989, 1993, 1994 and 1995. Barry was also selected as the WBCA District Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1995, and was chosen as National Coach of the Year in 1994 by USBWA, Basketball Times and Basketball America. Her teams were recognized with the Big Eight Sportsmanship Award three times and she was named the Colorado Sportswoman of the Year in 1990. She also earned the WBCA Carol Eckman Award in 1995, given annually to an active coach who "exemplifies Eckman's spirit, integrity and character through sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose." In both 2001 and 2002, she was a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year.
Three of Barry's players earned AP All-America awards, including first-team honoree Shelley Sheetz in 1995. Sheetz was one of three of Barry's players to earn Big Eight Player of the Year honors, joining Bridget Turner in 1989 and Jamillah Lang (co-winner) in 1994. Barry also helped four of her players earn Big Eight Newcomer of the Year. In total, Barry's teams had 57 players earn all-conference honors from either the Big Eight or the Big 12.
Barry guided CU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1988, helping the Buffs win their first-ever postseason game over Eastern Illinois in the first round that season as the team finished the year 21-11 overall. The following season she led CU to its first Big Eight championship and first tournament championship as Colorado went 27-4 overall and 14-0 in the Big Eight.
One of Barry's proudest moments came in the second round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament when the Buffs broke the Coors Events Center record with a sellout crowd of 11,199 fans on March 18, 1989 vs. UNLV. She notes that every ticket for that game was purchased; none was given away.
After missing the postseason with two winning records over the next two seasons, Barry's squad returned to the NCAA Tournament in 1992 and finished 22-9 overall, placing second in the Big Eight during the regular season before capturing the tournament championship. That season sparked a stretch of dominance that has not been seen in team sports at CU.
In 1993, her team went 27-4, including 12-2 in the Big Eight, to win its second conference championship. After a double-overtime loss in the Big Eight semifinals, Barry's team caught fire in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Elite Eight after upsetting No. 6 Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen.
CU made it back-to-back Big Eight championships in 1994 as the team went 27-5 overall and 12-2 in the Big Eight. The Buffs were upset in the tournament championship game in overtime, but recovered to win two NCAA Tournament games over Marquette and Oregon. The Buffs were ranked as high as No. 2 in the AP and WBCA polls in March, the highest ranking in school history.
Colorado returned to the Elite Eight in 1995 and had its best season in school history, going 30-3 overall and 14-0 in the Big Eight with its third straight conference championship. The Buffs cruised through the Big Eight Tournament with a 61-45 win over No. 23 Kansas in the championship game. Only a last-second loss to Georgia in the Elite Eight kept the Buffs out of the Final Four. CU matched 1994's high ranking of No. 2 in the final AP poll of the year.
The Buffs won the Big Eight Tournament in 1996 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They won the conference tournament again in 1997, the inaugural season of the Big 12, when they reached the Sweet Sixteen before bowing out to eventual national champion Tennessee in an eight-point loss. The 1996-97 season was the sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth of Barry's CU career.
Barry's team had one more stretch of dominance in the early 2000s before her retirement from coaching. In 2001, she guided CU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Her 2002 squad then returned to the Elite Eight, defeating No. 22 LSU and No. 5 Stanford in the second and third rounds before a loss to No. 2 Oklahoma ended the season. CU made another deep postseason run in 2003 to the Sweet Sixteen, upsetting No. 12-ranked North Carolina in the second round before suffering a two-point loss to No. 11 Villanova. Her final NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2004 to cap a 22-win season.
Barry wrapped up her 22-season CU career with a 427-242 (.638) record, including 191-134 (.588) in conference games. She has the most wins, conference wins, regular-season conference championships (4), conference tournament championships (5), and NCAA Tournament appearances (12) than any other coach in Colorado history. She had 17 winning seasons in 22 years. Barry was inducted into CU's Hall of Fame in 2010.
Prior to joining CU in 1983, she spent four years as the head coach at Cincinnati, leading the Bearcats to an 83-42 (.664) record. In 26 total years as a Division I head coach, Barry had a 510-284 (.642) record.
Following her coaching career, she joined CU's administrative staff and is currently Colorado's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Senior Women's Administrator.
