Connecticut
Women's Basketball
 Hall Of Fame

2002 Inductee Biographies

ELEANOR CROSBY TURNER  -High School Coach        
Eleanor's induction into the CWBHOF as a High School Coach comes as no surprise after considering her coaching accomplishments at Wilbur Cross High School. Her Head Coaching experience began in 1982, but Eleanor's  passion for the game evolved much earlier.  Eleanor was an outstanding basketball player and an Honor student at Compact High School in North Carolina. In her senior year she was  honored with the Best Athlete Award. Her success resulted in a scholarship to Mississippi Valley State. In 1955 she was the team MVP and her team won the SWAC Championship. In 1984 Eleanor was Mississippi Valley State's 1st female Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee.        

Eleanor's coaching career began in the mid 1970's. From 1977 to 1979 she  was the Head Coach of the New Haven Youth Games. She was the Assistant to Barbara Thaxton at Wilbur Cross H.S. until 1981. Together they guided a Wilbur Cross team that is arguably one of the most dominant  ever in Connecticut Girls Basketball history. In 1982 Eleanor became the Head Coach, and the success of Girls' Basketball at Wilbur Cross continued! From 1983 to 1985, her teams won  the District League Titles and were Co-champs in 1987. In 1984, she guided her team to the Class LL State Championship. This same year she was named New Haven's Shoot-Out Coach of the Year.   Her final year coaching at Wilbur Cross was in 1990. She compiled an overall won/loss record of 100-58. Nine former players went on to play hoops in college, and in 1996, Eleanor was honored by the New Haven Girls' Basketball Festival with the 'Outstanding Coach' Award.        

Currently Eleanor is the Principal of Barnard Elementary School in New Haven where she continues to influence and positively impact children.                            

ANN L. LANDER - Referee
Involvement in basketball seemed inevitable for Ann, as she was raised in a  home where sports were encouraged! Ann was the third of six children and  in spite of moving often during her childhood, there was usually a basketball  hoop outside. Following in her Dad's footsteps, who played multiple sports in college, Ann participated in Field Hockey, Softball and Basketball at Old Lyme High School from 1957-1960. She continued her education at the University of New Hampshire where she studied Modern Languages, and then went on to receive her Masters in Education at the University of  Connecticut. 

Ann's Refereeing career began in the later 1960's and continued on through  the early 1980's. During this time, Ann was very involved with State and  Regional scheduling, CIAC negotiations, and the CIAC tournaments.  Ann is currently a French teacher at Valley Regional High School in Deep  River, Connecticut. In 1989 she was awarded Region District #4 "Teacher of the Year."  Ann resides in Old Lyme with Mark, her husband of 37 years. They have a son Karl who is a lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard and is soon to be a Lieutenant Commander. Ann retired in 2002. She has been married now for 42 years.

 In her spare time, Ann  enjoys traveling, walking, bicycling, reading and knitting and, of course, watching  NCAA Women's Basketball.

BOHDAN KOLINSKY- Honorary
Bohdan (`Bo') began his sports writing career with the Hartford Courant in  1973. He was a 1972 Wethersfield U.S. graduate, and received an Associates Degree in Media Communications from Manchester Community College in 1975. Throughout his 28-year career, Bo primarily concentrated on State High School sports coverage, including girl's basketball. In 1977 he became responsible for the Courant's statewide high school coverage. He was instrumental in initiating the All State/All Courant Athlete Recognition program in 1983-84, which honors athletes in 21, sports (11,000+ athletes to date).   In 1989 Bo was named the Assistant Sports Editor for high school sports.

Bo previously has been honored for his efforts in the promotion of high School sports. In 1982 he received the CT High School Coaches Assoc. Distinguished Service Award. In 1986 he received the Hugh S. Greer Distinguished Service Award by the Central C F Soccer Officials Assoc. In 1987 Bo received the CT Assoc. of Athletic Directors  distinguished Service Award for his work outside the field of athletics. And in 1996 Bo was Honored with the National H.S. Coaches Association's Distinguished Service Award. Currently an active member of the CT Sports Writers Alliance (Treasurer since 1981), Bo's successful efforts in the pursuit of excellence in High School Sports Coverage are obvious. He is an avid golfer and presently resides in South Windsor with his wife Jill.

TRICIA SACCA-FABBRI  -Large College Player
Tricia's interest in playing basketball was sparked by a trip to an AAU tryout in Trenton, N.J. when she was in 6th grade. The New Jersey native played high school ball at Delran H.S. and graduated in 1987. Her senior year Tricia set a school record of 1,711 career pts. and was named the "Burlington County Times" Player of the Year. She was also a three time 1st team All Freedom Conference and All Burlington County player. In addition to shining on the court, Tricia played soccer and led her team to the State Championship in which she was named the MVP. For her efforts and accomplishments, Tricia was inducted into the Delran H.S. Hall of Fame last fall. 

