Francis Marion University athletic director Gerald Griffin hasannounced that a former Patriot basketball player and a former LadyPatriot basketball coach will be inducted into the FMU AthleticHall of Fame this February. The two honorees will be men'sbasketball player Allen Floyd, a native ofMullins, and former women's basketball coach Sylvia RhyneHatchell, a native of Gastonia, N.C.
Induction ceremonies will take place during the Homecomingbasketball doubleheader, Saturday, Feb. 13, 1993, in the SmithUniversity Center.
Hatchell served as the Francis Marion women'sbasketball coach from 1975 to 1986. During those 11 seasons,she compiled a 272-80 record and won two nationalchampionships. Her 1981-82 squad compiled a 27-7 mark andcaptured the AIAW Small College (Division II) NationalChampionship. Her final Lady Patriot squad (1985-86) had a36-2 record and won the NAIA National Championship. Bothnational championship squads were honored before the South CarolinaLegislature. Each of her teams won at least 19 games, and inaddition to the 1982 and 1986 squads, the 1976, 1977, 1978, and1984 Lady Patriot teams all advanced to national tournaments.
While at Francis Marion, she earned the 1986 AMF VoitChampionship Coach Award, the 1986 Converse NAIA "Coach of theYear" award, the 1986 NAIA District Six "Coach of the Year" award,the 1985 Converse NAIA Regional "Coach of the Year" award, and the1980 and 1986 South Carolina "Coach of the Year" awards. Herprogram produced four All-Americans and her 1984 squad was awardedthe Fellowship of Christian Athletes National Team SportsmanshipAward at the NAIA National Tournament.
Her other coaching honors included coaching in the 1979 HanesAll-American Classic, coaching the South Team to a gold medal atthe 1982 United States Olympic Committee's National SportsFestival, serving as assistant coach for the gold medal-winningteam at the 1983 World University Games, and working at both the1984 Olympic Trials and Olympic Games. She also served asassistant coach for U.S. teams at the 1985 World University Games,and the 1986 Goodwill Games and World Championships and for thegold medal-winning squad at the 1988 Olympics.
Off the court, she helped bring the 1978 AIAW Small CollegeNational Tournament to Francis Marion, served on the Board ofDirectors of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and servedon the ABA-USA Women's Games Committee. She is a pastsecretary-treasurer of the NAIA Women's Basketball CoachesAssociation and in 1986 she received a special merit award from theSouth Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. She also served ascheerleader advisor while at Francis Marion.
Now in her seventh year as head coach at the University of NorthCarolina, Hatchell ranks among the top 25 winningest activecollegiate coaches with a 364-167 record.
Hatchell earned her undergraduate degree from Carson-NewmanCollege and her master's degree from the University ofTennessee.