What They're Saying...
Rick George, Director of Athletics at CU
"Ceal has been an integral part of our athletic department since she arrived in 1983. Her accomplishments in basketball are unparalleled at CU and those accomplishments alone make her one of the all-time greats at CU. However, her impact as our Senior Associate AD and our Senior Women's Administrator is just as great. Her daily role in our athletic department has helped us achieve much success on and off the court. I can't imagine where we would be if Ceal Barry were not an integral part of our department."
Shelley Sheetz, former All-America guard at CU
"Picking CU [out of high school] and playing for Coach Barry was an honor. She's not only a legend at CU but she's a legend in women's basketball and I'm blessed to have played for her for four years. How she carried herself, how she ran her program, the integrity and ethics she had, she set the standard in all of those areas. That's why she won the Carol Eckman Award my senior year. That's the highest honor a coach can have besides winning coach of the year and it's because of her morals and values as a coach. I've taken everything I learned from her into my 15 years of coaching. I always ask myself, 'What would Ceal do, like WWCD?' I'm trying to emulate into my program everything I have learned from her. She was incredible to play for, very demanding. I learned that I could always give more and I wouldn't have learned that without her. I always had more to give, and the discipline she had in her program helped us achieve great things. We would not have had the accolades as a team, or I as an individual, had she not pushed me. I had a lot of respect for her when I was playing and now that I'm coaching, mentoring student-athletes at Loyola or Boston College or Denver or Pepperdine or San Diego or Washington State—anywhere I've been I've tried to be like her. This is a well-deserved honor for her to be in the mix. She absolutely should be in the hall of fame."
Jamillah Lang, former Big Eight Player of the Year at CU
"During my amazing ride at CU, Coach Barry introduced me to a superior level of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. Her leadership and mentorship style challenged and ultimately empowered me to stretch myself limitlessly and go above and beyond to achieve excellence. She was and remains a true inspiration and I owe an incredible degree of gratitude to her."
Tracy Tripp, former All-Big Eight player at CU and current CU Director of Human Resources
"Ceal is one of the pioneers of women's basketball and I feel fortunate to have played for her. Her passion, work ethic and commitment to the game were unparalleled and it is those attributes that she instilled in her players. Ceal has been a mentor and role model to me and many former players who entered the coaching profession wanting to follow in her footsteps and emulate her coaching style. Not only has she left her mark on women's basketball, she has made an impact on the lives of many student-athletes and that will be her legacy."
JR Payne, current CU head coach
"In a lot of ways in our athletic department, Ceal Barry is Colorado. Coming here as a coaching staff, we thought, 'wow, what an incredible opportunity we have,' to not just be mentored by someone of that level of success and stature, but to be surrounded by every day and have an opportunity to rub shoulders with someone that has poured their heart and soul into the game of women's basketball and into the University of Colorado. To have that experience, for us, has been second-to-none. You don't get nominated for the hall of fame without having just an incredible impact. They obviously had great teams and went to Elite Eights and won a lot of titles and games. But the thing that's special to me is the way her past players feel about her. The people that jump in on Facebook to talk about, 'Coach Barry this and Coach Barry that.' And I love the way her players react to her when they come back to Boulder and how excited a lot of them are to come back and be reunited with her."
Barry Named One Of 10 Finalists For Women's Basketball Hall Of Fame
- Ceal Barry is one of 10 finalists for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018
- Barry was a four-time Big Eight Coach of the Year
- She had a 427-242 (.638) record in 22 seasons at CU and 510-284 (.642) in 26 seasons overall as a Division I head coach
The finalists were announced Thursday evening at halftime of ESPN's telecast of the Notre Dame/Louisville game. The class, which will be comprised of approximately four to seven of the finalists, will be announced on Feb. 12 and will be introduced during the Women's Final Four in Columbus. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on June 9.
"It is a real honor to be included as a finalist with the nine other incredible women who have dedicated a major part of their lives to the growth and popularity of collegiate women's basketball," Barry said. "I loved my time as head coach of the CU women's basketball team and am so fortunate to still be involved with the women's sport programs."