Tricia continued her basketball career at Fairfield University. There, under the guidance of Coach Dianne Nolan, Tricia's game continued to grow and she was an intricate part of the Fairfield team. She was a three-time All Metro-Atlantic Conference (MAAC) first team selection two time All MAAC Tournament team selection, and set a school record in points scored in a game with 35 vs. Memphis State. Tricia is Fairfield University's 5th leading scorer with 1,622 points, and the 3d leading rebounder with 1,037. Twice, she and her teammates won the MAAC Championship thus earning two automatic bids to 'The Big Dance'. One of Tricia's fondest memories as a college player was winning the 1991 MAAC Championship for the 2nd time, as a senior. In 1998 Tricia was inducted into the Fairfield University Athletic Hall of Fame.  Following graduation from Fairfield Tricia stayed with the team, but now as an Assistant Coach to Dianne Nolan. The same coach who guided Tricia to the top of her game as a player, also gave Tricia her start in coaching. In 1995 Tricia became the first full-time Head Coach at Quinnipiac University. In 1999 Quinnipiac competed for the first time ever at the Division I Level. That same year her team qualified for the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament. In 2000 Quinnipiae was a NEC Tournament Semi-Finalist and Tricia was named the NEC Coach of The Year.  

Currently, Tricia remains the Quinnipiac Head Coach. She resides in Stratford with her husband, Paul, and their two children.

PATTI FERRARO - High School Player
In Patti's high school career at North Branford H.S. (1979-82), she excelled in three sports - Volleyball, Softball, and Basketball. Noted for exceptional shooting, it comes as no surprise that Patti holds the North Branford H.S. record of highest career free throw percentage of 79%. In 1980 she scored a career high of 37 pts in a game and then broke her own record with 38 pts in a game in 1982. By the end of her senior year Patti had tallied a total of 1,280 points and 660 rebounds. As a result of her performance on the court, Patti was named to the All-County team three times, and the All-Shoreline  League and All-State teams twice. She was also awarded the Wade Trophy Bronze Medal, was chosen for the CT Shoot-Out All Star Team and was an Honorable Mention Converse All-American.  Patti continued her success on the court in college at Eastern Connecticut State University where she played for Coach Bob Miller. In her 4 year career there, Patti averaged 9.8 PPG, scored a total of 979 pts., shot 84.3% from the free-throw line, and never missed a game. In Patti's freshman year  (1982), ECSU made its 1st NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. Her following three seasons, the ECSU team either qualified for the NCAA National Tournament or the ECAC Regional Tournament. As a senior, Patti received the team Coaches Award and was named to the All New England Women's Basketball Association All Star Team. 

Patti currently resides in Branford. As a Lead Counselor for troubled youth with the CT. Dept. of Children and Families, she takes the positive experiences she had playing hoops and tries to apply them to help others.

KELLY A. HART  High School Player    
As with many of our nominees, Kelly participated in multiple sports in high school. Kelly played Volleyball, Softball and Basketball at Southington H.S. (1979-82) and excelled in all three! As centerfielder for the softball team Kelly was a major factor in Southington's 1981 and 1982 Colonial Conference and State LL Championships. Kelly's basketball career was especially great. In three years, she scored over 1,100 pts. and played an intricate role in her team's success. In 1982, Kelly's senior year, she averaged 25 pts., 5.7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals to help boost her team to a 25-1 overall record, and the Class LL State Championship. That same year, Kelly was named to the All Colonial Conference and Class LL All-State Basketball Teams, and also captained both the basketball and softball teams.    

Kelly was a star in the classroom as well as on the court. She was a member of the National Honor Society for 2 years and ranked 35/600 in her class. Her combined athletic and academic success resulted in a Basketball  Scholarship to Boston College. After college, Kelly pursued a career in Coaching and Athletic Administration at Stonehill College (1987- 2001). From 1996 - 2001 Kelly was also a Coaches Clinician for the Special Olympics. She feels privileged to have coached 6 Kodak 1st Team National All Americans, and 4 Regional All Americans at Stonehill.  Kelly is thankful for the wonderful opportunities basketball has given her and she feels very strongly about giving back.  Kelly currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada where she is pursuing a Degree in Architecture at the University of Las Vegas.

LIZ MCGOVERN -High School Player      
Interested in athletics since she and her family can remember, it is no surprise that Liz participated in three sports in high school. She excelled in volleyball, softball, and especially basketball at Bridgeport Central in the 1970's - a time when female athletes were emerging as viable competitors.  Liz played Forward/Center for Coach Barbara John from 1973-75 and helped lead her team to the 2nd round of the Connecticut State Tournament two years in a row. In a two year high school career, Liz scored a total of 650 points, averaged 25 points, 3.5 assists, 2 steals and a dominating 18.2 rebounds per game.  Liz was an ALL MBIAC performer in Volleyball and Basketball in 1974, and Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball in 1975. In 1975 she was also a 2nd team Class L All-State selection. It's not surprising that Liz was the 1st multiple sport All MBIAC Female Athlete in 1975 at Bridgeport Central H.S.. 

Liz's work ethic and determination in H.S. allowed her to pursue athletic excellence in college also. In 1976 she helped Manhattanville College win the Hudson Valley championship, and that same year was one of fifteen finalists in the Northeast Regional Olympic Trials.  Liz played her last two years of college at Fordham University where she was coached by Kathy Mossolino. In 1979 Fordham was ranked 19th nationally, and made it to the 'Elite Final 8' of the AIAW Large College  Tournament. Among her accomplishments at Fordham, Liz holds single game records of 8 steals and 17 assists, scored 918 points, was named to the 1978 State All -Tournament team and was inducted into the Fordham Hall of Fame in 1992.   Liz currently resides in Stratford and is employed by AFLAC, also in Stratford. She enjoys biking, reading, music, traveling and watching foreign  movies. Liz also referees high school and college games and aspires to be inducted to this same Hall of Fame as a referee some day.