News Release - May 8, 2003 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY'S BETH FRIDAY AND UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH'S BROOKE STEWART TO RECEIVE THE FIRST ANNUAL SWINTAYLA CASH OUTSTANDING CAREER PERFORMANCE AWARDS On May 8th the Western Pennsylvania Girls Hall of Fame Banquet will be held at the Sheraton Station Square from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Over 200 athletic and academic awards will be presented to players and their teams for their achievements during the 2002-2003 basketball season. This year, a new award will be presented in the name of Swintayla Cash for outstanding contributions made by players from Western Pennsylvania who have had outstanding high school and collegiate careers. This year, Beth Friday and Brooke Stewart are the recipients of this award. Beth Friday was a 2003 All-America Academic awardee and was a member of the 1,000 point - 1,000 rebound Club during her 4 year career at Duquesne University. Beth also had an outstanding career at Upper St. Clair High School, leading her team to the 1999 - PIAA AAAA Championship. Beth also had her Duquesne University jersey retired during the last home game of the 2003 season. Brooke Stewart accumulated over 1000 points during her career at the University of Pittsburgh and contributed significantly to her team. Brooke also had an outstanding career at East Allegheny High School where she scored over 3,000 points and guided East Allegheny to many wonderful accomplishments. Bob Gallagher, President and Chairperson of the Banquet, stated "We are not only delighted to present these awards in the name of one of the most outstanding players to play the game in Western Pennsylvania, Swintayla Cash, but also to present the initial awards to Beth Friday and Brooke Stewart, who are outstanding role models. The Western Pennsylvania Youth Basketball Club, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was formed in 1990 and conducts programs to recognize girls players for their athletic and academic accomplishments as well as assisting them to obtain college scholarships. Please call (412) 471-1457 for information about the Banquet. The Coca Cola Basketball Hall of Fame Banquet continues to improve with age. We hold the annual Banquet for two reasons: to bestow upon these hard-working, talented young ladies the recognition they deserve for their wonderful accomplishments, and secondly to bolster the self-esteem of these young girls. In our society, these young ladies will need to be self-confident to attain the success they are capable of as they become adult women.   Over the past years, more than 1500 girls have been honored for their performances on and off of the court. Awards include Section/City League All-Stars; WPIAL Section; City League Champions; PIRA Champions; Full-Court Press Players of the Week; Full-Court Press Outstanding Freshmen; Full-Court Press Supreme Court; Diocesan Champions; and Outstanding Eighth Graders awards. "I'm sure I speak for the other girls when I say that experiences, such as that with which you provided us, allow us to be reminded that the most important aspect of athletics lies in the friendships that we make." Nicci Rinaldi - Roundball Classic Participant Also, eleven outstanding former players, now working within the Pittsburgh community, and two excellent coaches, have been inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Girls Basketball Hall of Fame. The first inductee, in 1990, was 1988 Olympic Gold Medallist / 1992 Olympic Bronze Medallist and Penn State standout Suzie McConnell Serio, who now coaches WPIAl girls basketball. We know that our successful Hall of Fame Inductees serve as an inspiration in sports and in life to the thousands of young girls involved in basketball.                   Swintayla Cash Outstanding Career Performance Awards Beth Friday - 2002 (Upper St. Clair / Duquesne University) Brooke Stewart - 2002 (East Allegheny High School / University of Pittsburgh) Past Inductees into the Western Pennsylvania Girls Basketball Hall of Fame Suzie McConnell Serio - 1990 (Seton LaSalle / Penn State University) Debbie M. Lewis - 1991 (Abington / University of Pittsburgh) Edna L. Campbell - 1992 (Taylor Alderdice / University of Texas) Jennifer Bruce Scott - 1993 (Carrick / University of Pittsburgh) Karen Hall - 1994 (Mt. Alvernia / University of Nevada-Las Vegas) Art Taneyhill - 1995 (Altoona High School Head Coach) Don Barth - 1995 (North Catholic High School Head Coach) JoAnna Heumrich Burke - 2000 (Bethel Park / University of Pittsburgh) Bonnie Rimkus - 2000 (Carlynton / University of Maryland) Molly Larkin Rottman - 2000 (North Catholic / University of Delaware) Dori Anderson - 2000 (Blackhawk / Penn State University) Shannon Davis - 2001 (Sacred Heart (Oakland Catholic) / University of Pittsburgh) Kathy McConnell Miller - 2001 (Seton La Salle / University of Virginia)