Basketball Hall of Fame
Katie Smith thrilled to be inducted but too busy to leave
Columbus
Associated
Press
Columbus
— Katie Smith has been running around the women's Final Four
all weekend, serving as the unofficial hostess of basketball's biggest event.
There
were awards to hand out, courts to dedicate and parties to attend. So the best women's basketball
player from Ohio in history decided to skip going to San Antonio, where the
men's Final Four is being held, to be announced as part of the 2018 Basketball
Hall of Fame class.
''I
have a lot of stuff here; that's why I felt I would like to be in
Columbus,'' Smith said. ''It's the first time we're hosting, and I'm super
invested in things. The city is putting on a good show. It feels like the
perfect match to celebrate here with those that were with me from the
beginning. They didn't fight me much about staying.''
Smith is one of the most decorated
players in all of women's basketball. She retired following the 2013 season as
the top scorer in women's professional basketball history with 7,885 points,
and she ranked second in the WNBA with 6,452 points at that point.
''You
take pride in what you do, and to be recognized for it means a lot,''
Smith said. ''When you are playing, you're not thinking about the Hall of Fame.
I played for a long time, and it does mean a lot to be recognized among the
best.''
She had a stellar career at Ohio State,
where she helped guide the Buckeyes to the NCAA title game as a freshman and
broke the Big Ten's all-time scoring record for both men and women. She then
won WNBA titles in 2006 and 2008 with the Detroit Shock and two ABL titles with
the Columbus Quest, guiding that team to the only two championships in league
history.
That
second Quest title team never got a chance to receive its championship rings because the league folded, so
coach Brian Agler spearheaded a movement to get those players their jewelry.
Smith
and her teammates received them Saturday night at an event in front of 1,000
fans. They held an autograph signing, where Smith and her former Quest
teammates basked in the adoration of their fans.
''It
was unfortunate they never got a chance to be celebrated for winning that
championship, and this was the perfect place to give them the long overdue
recognition,'' Agler said. ''If you think about that team, they had four
Olympians on it, and it might have been one of the best women's basketball
teams ever.''
Smith, who will be inducted in the hall
in her first year of eligibility, is
joined in the class by Tina Thompson, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Ray
Allen, Maurice Cheeks, Lefty Driesell, Dino Radja, Charlie Scott, Rod Thorn,
Ora Mae Washington and Rick Welts.
''I've coached a lot of players, but
never have I coached one more competitive than Katie,'' Agler said. ''With the
success she's had both at the collegiate level and the championships she won at
the professional level and the Olympic gold medals, I can't imagine anyone
else being more deserving than her being inducted.''
Smith,
43, was honored to be included in the same class as Thompson, against whom she
spent years playing while in the WNBA but was a teammate of hers in USA
Basketball.
''We're
forever linked. The great thing is I respect Tina on and off the court,'' Smith
said. ''She's a great person and a great player. It is fun to go in with
someone I really appreciate.''
The two
were announced as part of the 2018 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame class this
year.