Former Wayland Baptist Flying Queen Carol (Bailey-Sessums) Foster has been selected for induction into the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame.
Carol Bailey helped lead the Levelland High School Loboettes to three consecutive state championships in 1987, 1988 and 1989. Under the direction of former Flying Queens coach Dean Weese at Levelland, Bailey was named to the all-state and all- state tournament teams for each of those years. She was the Region 1-4A Sophomore of the Year in 1987, Amarillo Globe-News Player of the Year in 1988, the 1989 Sports Writers Association 4A Player of the Year, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal 4A All-South Plains Player of the Year and the TABC Player of the Year.
She played two years at South Plains College before transferring to Wayland in 1991. An undersized post player at 5-foot-11, Bailey-Sessums made up for her lack of height with fierce intensity and a determined spirit. Despite playing just two seasons at Wayland, she scored 1,121 points to rank second in career-scoring among two-year players (Gay Hemphill, 1,209 pts.). Currently among all players, she ranks 38th.
Bailey-Sessums helped Wayland, then coached by Sheryl Estes, to the NAIA Finals in 1992 and to the Elite Eight the following season. She was named Kodak All-American, American Women Sports Foundation All-American and NAIA First Team All-American both of her seasons.
Bailey-Sessums served as an assistant coach under former Flying Queen Jill Rankin at Lubbock Monterey High School for 17 years. She was inducted into the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor in 2015.
Foster is part of an eight-member class that also includes coaches C.L. Nix, Cassandra McCurdy, Gary Surratt and Suzanne Oelschlegel, and players Kendrick Perkins, Heather Schreiber and Jimmy Smith.
The incoming class of legends will be inducted during a banquet on May 18, 2024, as part of the annual TABC Clinic in San Antonio. Additional information about the Hall of Fame is available at www.tabchoops.org and 281-313-8222.
Other inductees:
C.L. Nix (Coach) – Nix was at the helm at Whitehouse High School for 30 years. During that span, his teams won 714 games, including 26 seasons with more than 20 wins. He led them to three State Tournament appearances in 1972, 1978 and 1979, winning the State Championship in 1978 with a 36-1 record. The Whitehouse High School gym is named in his honor.
Gary Surratt (Coach) – Surratt coached for 36 years with stops that included Crowley, Carthage and Huntsville High Schools. During that span, his teams won 667 games and made 23 playoff appearances. He won two State Championships: one at Huntsville in 1979 and one at Crowley in 1999. Surratt won numerous Coach of the Year awards throughout his career.
Cassandra McCurdy (Coach) – McCurdy coached for 37 years, with 28 of those years at Dallas Skyline High School. During her tenure, Skyline had a record of 627 wins, 20 district championships, 23 consecutive playoff appearances, nine regional tournament appearances and a State Runner-Up finish in 2015. She was selected District Coach of the Year 15 times. The basketball court at Skyline is named in her honor.
Suzanne Oelschlegel (Coach) – Oelschlegel spent 42 years coaching at Irving MacArthur High School. As head coach, she guided her teams to 885 wins and a 5A State Championship in 2011. Known as Coach “O,” she tutored 13 McDonald’s All-Americans and three future WNBA players. The basketball court at MacArthur is named in her honor.
Kendrick Perkins (Player) – Perkins led Beaumont Ozen High School to four consecutive district championships, three consecutive trips to the State Tournament in 2001, 2002 and 2003, including the 4A State Championship in 2001, with a perfect 36-0 season. Perkins was selected the 4A State Tournament MVP and was named Texas’ Mr. Basketball in 2003. As a senior, he averaged 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 8.8 blocks per game, while being named a McDonald’s All-American and drafted by the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
Jimmy Smith (Player) – Smith, who prepped at Victoria High School, was a four-time All-District player, a three-time All-Region player and a three-time All-State Player. He was the USA Today Texas Player of the Year and was selected as the MVP of the State Tournament his junior year in 1992. He was named Mr. Basketball in the State of Texas in 1993. Smith went on to play for Texas A&M.
Heather Schreiber (Player) – Schreiber led Windthorst High School to a four-year record of 105-16, which included a State Runner-Up finish in 2001. She was a four-time All-State player and a Parade All-American in 2001. She scored 2,571 points, grabbed 1,237 rebounds and had 513 assists in her high school career. Schreiber went on to become a four-time All-Conference performer for legendary coach Jody Conradt at the University of Texas.
source: wbuathletics.com
Update: Foster joins 10 other Wayland Baptist Flying Queen players or coaches who are a part of the TABC Hall of Fame. Honorees below are listed in alphabetical order by their last name:
Carolyn Dornak, 1992 (Jourdanton)
Carol (Bailey) Foster, 2024 (Levelland)
Harston, Kathy, 1996 (Southlake Carroll)
Hunt, Melynn, 2011 (Lubbock)
Nichols (Cannon), Ruth, 1985 (Cotton Center)
Odom, Lometa, 1984 (Dimmitt)
Porter, Marsha, 2004 (Conroe)
Redin, Harley, 2003 (Wayland Baptist)
Schneider (Rankin), Jill, 2003 (Phillips)
Sharp, Marsha, 2008 (Texas Tech)
Weese, Dean, 1996 (Spearman, Wayland Baptist, Levelland)