Finalists named for Hall's Class of 2017 selection

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced 12 finalists Monday as part of its new format for choosing the Class of 2017.

The Hall’s board of directors will vote next week and the six-member class will be announced next month, either on Feb. 12 or 13.

Here’s a look at the finalists:

Sheryl Swoopes: She helped the Houston Comets win four WNBA championships and is a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist. She was the national collegiate player of the year in 1993.

Rick Insell: He has more than 1,000 career victories between Middle Tennessee State and Shelbyville (Tenn.) Central High. He coached Shelbyville to 10 state championships and was USA Today’s national high school coach of the year in 1989 and 1991.

Kara Wolters: She’s the all-time leading rebounder and shot blocker at the University of Connecticut. She played on the Huskies’ first national championship team in 1995 and won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2000.

Nora Lynn Finch: She was the inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. She recommended a basketball sized for women and negotiated the sport’s first television contract with CBS.

Sally Bell: She was a women’s basketball referee for 33 years and officiated 15 NCAA women’s Final Fours. Bell was named the 1991 Naismith official of the year.

Evelyn Blalock: She coached Kilgore College to three NJCAA national championships (1988, 1990, 1993). Blalock, who died in 2014, was named national junior college coach of the year in 1989 and 1990.

Joan Bonvicini: Known primarily for coaching stints at Long Beach State and Arizona, Bonvicini is 17th on the career victories list for Division I coaches with 701. She was named coach of the year in 1981.

Yelena Baranova: She won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1992, playing for Russia. She achieved all-star status in the WNBA and is fifth all-time in the league in blocks (173).

Dr. Rose Marie Battaglia: She coached for 38 years at the college, junior college and high school levels, winning more than 700 games. She was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1999.

Christine Grant: She’s a founding member of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). She was honored by the NCAA with the Honda Award of Merit (1998) and the Gerald R. Ford Award (2007).

Louise O’Neal: She elevated Southern Connecticut University’s women’s program from a club sport to the first program to make eight consecutive appearances in the National Women’s Collegiate Championships.

Crystal Robinson: The three-time NAIA All-American, was the American Basketball League’s rookie of the year in 1996-97 and a two-time all-star in the professional league. She also played in the WNBA.