NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference announced Thursday its annual Basketball Legends. The 2014 class includes 26 former men's and women's basketball student-athletes and coaches who made an immeasurable impact on each A-10 institution and their respective basketball programs, including the late Ed Conlin from the Fordham men's basketball program and Jeanine "JJ" Radice from the women's basketball program.
In addition to the two former Rams, current Fordham women's basketball assistant coach Dale Hodges is being honored as the women's representative from Saint Joseph's University.
"It is a pleasure and honor to welcome and congratulate the 2014 Atlantic 10 Conference Legends," stated Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "They have distinguished themselves as leaders who have contributed greatly to their University and the A-10 in building the foundation of a great basketball tradition. It is my wish that each of them enjoy this award, as it is an honor well deserved!"
The Women's Basketball Legends will be recognized with a brunch on Friday, March 7 prior to the A-10 Championship quarterfinals. The event will take place at the Richmond Marriot beginning at 10:00 a.m.
The Men's Basketball Legends will be honored on March 15 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. prior to the 2014 Men's Basketball Championship semifinals. The group will be saluted during a celebration awards brunch in the 40/40 Club, beginning at 10:30 a.m. prior to the A-10 men's semifinal games.
Each institution selected its two Legends. The group consists of former student-athletes and coaches who played or coached basketball at current A-10 member institutions.
The men's group includes 13 former student-athletes, nine of which went on to play in the NBA, with two winning World Championships and one Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (Ed Macauley of Saint Louis). These Legends combined for seven All-American selections, two National Player of the Year awards and includes a pair of players who later returned to their alma maters to serve as head coaches.
The women's honorees include former student-athletes that led their teams to conference championships, NCAA Tournament selections and WNIT appearances. The group includes a National Champion head coach, four former professionals, including a pair of WNBA members along with All-Americans, A-10 Players of the Year and a Regional NCAA Woman of the Year honoree.
About the Fordham Legends
Ed Conlin
A native of Brooklyn where he played at St. Michael's High School, Conlin arrived at Fordham in 1951 and immediately went to work on the school's record books, graduating in 1955 as Fordham's all-time leading scorer, with 1,886 points, and rebounder, with 1,930 career rebounds, records that still stand today. At the time, his 1,886 career points was the New York City basketball record.
Conlin received the 1954 and 1955 Haggerty Award as the top collegiate player in the Metropolitan area, the first and only Ram to win the award twice, and he was named All-American those two years as well, becoming Fordham's first basketball All-American.
Following his playing days, Conlin was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals with the fifth overall pick and he played there for four years until moving to the Detroit Pistons during the 1958-1959 season. He closed out his NBA career with the Philadelphia Warriors from 1960-1962. He averaged 10.1 ppg and 4.8 rpg in his professional career.
Conlin returned to Rose Hill after his professional career ended, serving as an assistant coach under legendary Fordham head coach John Bach from 1967-68 and then taking over as head coach for the 1968-1969 and 1969-70 seasons.
Conlin, who passed away in 2012, was inducted into the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973, the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 and had his number (11) retired by the school in 2004.
Jeanine "JJ" Radice
Radice is the second leading scorer in Fordham history with 2,417 points over her four years at Rose Hill, ranking only behind Anne Gregory. She is the school's career leader in scoring average with 21.8 points per game and shot a mind-blowing 47.5 percent from beyond the arc during her career. Radice won MAAC Rookie of the Year honors in 1985-1986, MAAC Player of the Year accolades in 1989, and ranked in the top 15 in the nation in scoring multiple times during her Fordham career. In addition to her success on the hardwood, Radice was also a standout cross country runner at Rose Hill. In a promotion material from Radice's campaign for a spot on the All-American Team in 1987-1988, a head coach described her as, "one of the most outstanding perimeter shooters we've had the opportunity to see, especially shooting the ball on the move." That coach was Georgia Tech's Bernadette McGlade.
Radice was inducted into the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
Dale Hodges
Dale Hodges (1987-90) is Saint Joseph's all-time leading rebounder with 1,049 boards and is the second leading scorer with 2,077 points. A three-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference and All-Big 5 selection, she was named a First Team All-American on the Kodak, USWBA and Naismith teams as a senior after finishing third nationally in scoring (27.6 ppg) and 13th in rebounding (13.0 rpg). Earning the Player of the Year honors from both the Atlantic 10 and Big 5 in 1989 and 1990, Hodges led the Hawks to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. She became the first female athlete at SJU to have her number (44) retired and was inducted into the Halls of Fame for Saint Joseph's Athletics, Saint Joseph's Women's Basketball and the Big 5. Hodges participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials twice and won medals with the U.S. teams at the Pan Am Games, the Jones Cup and World University Games. She was the seventh overall pick in the ABL Draft and played professionally on three continents before beginning her coaching career, of which she is currently an assistant coach at Fordham.
A limited number of brunch tickets are available to the general public. For more information please contact the Atlantic 10 Conference at 757-706-3041.
