Jill Hutchison (born March 8, 1945) is an American retired women's basketball coach, having served as head coach for 28 seasons at

Illinois State Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

. Hutchison also served as the first president of the

Women's Basketball Coaches Association The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels. The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches. The mission of the WBCA ...

. She was active in USA Basketball, serving as the head coach of the gold-medal winning team representing the USA at the World University Games in 1983. Hutchison was inducted into the

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's ba ...

in 2009.

Early years

Although the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

(UNM) had a women's basketball team as early as 1898, formal intercollegiate play did not start until the 1974–75 season. Hutchison attended New Mexico, graduating in 1967, and played basketball for intramural teams during her time at the school. Occasionally, the teams would play at "sports days" at area schools in Arizona and Utah.

Illinois State

After graduating from UNM, Hutchison was admitted to the master's program at

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

. Her master's thesis involved study of female basketball players to determine whether their hearts could play the a full court game. Her research concluded that they could. She went on to become the head coach of the women's basketball team in 1970, and she remained in that position for 28 years.

USA Basketball

Hutchison was named head coach of the team that went to the World University Games in 1983. The team had a record of 5–1, losing only to Romania in an early round. After losing to Romania, the USA team faced a highly regarded Yugoslavia. A win was needed to advance to the medal round. The USA narrowly prevailed, winning 86–85, with

Carol Menken-Schaudt Carol Jean Menken-Schaudt (born November 23, 1957) is an American All-American basketball player from Jefferson, Oregon, who won a gold medal on the U.S. team at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Menken-Schaudt later played basketball professionally for ...

contributing 25 points. That set up a rematch with Romania for the gold medal. The Romanians started out strong, and held a 42–36 lead at halftime, but the USA team took the lead back and ended up with a 22-point margin 83–61, to clinch the gold medal. The leading scorer on the team with just under 14 points per game was

Joyce Walker Joyce Walker (born 1960 or 1961) is an American women's basketball player who is most renowned for being the third woman to join the Harlem Globetrotters, following fellow LSU All American, Jackie White. Walker was a basketball star at Garf ...

, who went on to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Awards and honors

* 1984 – Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame * 1985 – MVC Coach of the Year * 1988 – MVC Coach of the Year * 1992 –

Carol Eckman Award The Carol Eckman Award is an award given annually since 1986 to the women's college basketball coach that "best demonstrates the character of the late Carol Eckman, the mother of the collegiate women's basketball national championship". Given by t ...

* 1996 – MVC Coach of the Year * 2009 – Inducted into the

Head coaching record

Source

Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchison, Jill 1945 births Living people Illinois State Redbirds women's basketball coaches New Mexico Lobos women's basketball players American women's basketball coaches