Basketball Hall of Fame

Lorene Ramsey, one of the nation’s most successful women’s basketball coaches, won the first of her five National Junior College Division II titles as her Cougars produced a win to cap off the 1991-92 season.

The 1991-92 Cougars were ranked eighth nationally and owned a 26-7 record moving into the national tournament in Bismarck, North Dakota, and were working on an eight-game winning streak.

As things turned out, they had trouble only in the first game, edging past state foe Kankakee ,75-74. After that the team rolled over Lackawanna, Pa., 102-73, and then bombed Lansing, Mich., 89-72, for the national crown.

Daryl Strong of Peoria Manual was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and, along with Tammy Wilkinson of Morton and Laura Trantina of Washington, made the all-tourney team. Wilkinson and Trantina were also named NJCAA all-Americans.

Ramsey was named National Coach of the Year by the NJCAA and also selected as Tri-County Female Coach of the Year.

Pictured:

Front row, from left, Bonita Harris, Chris Woertz, Megan Lanham, Jill Higgs, Juli Micek, Dr. Art Biggs.

Back row, from left, Coach Lorene Ramsey, Asst. Coach Julie McGhee, Daryl Strong, Laura Trantina, Wanda Ervin, Margaret Humphrey, Michelle Dedin, Tammy Wilkinson, Asst. Coach Tom McGhee, Team Manager Shawn Lohnes. Not in photo, Nicole Pittenger.