Just days after she was name an inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Ohio State great Katie Smith was announced as a finalist for this Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 on Saturday afternoon.
Congratulations to 2x @WNBA Champion, 7x WNBA All-Star and current head coach of the @nyliberty #18HoopClass finalist @katiesmith30! pic.twitter.com/fLdKDCpnx4
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) February 17, 2018
Smith is widely regarded as one of the best women's basketball players in school history, as she led the Buckeyes to the NCAA tournament in 1993 and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1996. She was inducted into the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.
Currently the head coach of the WNBA's New York Liberty, Smith scored 6,452 points and led the Detroit Shock to a pair of titles in 2006 and 2008 during her 15-year professional career. She is also a three-time Olympic gold medalist, having played for the U.S. National Team in 2000, 2004 and 2008.
Smith is among the 13 finalists selected, a list that includes former NBA players Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Steve Nash and Chris Webber. The Hall of Fame Class of 2018 will be named on March 31 during the Final Four.
