Pete Shuler – High School Coach
Pete Shuler was the head girl's basketball coach at Westbrook High School in Westbrook,
CT for 15 highly successful years. He guided his teams to an incredible 317-95 record, an outstanding 771/o winning percentage. Coach Shuler credits long time friend Louise Albrecht with getting him involved in the
sport that has become such an integral part of his life. She helped train Pete as an official and he learned his craft exceptionally well earning many premier assignments before he was bitten by the coaching bug. Once
bitten, Coach Shuler took his knowledge of the game and his talent as a coach to Westbrook. His White Knights won eight Shoreline Conference championships. Under Pete's guidance, Westbrook never failed to qualify for
post-season tournament play. They advanced the Connecticut Class S state title game a remarkable nine times and left the court with the championship banner after eight of those nine appearances. Another tribute to
Pete's coaching ability is that he has had numerous players selected to the Conference All-Star team as well as the Connecticut High School Coaches Association/Hanford Courant All-State tem. Nineteen of his players went
on to successful collegiate careers, quite an accomplishment considering he was the head coach at what was the smallest high school in the state at the time of his tenure. Coach Shuler has been the recipient of many
awards throughout his coaching career including the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year award in 1983. He has also been a two- time nominee for the National High School Coaches Association
Girls Basketball National Coach of the Year.Pete's volunteer work includes serving on the CIAC Basketball Committee for five years, and chairing that committee in 1991. Pete was largely responsible for the
establishment of the girls' All-Star game and instrumental in getting the game approved by the CIAC. Through his efforts there is now also a MVP award for the All Star game's outstanding player given by the Connecticut
High School Coaches Association. During his time at Westbrook, his teams set many school and state records. Some of the more remarkable state records include 62 consecutive victories and 27 straight state tournament
wins. Included in his teams' eight state is titles is an extraordinary streak of six consecutive championships. Coach Shuler has now been a head coach for more than 31 years. He is currently the boys' basketball coach
at North Branford High School and the girls' soccer coach at Coginchaug High School. His advice to aspiring young coaches is simply to be yourself. It's fine to learn from the ideas of others, but never try to become
someone you're not. Sounds like great advice away from the playing arena as well. Grace MacFarland – Referee
Grace MacFarland was a high school and collegiate basketball referee when the
idea of organized women's sports was in its infancy. Long before Title IX and sold out sports arenas for women's games were even dreamed of, her love of the game led her to participate in every way possible. Her East
Hartford High School offered only intramurals for girls. Her college days offered just a bit more, two to three days of practice per week for the opportunity to play up to four games a season. During her sophomore
season at UCONN she tore a cartilage, which eventually spelled the end of the few precious playing days that were available to her. She found it difficult to stay away and soon she involved herself in teaching, coaching
and organizing intramurals at the junior high school and high school levels. She continued in this capacity for the next five years, and then took a brief hiatus to begin to raise her family. Soon she found the game
beckoned her once more and she found she could serve her interest by becoming a referee. She learned her craft well and became one of the best to ever wear the pinstripes. At the time she began officiating,
participation in girls and women's sports had grown considerably and by the time she retired in 1985 media coverage and interest in the women's game was also beginning to blossom. Her scholastic basketball resume
includes officiating many conference playoff and championship games, as well as numerous assignments to CIAC State Tournament games. Just as in the scholastic ranks, her work on the collegiate level has earned her the
respect of her peers. She credits her husband as well as fellow referee Jan Pacific for teaching and showing her the ropes of officiating. Without their support and advice, she feels the success she's enjoyed would not
have been possible.Grace's love of sports extends well beyond basketball. She took part in every intramural sport available in college and was an active participant in such sports as volleyball, badminton,
gymnastics, swimming, biking, field hockey and softball. Following graduation, she continued to feed her love of sport with such hobbies as hiking, kayaking and cross-country skiing. Still later she and her husband
became championship badminton players traveling throughout the East Coast to participate in numerous tournaments and collecting many trophies along the way. Grace remains an avid basketball fan, only today she is joined
