A trio of former and current Harvard assistant coaches will be
inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in a ceremony
held Friday at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. Bri Fecteau, Ann
McInerney and Stefanie Pemper, who all helped the Crimson to Ivy
League titles during their time in Cambridge, were selected for
their success on the hardwood.
Fecteau, who is in her seventh season with the Crimson, was
selected for her outstanding high school career at Westbrook High
School in Maine. At Westbrook, Fecteau was part of three Western
Maine championship teams. She was a two-time first-team Bangor
Daily News selection. She was named Outstanding Sports
Person/Player of the Year for the Western Maine Championships twice
in 1995 and 1996, a feat accomplished by only three other
individuals.
Fecteau scored more than 1,500 points in her career, reaching the
1,000 point mark as a junior. She went on to play at Bentley, where
she stands third in school history in assists and fourth in points.
The former point guard played in a Bentley-record 135 games and was
a starter on the Falcons' Elite Eight teams in 1997, 1998 and
1999.
McInerney, who helped guide the Crimson to its 11th Ivy League
title in 2008, will enter the hall of fame for her high school
playing days at Burncoat High School in Worcester, Mass. A standout
collegiate player in basketball and softball at Assumption,
McInnerney, is a member of five other halls of fame including, the
Assumption Hall of Fame, the Northest-10 Conference Hall of Fame
and the Worcester Public Schools Hall of Fame.
Pemper, who is in her first season as the head coach at Navy,
was chosen for her coaching success at Bowdoin. Pemper compiled a
235-48 record during her 10 seasons with the Polar Bears, a career
winning percentage that ranks fourth in NCAA Division III history.
The Polar Bears also compiled a New England Small College Athletic
Conference regular-season record of 65-7 (.903) during her tenure
and claimed at least a share of six conference regular-season
titles to go along with seven conference tournament championships.
Her 2003-04 team compiled a 30-1 record with its only loss coming
in the national championship game. She was named WBCA Division III
National Coach of the Year.
Pempers was on the sidelines for the Crimson from 1996-1998,
helping Harvard to three Ivy League titles. The Crimson won at
least 20 games during each of her three seasons in Cambridge and
posted a 39-3 Ivy League record over that time. Harvard won the
conference title and advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of her
three years. After losing in the first round of the
NCAA???tournament in both 1996 and `97, Harvard became the first --
and only -- No. 16 seed in either the women's or men's national
tournament to win a first round game when the Crimson topped the
No. 1 seed Stanford.
A total of four women being inducted Friday have Harvard
connections. Alum Jess Gelman
'97 is being inducted for her playing days in a crimson
and white uniform.