Barry was CU's head coach for 22 seasons from 1983 to 2005, leading the Buffs to four regular-season Big Eight championships, four Big Eight Tournament championships and one Big 12 Tournament championship. She also guided the Buffs to the NCAA Tournament 12 times, including three teams that reached the Elite Eight and three more in the Sweet Sixteen.
She was named Big Eight Coach of the Year four times, including 1989, 1993, 1994 and 1995. Barry was also selected as the WBCA District Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1995, and was chosen as National Coach of the Year in 1994 by USBWA, Basketball Times and Basketball America. Her teams were recognized with the Big Eight Sportsmanship Award three times and she was named the Colorado Sportswoman of the Year in 1990. She also earned the WBCA Carol Eckman Award in 1995, given annually to an active coach who "exemplifies Eckman's spirit, integrity and character through sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose." In both 2001 and 2002, she was a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year.
Three of Barry's players earned AP All-America awards, including first-team honoree Shelley Sheetz in 1995. Sheetz was one of three of Barry's players to earn Big Eight Player of the Year honors, joining Bridget Turner in 1989 and Jamillah Lang (co-winner) in 1994. Barry also helped four of her players earn Big Eight Newcomer of the Year. In total, Barry's teams had 57 players earn all-conference honors from either the Big Eight or the Big 12.
Barry guided CU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1988, helping the Buffs win their first-ever postseason game over Eastern Illinois in the first round that season as the team finished the year 21-11 overall. The following season she led CU to its first Big Eight championship and first tournament championship as Colorado went 27-4 overall and 14-0 in the Big Eight.
One of Barry's proudest moments came in the second round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament when the Buffs broke the Coors Events Center record with a sellout crowd of 11,199 fans on March 18, 1989 vs. UNLV. She notes that every ticket for that game was purchased; none was given away.
After missing the postseason with two winning records over the next two seasons, Barry's squad returned to the NCAA Tournament in 1992 and finished 22-9 overall, placing second in the Big Eight during the regular season before capturing the tournament championship. That season sparked a stretch of dominance that has not been seen in team sports at CU.
In 1993, her team went 27-4, including 12-2 in the Big Eight, to win its second conference championship. After a double-overtime loss in the Big Eight semifinals, Barry's team caught fire in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Elite Eight after upsetting No. 6 Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen.
CU made it back-to-back Big Eight championships in 1994 as the team went 27-5 overall and 12-2 in the Big Eight. The Buffs were upset in the tournament championship game in overtime, but recovered to win two NCAA Tournament games over Marquette and Oregon. The Buffs were ranked as high as No. 2 in the AP and WBCA polls in March, the highest ranking in school history.
Colorado returned to the Elite Eight in 1995 and had its best season in school history, going 30-3 overall and 14-0 in the Big Eight with its third straight conference championship. The Buffs cruised through the Big Eight Tournament with a 61-45 win over No. 23 Kansas in the championship game. Only a last-second loss to Georgia in the Elite Eight kept the Buffs out of the Final Four. CU matched 1994's high ranking of No. 2 in the final AP poll of the year.
The Buffs won the Big Eight Tournament in 1996 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They won the conference tournament again in 1997, the inaugural season of the Big 12, when they reached the Sweet Sixteen before bowing out to eventual national champion Tennessee in an eight-point loss. The 1996-97 season was the sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth of Barry's CU career.
Barry's team had one more stretch of dominance in the early 2000s before her retirement from coaching. In 2001, she guided CU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Her 2002 squad then returned to the Elite Eight, defeating No. 22 LSU and No. 5 Stanford in the second and third rounds before a loss to No. 2 Oklahoma ended the season. CU made another deep postseason run in 2003 to the Sweet Sixteen, upsetting No. 12-ranked North Carolina in the second round before suffering a two-point loss to No. 11 Villanova. Her final NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2004 to cap a 22-win season.
Barry wrapped up her 22-season CU career with a 427-242 (.638) record, including 191-134 (.588) in conference games. She has the most wins, conference wins, regular-season conference championships (4), conference tournament championships (5), and NCAA Tournament appearances (12) than any other coach in Colorado history. She had 17 winning seasons in 22 years. Barry was inducted into CU's Hall of Fame in 2010.