by millions of others who have discovered that indeed the women can play. When asked to offer a word of advice to today's young female athletes, she says simply and sincerely, "follow your dreams". Great
advice from someone who's been there. Sarah Jane Shearer - Honorary
The Honoree Inductee for the class of 2000 is Sarah Jane Shearer. Involvement in sports
has been a lifelong pursuit for Sarah Jane. Basketball is just one of a variety of sports that she has either played, coached organized or officiated. Tennis, gymnastics, track, volleyball and softball are all among the
other sports in which she has participated. To every sport that has touched her life she has been sure to give something back.Sarah Jane attended high school in High spire, Pennsylvania where she was fortunate enough
to have a girl's team to play on. Many high schools still were not offering girls the same opportunity as the boys to participate in team sports. She played forward back in the days of six player teams and just one
dribble, then pass or shoot. She continued playing forward at James Madison University where she graduated with a degree in physical education. She began officiating in Pennsylvania and continued with it wherever her
travels brought her including Virginia and eventually Connecticut. When Sarah Jane began her teaching career at Norwich Free Academy she had a vision for the future of girls and women's sports. Before she arrived,
there were no varsity athletics for girls. She set out to make some changes and NFA hasn't been the same since. The first varsity team she started was girls tennis followed quickly by gymnastics and track. Eventually
NFA had a full slate of girls varsity sports programs. Above and beyond her teaching responsibilities at NFA, Sarah Jane also volunteered a great deal of her time to promoting and organizing girl's sports. She sat on
and chaired many Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association committees, volunteered time for the Connecticut High School Coaches Association and served as an advisor for the Girls Athletic Association and the
girls first Varsity 'N' Club in Norwich. One of Sarah Jane's greatest contribution to basketball was her role in the organization and administration of Connecticut's first ever girls state basketball tournament. She
continued her work in that capacity until the CIAC eventually took over sponsorship and administration of the tournament. She lists one of her fondest moments involving basketball as seeing 3,000 standing and cheering
fans at a CIAC girl's basketball tournament game. Thanks in large part to her efforts, those fans will continue to cheer and to enjoy the girls' and women's games for a great many years to come.
Donald Foust – College Coach
Coach Foust took over the helm at the University of Bridgeport in 1983. Prior to that time, the Purple Knights hadn't had much experience in post-season tournament
play. By the time he left they had not only played in the ECAC tournament but also earned a spot to play in the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament in 1989. Under his guidance, UB was 129-72. In 1985 Coach
Foust was named the New England Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year.
Don began his coaching career at Norwalk High School in 1976. His teams gained almost immediate respect earning three consecutive FCIAC titles.
They also appeared in three state Championship games and were crowned state champs in 1981. Along with the state championship, another highlight of his high school coaching career was the opportunity to expose his team
to international play by traveling to compete in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1979. Don states his love of the game began when he was in the seventh grade and played at St. John's school in Stamford. But perhaps it was in his
genes long before and he just didn't realize it Don's Dad, Carroll James Foust was inducted into the Texas Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 for his outstanding career as a high school player in West Texas. He was a star
on his Carey High School team that won the Texas state championship in 1937. As is the case with all great coaches, Coach Foust unselfishly shares much of the credit for his many successes with several others. His
long-time assistant Sky Livingston is described as a tremendous influence and a major reason for Don's accomplishments. Former high school coaches Phil Ragozzino and Bob Gerwien along with colleagues Don Quinn, Dave
Hennessey, Ray Barry, Bruce Webster and Ann Fariss have also played vital roles in his life on the hardwood.Coach Foust saves his highest superlatives for his number one supporter, the one who has been
there through it all. 'Me one to whom he credits with always giving him the confidence he needed; the one person who none of his accomplishments would have been possible without, and the one who none of his achievements
would have any meaning without. It is that very special person he has chosen as his presenter tonight, the same one he chose as his life's partner, the true number one love of his life, his wife, Natalie. Kelly Penwell – High School Player
