Former Wayland Baptist Flying Queens great Lometa Odom and coach Harley Redin have been nominated for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Both Odom and Redin have been nominated in the past, joined last year by the Flying Queens program (1948-82), which won induction and was enshrined in Springfield, Mass., in September 2019.
Odom and Redin were two of nine nominations in the Direct-Elect category. For a complete list of nominations, click here.
Redin coached the Flying Queens during their initial glory days in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. He led the program to a win-loss record of 437-68 with six national AAU titles and six second places.
He previously was honored by the Hall of Fame with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the Hall of Fame short of induction, and was a member of the inaugural induction class into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.
Redin died Aug. 1, 2020, less than a month shy of his 101st birthday.
Odom was a four-time all-American who played a key role in the Flying Queens’ phenomenal success from 1953-56. A native of Dimmitt, she helped the Flying Queens to a cumulative record of 115-5, including three Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championships and a runner-up finish. She spearheaded Wayland’s two 23-0 seasons that began the Flying Queens’ still-record 131-game winning streak. She scored 1,617 points, which still ranks ninth on the program’s all-time scoring list.
Odom, who was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, died Jan. 27, 2017, in Amarillo. She was 83.
Both Odom and Redin were part of the inaugural class inducted into the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor in 1992. In addition to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, both also are members of the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, with Odom being the first woman inducted into that organization.
Following the Hall of Fame’s traditional timeline, finalists from the North American and Women’s committees for the Class of 2021 will be announced in the timeframe of NBA All-Star Weekend, which is scheduled for early March. The entire Class of 2021, including those selected by the direct-elect committees, will be unveiled in the timeframe of the NCAA Final Four scheduled for early April. Event details are forthcoming, and the announcement timeline is subject to change.
The Class of 2021 enshrinement ceremony is scheduled to take place in Springfield, Mass., in September 2021. As previously announced, the Class of 2020 Enshrinement ceremony has been rescheduled and relocated due to COVID-19 and is scheduled for May 13-15, 2021, at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
source: WBUathletics.com