Three members of the Dartmouth basketball family, including current women's basketball coach Chris Wielgus, were selected to the third honorary class of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday.
Wielgus, high school and collegiate star Gene Ryzewicz '68 and former Ivy League Player of the Year Ann Deacon '83 will be formally inducted to the Hall of Fame on Sept. 14 at the University of Rhode Island's Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I.
"I am delighted to be honored by the New England Basketball Hall of Fame," Wielgus said. "I think this honor is a byproduct of Dartmouth's commitment to gender equity."
Wielgus is one of the most successful coaches in the history of Big Green sports, amassing a career record of 275-201 in her 19 years with the Big Green and leading her teams to eight Ivy League championships and four NCAA tournaments.
However, the coach deferred much of the credit for her career accolades to her supporting cast.
"If you put me on the court by myself, I am pretty ineffective," Wielgus said. "I have been blessed with enormously talented basketball players, unbelievable fun assistant coaches, great trainers, great managers and you can't help but notice the help from the community at large."
Wielgus described herself as "living history" at the College, and has reason to support her claim.
Not only is she the only active Dartmouth coach to be a member of the College's "Wearers of the Green" -- the Dartmouth athletic Hall of Fame -- but Wielgus' tenure at the College has also spanned the modernization of the College's athletic program.
"I remember what it was like to drive the van and make sandwiches for my team," Wielgus said.
Joining Wielgus in the New England Hall of Fame is Deacon, her former player.
Wielgus coached Deacon during her first term as a head coach.
Wielgus coached the women's basketball team from 1976 through 1984 and resumed her post in 1993.
Deacon, the 1980 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and the 1981 Ivy Player of the Year, was a part of four Ivy championship teams and was a four-time first team All-Ivy selection.
"Deacon had great vision and was a great scorer," Wielgus said. "She was the only girl in a family full of boys and it showed Ann [Deacon] was tough."
The former Dartmouth guard's name is inscribed high up on many of Dartmouth women's basketball's career record lists.
Deacon currently stands fourth on the Big Green career scoring list with 1,539 points, eighth on the career free throws made list with 237, seventh on the career steals list with 191 and ninth on the career assists list with 228.
Deacon had one of the best single-game performances in Dartmouth history when she poured in 35 points in a single game against Massachusetts in 1981.
Ryzewicz, the third Dartmouth member of the 2004 NEBHF class, was inducted for his accomplishments at Cathedral High School in Springfield, Mass.
While at Dartmouth, he was an All-Ivy and All-New England football player and an All-East and All-America baseball player.
Other notable selections to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame include present and former professional players Marcus Camby, Sam Cassell, Manute Bol, John Bagley, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle and Swin Cash, former NIT MVP Ambassador Ray Flynn, former National Collegiate Athletic Association MVP Dr. George Kaftan, Mike Gorman, the voice of the Boston Celtics, and Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese.
New England Basketball Hall of Fame founder Dan Doyle said that this year's group of inductees embodies the best of New England basketball.
"Our most important objective each year is to honor a wide variety of individuals from specific categories whose contributions have been vital to New England basketball. We believe that the stories and accomplishments from this class are every bit as riveting as those of our first two classes," Doyle said.
