Sylvia Hatchell
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Sylvia Rhyne Hatchell (born February 28, 1952) is a former American women's basketball coach, who last coached for the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
and was the fifth with the most career wins in NCAA women's basketball history, behind former Tennessee coach
Pat Summitt Patricia Susan Summitt (; June 14, 1952 – June 28, 2016) was an American women's college basketball head coach who accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement. She served as the head coac ...
, Stanford coach
Tara VanDerveer Tara Ann VanDerveer (born June 26, 1953) is an American basketball coach who has been the head women's basketball coach at Stanford University since 1985. Designated the Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women's Basketball, VanDerveer led the Stanfor ...
, and UConn coach
Geno Auriemma Luigi "Geno" Auriemma (born March 23, 1954) is an Italian-born American college basketball coach and, since 1985, the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. , he has led UConn to 17 undefeated conference sea ...
. She competed with
USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympi ...
as the head coach of the 1994 Jones Cup Team that won the gold in
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
. Hatchell 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 bask ...
in 2004. On April 2, 2019, Hatchell and three assistants were placed on administrative leave following accusations of racially insensitive remarks and forcing players to play while injured. She resigned as North Carolina's head coach on April 18, 2019.


College

Hatchell graduated from Carson–Newman College with a BS degree in physical education in 1974. She completed her master's degree the following year at the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
.


Coaching

Hatchell realized that coaching was her calling when she was asked to coach a junior high girls' basketball team in 1974. She followed that with a brief stint as the junior varsity basketball coach at the University of Tennessee, then moved on to become the coach at Francis Marion College, where she would remain for the next eleven years, compiling a 272–80 record. In 1986, Hatchell would take the head coaching position at the
University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
. Under Hatchell's leadership the Tar Heels would become one of the nation's top basketball teams and also become a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament. The highlight of Hatchell's career was winning the national championship in 1994. The title game against
Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...
was one of the more exciting finishes in tournament history. Louisiana Tech had scored with 14 seconds to go in the game, giving them a two-point lead 59–57. UNC's Tonya Sampson attempted a shot with four seconds to go in the game that would tie the game, but it did not go in. The Tar Heels rebounded the ball and called a time out, with only 0.7 seconds left in the game. Stephanie Lawrence passed the ball inbounds to Charlotte Smith, who hit a 20-foot jump shot for three points to win the game and the national championship at the buzzer. In 2009, Hatchell became only the fourth coach of a women's basketball team to reach the 800 win plateau. The win came against in-state rival North Carolina State, and was tough, as the Tar Heels needed overtime to pull out the win. UNC faced the same opponent for Hatchell's 700th victory, on January 16, 2006. In 2013, Hatchell was forced to step aside from her coaching duties when she was diagnosed with
acute myeloid leukemia Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal cells that build up in the bone marrow and blood and interfere with normal blood cell production. Symptoms may includ ...
in October. A routine physical in September showed a low white blood cell count, which eventually led to the diagnosis. This was the first time she has missed any games coaching since January 1989, when she was out for the birth of her son. She was treated with aggressive chemotherapy at UNC's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. She was able to resume coaching at the start of the 2014–15 season. North Carolina extended Hatchell's contract through the 2019–20 season on September 22, 2016. The contract was originally set to expire in 2018. On December 19, 2017, Hatchell became the third coach in women's basketball history to record 1,000 career wins, when the Tar Heels defeated Grambling State. Hatchell's son, Van, graduated from UNC in 2011 and was a walk-on senior on the 2010–11 men's basketball team. On April 18, 2019, Sylvia Hatchell resigned as head coach of UNC women's basketball.


Head coaching record

Source for Francis Marion:


USA Basketball

Hatchell was the assistant coach of the team representing the US at the
World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...
held in
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in July 1983. The first game against Hong Kong was a mismatch—the USA team would outscore their opponents by triple digits, 134–23.
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 Garfie ...
's 26 points alone were more than the entire Hong Kong team. The next two games against France and West Germany were closer, but the USA still won by 16 and 15 points respectively. The USA team faced Romania and lost by 14 points 85–71. The next opponent was Yugoslavia, which the USA needed to win to stay in medal contention. The game was close, but the USA won by a single point 86–85 to head to a rematch with Romania for the gold medal. The Romanian team started out strong, and held a six-point lead at halftime. The USA team came back, out scoring their opponents 47–19 in the second half, and won the game, earning the gold medal. Walker was the leading scorer for the US with 13.8 points per game, but Deborah Temple Lee was close behind with 13.5 points per game. Hatchell was the assistant coach of the team representing the US at the World University Games held in
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in July 1985. The team won their three preliminary games with ease, beating the People's Republic of Korea, Yugoslavia and Great Britain by more than 25 points each. Their next game, against China, was much closer, but the USA team had balanced scoring, with five players in double figures for points, and won 83–78. The USA team played Canada in the semifinal, and again had five players with double-digit scoring, winning 85–61 to advance to the gold medal game against the USSR. The USA fell behind by as much as 18 points in the second half. They attempted a comeback, and cut the margin, but the USSR hit almost 55% of their shots and went on to claim the gold medal 87–81. The USA received the silver medal.
Katrina McClain Katrina McClain (born September 19, 1965) is a retired American basketball player. She played for the University of Georgia, as well as many USA Basketball teams including three Olympic teams. McClain was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall ...
was the leading scorer and rebounder for the USA team with 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Hatchell was named assistant coach of the USA national team which would compete at the 1986 World Championships and the 1990 Olympics. The World Championships were held in
Moscow, Soviet Union Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million re ...
in August. The USA team started strong with a more than 50-point victory over Taipei. The USA team continued to dominate their opponents, winning the next three preliminary rounds games, with a 15-point victory over Hungary being the closest margin, then advanced to the medal play rounds. They defeated China in the quarterfinals, and Canada in the semifinals to set up the championship match against host and undefeated Soviet Union. Although the USA had recently defeated the USSR in the
Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...
, the USA wanted to demonstrate that the victory was no "fluke". The Soviet team was taller, but the USA team was able to outscore them. The USA team started the game with the first eight points, and had a 15–1 run during the second half, and won in convincing fashion 108–88 to win the gold medal and the world championship. Every one of the starters achieved double-digit scoring in the final game, led by
Cheryl Miller Cheryl D. Miller (born January 3, 1964) is an American former basketball player. She was formerly a sideline reporter for NBA games on TNT Sports and also works for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst, having worked previously as a sportscaster fo ...
who had 24 point along with 15 rebounds in the championship game. In 1994, Hatchell served as the head coach of the 1994 R. William Jones Cup Team for the competition held in
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
, Taiwan. Despite having four players averaging double-digit scoring, including
Wendy Palmer Wendy Palmer (born August 12, 1974) is a former professional basketball player in the WNBA, and former head coach of the UNCG women's basketball team. Her primary position was forward. High school Born in Timberlake, North Carolina, Palmer at ...
at almost 19 points per game, the USA had some close matches. After winning the opening game, the USA team faced the champions of the prior year, Republic of China - Cathay Life. The game came down to the final seconds, resulting in an 82–81 win. Palmer had 31 points, all needed. In the game against Kazakhstan, the USA was behind by two points at halftime, but came back to win. The USA repeated the feat against Canada, falling behind two points at halftime, but finishing with a win. The USA next faced unbeaten South Korea and came away with a win. Despite not losing a game, the USA needed to beat Republic of China - Nan Ya to advance to the gold medal game, and succeeded, with a 72–64 win. In the final game against South Korea, the teams were tied at the end of regulation and went into overtime. The USA was down with just over a minute to go when Palmer hit a basket to give the USA a one-point lead. After two free throws, South Korea scored, and had the ball on the final possession with a chance to win, but was unable to get up a shot in time. The USA won the gold medal with an 8–0 performance, but with many close games. In 1995 Hatchell was the head coach, with assistants Jim Lewis, Kay James, and Clemette Haskins, of the team representing the US at the World University Games held in
Fukuoka, Japan is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...
in August and September. The USA team won their first five games with ease, with only the 18-point victory over Yugoslavia in a quarterfinal match falling short of a 20-point margin of victory. In the semifinal against Russia, the team was behind for much of the first half and held only a two-point lead with under ten minutes to go, but then went on a 25–4 run to take control of the game. The final game, for the gold medal, was against Italy. The Italians started with a 12–2 run to open the game. The USA cut the lead, but were behind by nine points at the half. The USA took a lead in the second half, but the Italians responded with ten consecutive points and then held on to win the gold medal, leaving the US with the silver. She continued on as assistant coach at the 1988 Olympics in
Seoul, Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
, where the USA team also won the gold medal. Hatchell also served as the head coach for the USA team at the 1995 World University Games in
Fukuoka, Japan is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...
, where the team won the silver medal.


Author

Hatchell is the co-author of two books on coaching basketball: * *


Awards and honors

* 1986 Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year * 1993 Francis Marion University Athletic Hall of Fame * 1994 ''USA Today'' National Coach of the Year * 1994 ''College Sports Magazine'' National Coach of the Year * 2004 Elected to 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 bask ...
, located in
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...
. * 2006 US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year award. * 2006 Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year * 2006
Naismith College Coach of the Year Naismith College Coach of the Year Award is an award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to one men's and one women's NCAA Division I collegiate coach each season since 1987. The award was originally given to the two winning coaches of the NCAA Divis ...
* 2006 AP Coach of the Year * 2013 Elected to
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...


See also

*
List of college women's basketball coaches with 600 wins This is a list of college women's basketball coaches by number of career wins. The list includes other NCAA, AIAW and NAIA levels. Tara VanDerveer, the head coach of Idaho from 1978–80, Ohio State from 1980-85, and Stanford since 1985 (with a ...


Notes


References

*


External links


North Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatchell, Sylvia 1952 births Living people American women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from North Carolina Carson–Newman University alumni Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees People from Gastonia, North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball coaches Francis Marion Patriots women's basketball coaches