Prior to joining CU in 1983, she spent four years as the head coach at Cincinnati, leading the Bearcats to an 83-42 (.664) record. In 26 total years as a Division I head coach, Barry had a 510-284 (.642) record.
Following her coaching career, she joined CU's administrative staff and is currently Colorado's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Senior Women's Administrator.
What They're Saying...
Rick George, Director of Athletics at CU
"Ceal has been an integral part of our athletic department since she arrived in 1983. Her accomplishments in basketball are unparalleled at CU and those accomplishments alone make her one of the all-time greats at CU. However, her impact as our Senior Associate AD and our Senior Women's Administrator is just as great. Her daily role in our athletic department has helped us achieve much success on and off the court. I can't imagine where we would be if Ceal Barry were not an integral part of our department."
Shelley Sheetz, former All-America guard at CU
"Picking CU [out of high school] and playing for Coach Barry was an honor. She's not only a legend at CU but she's a legend in women's basketball and I'm blessed to have played for her for four years. How she carried herself, how she ran her program, the integrity and ethics she had, she set the standard in all of those areas. That's why she won the Carol Eckman Award my senior year. That's the highest honor a coach can have besides winning coach of the year and it's because of her morals and values as a coach. I've taken everything I learned from her into my 15 years of coaching. I always ask myself, 'What would Ceal do, like WWCD?' I'm trying to emulate into my program everything I have learned from her. She was incredible to play for, very demanding. I learned that I could always give more and I wouldn't have learned that without her. I always had more to give, and the discipline she had in her program helped us achieve great things. We would not have had the accolades as a team, or I as an individual, had she not pushed me. I had a lot of respect for her when I was playing and now that I'm coaching, mentoring student-athletes at Loyola or Boston College or Denver or Pepperdine or San Diego or Washington State—anywhere I've been I've tried to be like her. This is a well-deserved honor for her to be in the mix. She absolutely should be in the hall of fame."
Jamillah Lang, former Big Eight Player of the Year at CU
"During my amazing ride at CU, Coach Barry introduced me to a superior level of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. Her leadership and mentorship style challenged and ultimately empowered me to stretch myself limitlessly and go above and beyond to achieve excellence. She was and remains a true inspiration and I owe an incredible degree of gratitude to her."
Tracy Tripp, former All-Big Eight player at CU and current CU Director of Human Resources
"Ceal is one of the pioneers of women's basketball and I feel fortunate to have played for her. Her passion, work ethic and commitment to the game were unparalleled and it is those attributes that she instilled in her players. Ceal has been a mentor and role model to me and many former players who entered the coaching profession wanting to follow in her footsteps and emulate her coaching style. Not only has she left her mark on women's basketball, she has made an impact on the lives of many student-athletes and that will be her legacy."
JR Payne, current CU head coach
"In a lot of ways in our athletic department, Ceal Barry is Colorado. Coming here as a coaching staff, we thought, 'wow, what an incredible opportunity we have,' to not just be mentored by someone of that level of success and stature, but to be surrounded by every day and have an opportunity to rub shoulders with someone that has poured their heart and soul into the game of women's basketball and into the University of Colorado. To have that experience, for us, has been second-to-none. You don't get nominated for the hall of fame without having just an incredible impact. They obviously had great teams and went to Elite Eights and won a lot of titles and games. But the thing that's special to me is the way her past players feel about her. The people that jump in on Facebook to talk about, 'Coach Barry this and Coach Barry that.' And I love the way her players react to her when they come back to Boulder and how excited a lot of them are to come back and be reunited with her."
This makes me very happy. I hope Coach Barry is inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
I watched Coach Barry from the first game she coached at CU until her last. Ceal was total class. She demanded much from her players, but demanded just as much from herself.
I watched Coach Barry from the first game she coached at CU until her last. Ceal was total class. She demanded much from her players, but demanded just as much from herself.
MarkW
Well-Known Member
I too saw the majority of the games she coached, from the very beginning. The first time the Coors Events was sold out was when her 1989 team hosted UNLV in the NCAA tourney. Her success on the court and off really brought about the rise of girls/women's basketball in the state.
Hope she gets in and there is a big acknowledgement by the athletic department.
