Basketball Hall of Fame

Given their pre-season No. 1 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll, much was expected from the 2002-03 ICC Women’s Basketball Team. After a most inauspicious beginning to the season that included three losses in their first eight games, the Lady Cougars rallied for 28 consecutive victories (an ICC single-season record at the time), finishing the campaign with a record of 33-3. The season culminated with an 80-67 victory over Mitchell College of Connecticut at Hagerstown, MD, to secure the National Championship. Included in their impressive season, ICC won three other tournaments: the ICC Invitational (4 teams); the 22nd Annual Cougar Holiday Tournament (8 teams); and the NJCAA Regional Tournament at LincolnLand CC. Two time All-American, Petra Manakova was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the National Tournament. Amy Fuller, Shannon Williams, and Manakova were selected to the All-Tournament Team. Coaching her 5th national championship basketball team, Lorene Ramsey (GPSHOF Class of 1982) was named the Coach of the Tournament, an award subsequently named the “Lorene M. Ramsey Coach of the Tournament.” Ramsey was assisted by Steve Garber, Associate Head Coach; Greg Martin, Assistant Coach, and Laura Criswell, Assistant Coach. Three Lady Cougars went on to play professionally. Manakova (Oakland University) and Daria Mieloszynska (University of Texas) had long careers in Europe. Christelle N’Garsanet (University of Missouri) played in the WNBA as a member of the New York Liberty. At the time of the team’s induction, Christelle was the top assistant basketball coach for Cindy Stein (ICC class of 1981; GPSHOF class of 2001) at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.