Teams

1998-99 Illinois Central College Women’s Team

Year Inducted8: 2002

Category: Teams

Schools / Organizations: Illinois Central College

Head Coach:  Lorene Ramsey

Team Record:  34-2 (NJCAA Division II National Champions)

Biography:

The 1998-99 Illinois Central College (34-2) women’s basketball team won its fourth NJCAA Division II women’s national championship by defeating Northwest Shoals Community College (Alabama) 86-81 in the title game. It was a clash of two powerful teams that were not challenged until the final game.

Illinois Central was a team that averaged an eye-opening 88.7 points a game and won every tournament it entered – two in-season, the NJCAA regional and the national tournament.

For the only time in NJCAA history, two players from the same team were selected to the five-player All-American first team in Beth Zeone and Marlena Williams. Zeone, Williams and Elena Karama were first-team all-National tournament selections. Zeone was national tournament MVP and Williams was selected to the Kodak All-American team.

Williams and Jenni Burke were co-captains of a team that won its first 18 and final 16 games.

 Picture Identifications:

Front Row (L-R): Beth Zeone, Chitoya Corder, Jenni Burke, Gina Brophy, Jill Barclay, Laura Criswell, Elena Karama, Assistant Coach Marla Eltrevoog.

Back Row (L-R): Head Coach Lorene Ramsey, Iesha Jones, Latesa Polito, Amy Gregory, Shay Weldy, Natalie Chambers, Marlena Williams, Alexandra Kouznetsova, Marti Davis, Assistant Coach Steve Garber.