Theresa Grentz inducted to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Former Rutgers women’s basketball coach Theresa Grentz has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The coach is 1 of 13 honorees that will be joining as part of the Class of 2022. She will officially be inducted on Sept. 10 during the enshrinement ceremonies in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Grentz started coaching for the Scarlet Knights in 1976 after playing college basketball at Immaculata and spending multiple seasons as the head coach at St. Joseph’s. As a player, Grentz was a three-time first-team All-American and 1974 national player of the year, leading the Mighty Macs to three consecutive AIAW championships.
Throughout her tenure as the leader of Rutgers basketball, Grentz endured great success. Along with a winning record, Grentz brought her team to a championship win in the 1982 AIAW National Championship with an 83-77 win over Texas.
From the 1985-86 season to the 1993-94 season, Grentz and the Lady Knights, as they were then known, made the NCAA Tournament nine straight times.
In 1986-87, Grentz and Rutgers ended with a record of 30-3 which earned her National Coach of the Year honors. That season featured star player Sue Wicks, who ended up being drafted by the WNBA’s New York Liberty and played five seasons with the team.
Overall, Grentz and the Knights were in the Sweet Sixteen three times and clinched berths in the Elite Eight two times. Her teams at Rutgers never finished worse than four games over the .500 mark.
In 1995, Grentz took her coaching talents to Illinois, compiling a record of 210-156 over 12 seasons with the Fighting Illini. Grentz won a Big Ten Championship with Illinois in 1997 and made the NCAA tournament five times with the team, along with appearances in two Sweet Sixteen games.
In 2015, Lafayette made Grentz its head coach. She spent two seasons with the Leopards.
Outside of college basketball, Grentz coached the U.S. basketball team to the gold medal in the 1990 FIBA World Championships and a bronze medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Overall, Grentz accumulated 681 wins in her time as head coach of the Knights. She will join C. Vivian Stringer, her successor at Rutgers and current head coach, in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
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