AAU Alums Inducted into Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
04/24/2023
AAU Alumnae Lindsay Whalen and the Dust Bowl Girls headline the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023
By: Troy MacNeill
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (April 24, 2023) – AAU Alumna Lindsay Whalen and The Dust Bowl Girls are set to headline the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Whalen will be joined by Cathy Boswell, Donna Lopiano, Lisa Mattingly, and Carolyn Peck. The Dust Bowl Girls will be awarded the For the Love of the Game Award and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is being showcased as the Trailblazer of the Game this year.
Lindsay Whalen played AAU Girls’ Basketball in the late 90s and into the 2000s in Hutchinson, Minnesota. She is now being recognized for her incredible career in the WNBA and internationally with Team USA.
After winning a state championship in high school, Whalen played for the University of Minnesota. The Golden Gophers would rise to national prominence while Whalen was leading the team. She ended her career at Minnesota as the all-time leading scorer. Her 2,285 points in college was also the fifth most in Big Ten Conference history. In her four years with the team, the Golden Gophers compiled an 80-43 record and Whalen became one of only three sophomores in conference history to earn Big Ten Player of the Year.
The accolades didn’t stop in college, as Whalen was drafted by the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the 2004 WNBA Draft. She made an impact immediately, leading her team to the WNBA Finals in her first two years. In 2010, Whalen was traded to her hometown team, the Minnesota Lynx. While leading the league in assists, Whalen would lead hometown team to their first WNBA Championship. If one wasn’t enough to cement her legacy, Whalen would go on to win four WNBA Championships with the Lynx.
Whalen added All-WNBA First Team in 2008, 2011, and 2013 to her resume. She was a 5-time WNBA All-Star, walked away as the WNBA all-time playoffs assists leader, and is a part of the WNBA 25th Anniversary Team. Outside of the WNBA, Whalen helped lead Team USA to an Olympic Gold medal in 2012 and 2016. Her number 13 jersey is retired by the Minnesota Lynx and the University of Minnesota.
Receiving the For the Love of the Game Award for the class of 2023 are the Dust Bowl Girls. The Dust Bowl Girls barnstormed its way to basketball glory and captured a moment in American history. Coach Sam Babb became the first full-time coach of the Oklahoma Presbyterian College Cardinals, an AAU women’s team formed in the Dust Bowl region of America during the Great Depression.
In a time when female athletes faced incredible scrutiny, and when a struggling nation most needed inspiration, the Dust Bowl Girls were there for the nation. Traveling from farm to farm, Sam Babb recruited talented, hardworking young women and offered them a chance at a better life. He offered them a free college education if they would play for the Cardinals.
Despite their fears of leaving home and the sacrifices that would be faced by their families, the women followed Babb and his dream. He shaped the Cardinals into a formidable team. The team became so talented and their determination took them to an epic showdown with a national championship team led by the legendary female athlete, Babe Didrikson. The team gave the world hope and showed everyone that it was okay to follow their dreams.
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be inducted on April 29, 2023. Each inductee will receive their Eastman Trophy and Baron Championship Induction Ring during the ceremony. Happening on the induction weekend, AAU will be hosting the 3-on-3 World Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be shown live on ESPN3 on April 29 at 6 p.m. There will be re-broadcasts on ESPNU as well (5/2 @ 8:30, 5/4 @ 5:00, 5/6 @ 7:00, and 5/7 @ 7:00). Make sure to look for the AAU's commercial airing during the broadcast!
For more information about the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, visit their website – wbhof.com.
To learn more about the role AAU has played in the development in Women’s Basketball, read about the AAU Exhibit on display at the Hall of Fame – AAU Exhibit at WBHOF.
Check out AAU Basketball on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about the AAU 3-on-3 World Championships.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (April 24, 2023) – AAU Alumna Lindsay Whalen and The Dust Bowl Girls are set to headline the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Whalen will be joined by Cathy Boswell, Donna Lopiano, Lisa Mattingly, and Carolyn Peck. The Dust Bowl Girls will be awarded the For the Love of the Game Award and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is being showcased as the Trailblazer of the Game this year.
Lindsay Whalen played AAU Girls’ Basketball in the late 90s and into the 2000s in Hutchinson, Minnesota. She is now being recognized for her incredible career in the WNBA and internationally with Team USA.
After winning a state championship in high school, Whalen played for the University of Minnesota. The Golden Gophers would rise to national prominence while Whalen was leading the team. She ended her career at Minnesota as the all-time leading scorer. Her 2,285 points in college was also the fifth most in Big Ten Conference history. In her four years with the team, the Golden Gophers compiled an 80-43 record and Whalen became one of only three sophomores in conference history to earn Big Ten Player of the Year.
The accolades didn’t stop in college, as Whalen was drafted by the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the 2004 WNBA Draft. She made an impact immediately, leading her team to the WNBA Finals in her first two years. In 2010, Whalen was traded to her hometown team, the Minnesota Lynx. While leading the league in assists, Whalen would lead hometown team to their first WNBA Championship. If one wasn’t enough to cement her legacy, Whalen would go on to win four WNBA Championships with the Lynx.
Whalen added All-WNBA First Team in 2008, 2011, and 2013 to her resume. She was a 5-time WNBA All-Star, walked away as the WNBA all-time playoffs assists leader, and is a part of the WNBA 25th Anniversary Team. Outside of the WNBA, Whalen helped lead Team USA to an Olympic Gold medal in 2012 and 2016. Her number 13 jersey is retired by the Minnesota Lynx and the University of Minnesota.
Receiving the For the Love of the Game Award for the class of 2023 are the Dust Bowl Girls. The Dust Bowl Girls barnstormed its way to basketball glory and captured a moment in American history. Coach Sam Babb became the first full-time coach of the Oklahoma Presbyterian College Cardinals, an AAU women’s team formed in the Dust Bowl region of America during the Great Depression.
In a time when female athletes faced incredible scrutiny, and when a struggling nation most needed inspiration, the Dust Bowl Girls were there for the nation. Traveling from farm to farm, Sam Babb recruited talented, hardworking young women and offered them a chance at a better life. He offered them a free college education if they would play for the Cardinals.
Despite their fears of leaving home and the sacrifices that would be faced by their families, the women followed Babb and his dream. He shaped the Cardinals into a formidable team. The team became so talented and their determination took them to an epic showdown with a national championship team led by the legendary female athlete, Babe Didrikson. The team gave the world hope and showed everyone that it was okay to follow their dreams.
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be inducted on April 29, 2023. Each inductee will receive their Eastman Trophy and Baron Championship Induction Ring during the ceremony. Happening on the induction weekend, AAU will be hosting the 3-on-3 World Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be shown live on ESPN3 on April 29 at 6 p.m. There will be re-broadcasts on ESPNU as well (5/2 @ 8:30, 5/4 @ 5:00, 5/6 @ 7:00, and 5/7 @ 7:00). Make sure to look for the AAU's commercial airing during the broadcast!
For more information about the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, visit their website – wbhof.com.
To learn more about the role AAU has played in the development in Women’s Basketball, read about the AAU Exhibit on display at the Hall of Fame – AAU Exhibit at WBHOF.
Check out AAU Basketball on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about the AAU 3-on-3 World Championships.
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