Kelly Penwell, a graduate of Platt High School, class of '90 ranks as one of the best players to have ever donned a Panthers basketball
uniform. She is being inducted tonight for her hoops talent but she was a truly extraordinary three-sport athlete who also excelled on the soccer field and softball diamond. Kelly's accomplishments on the hardwood are
nothing short of incredible. She rewrote the record book while at Platt and many of those records still stand today, It is not possible to list every record here but the highlights are as follows: Career records include
number of steals, 172; career field goals 593 and career points with 1472. Single season records include number of 3-point field goals, 26; total points in a single season, 559; and highest season scoring average, 24.3
points per game. Individual game records include number of point field goals made, 17; 3 -point field goals made, 4; and most points in a single game, 43. It is also interesting to note that Kelly is tied for the record
for the number of single game steals with none other than her sister, Kim.Kelly's list of awards is nearly as long as her list of achievements and once again the highlights are as follows: High school
honorable mention All-American by both Smith and Street and USA Today; Who's Who in Sports- 1989 & 1990: Hartford Courant/Connecticut Coaches High School Coaches Association All-State- 1990; New Haven Register
All-State- 1990; and the New Haven TAP-OFF club Scholar Athlete-1989 &1990. None of the above personal achievements and accolades are as dear to Kelly as the realization of a team goal in 1989. It was
the final game of her juniox- season and her most exciting and memorable moment on the court. It was the day when Platt beat Notre Dame in overtime to be crowned the Connecticut Class "L' State Champions.
She credits true teamwork as the heart of the game and describes the feelings of winning that championship as a team one of the best feelings in the world. Despite her personal triumphs, Kelly has never lost sight of
the value of teamwork in turning goals and dreams into reality. Kelly went on to a successful collegiate career as a shooting guard at the University of Hartford where she graduated in 1995 with a
bachelor's degree in education. She is currently a 2nd grade teacher and has a five year old daughter named Savannah Rae. An important lesson she hopes to leave with every player she coaches is to never be afraid
to fail, that it makes your success that much sweeter. Tracey Finer – Small College Player
Tracey Finer, a graduate of East Haven High School, chose Connecticut College
in New London to earn her college degree and to continue playing the game she loved. Following an outstanding high school career, where she earned many honors and awards, the fleet footed point guard continued to pile
up the accolades beginning immediately as a freshman. In her first season, she was honored as Rookie of the Year by the New England Women's Basketball Coaches Association. That was quite an honor but it didn't stop
there. She also set Connecticut College Rookie records for most assists in a single game with 10; most assists for a season with 147 and most steals in a single season with 67. For her efforts she was selected to the
NCAA Division III All-American Freshman Basketball Team. For most, this would describe a great career, but for Tracey, it was just the beginning. By the time she graduated from Conn.College in 1987 with a degree in
economics, Tracey found her name at the top of several categories in the Camels record book. There simply is not enough space to list all of her records here, but the highlights are as follows: set the CC school record
for most steals in a single game, 10; most steals in a single season, 94; and most career steals with 286. Also, most assists in a single game, 14; most assists in a single season, 186 and most assists in a career with
585. Her list of honors and awards is also a lengthy one, so once again here are the highlights. In addition to the numerous all-star and all tournament team selections, Tracey was a four-time recipient of Connecticut
College's MVP award and the school's first ever four-time All-American. At the conclusion of her senior year she was voted the Connecticut College Top Senior Athlete. (Balloting included males and females.)
Tracey
credits her Mom and Dad, George and Dolores Finer for their guidance, advice, unconditional love and support along the way. These are the gifts that enabled her to accomplish all she has. She strongly feels that any
honors and awards she receives should be shared equally with them. She also gives credit to her former coaches Bill Lessig and Jeff Hill who are largely responsible for much of Tracey's collegiate success. They believed
in her long before she believed in herself and their confidence gave her the boost she needed to reach the top of her game. Tracey's advice to today's young players is to never lose sight of the foremost reason to play,
and that is for the sheer enjoyment of the game. |
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