Sylvia Hatchell, who led the UNC women’s basketball program to the 1994 NCAA championship and won more than 1,000 career games, will be honored with a bench in the Championship Coaches Legacy Garden at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The unveiling of the bench is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. Former Tar Heels Charlotte Smith and Ivory Latta, who both have their numbers retired by the women’s basketball program, will present the bench to Hatchell.

Hatchell is only the fourth female coach with a bench in the garden, joining Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, Rutgers’ C. Vivian Stringer and Texas’ Jody Conradt. Hatchell will also become the third UNC head coach with a bench, joining Dean Smith and Roy Williams. Carolina is the only school with three coaches honored in such a manner.

Hatchell was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. She retired in 2019 after coaching in Chapel Hill for more than 30 years. Her 751 career wins in ACC play are the most all-time in women’s basketball. Hatchell coached the Tar Heels to three Final Fours and nine ACC championships, and also won the 1988 Olympic gold medal as an assistant coach on the USA women’s basketball team. Hatchell won ACC Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year three times each.

 

Featured image via UNC

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
No. 3 UCLA Pulls Away in 2nd Half, Deals UNC Women's Basketball First Loss of Season
No. 3 UCLA used a 10-0 run in the third quarter to blow open what had been a close game, and the Bruins cruised from there to beat UNC 78-60 in the first game of the WBCA Challenge in Las Vegas Thursday night. The Tar Heels had hung tough with the Bruins during the first […]
UNC Women's Basketball vs. UCLA (2025): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
Carolina heads to Las Vegas this week for two neutral-site games as part of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Challenge. The first game is a marquee matchup, as the Tar Heels will face No. 3 UCLA Thursday night. The Bruins are coming off an appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four this past spring. […]
UNC Women's Basketball Dominates 2nd Half, Rolls Past Elon
Despite leading by only nine points at halftime, Carolina pulled away from Elon in the second half to earn a 71-37 win at Carmichael Arena Thursday night. Keep It Rolling 👏@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/x0EvUF0Rst — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) November 7, 2025 The Tar Heels had shot just 10-33 (30.3 percent) in a low-scoring first […]
UNC Women's Basketball to Face South Carolina in 2026 Ally Tipoff
Another fixture for the UNC women’s basketball program’s 2026-27 season took shape Thursday morning. The Tar Heels announced they will take on perennial power South Carolina in the 2026 Ally Tipoff at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte next fall. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 ➡️Queen City 👑 📰 | https://t.co/jozvB0BhbR pic.twitter.com/Rum7Lj9cXL — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) November 6, 2025 […]
UNC Women's Basketball to Open 2026-27 Season vs. Oklahoma in Paris
UNC women’s basketball will play in the City of Lights next November. The Tar Heels will face Oklahoma at the Adidas Arena in Paris as part of the fourth annual “Oui Play” event to open the 2026-27 season. The game is set for November 2, 2026, with a tip-off time to be announced at a […]
Newcomers Shine as UNC Women's Basketball Wins Season Opener
UNC jumped out to a big early lead and scored 53 first-half points on its way to an 90-42 win against North Carolina Central at Carmichael Arena Monday. Game One – 𝐖𝐎𝐍.@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/FNWnd6SwNf — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) November 3, 2025 Five Tar Heels scored in double figures on the day, led by […]
No. 2 South Carolina Downs UNC Women's Basketball in Exhibition
No. 2 South Carolina led by as many as 20 points on its way to a 91-82 win against UNC in a preseason exhibition in Atlanta Thursday night. The Tar Heels will open their regular season Monday. Neither Reniya Kelly nor Blanca Thomas played in the game for UNC, but head coach Courtney Banghart still […]
UNC Women's Basketball Ranked No. 11 in 2025-26 Preseason Poll
Carolina is ranked No. 11 in the AP’s preseason Top 25 poll. It’s the highest preseason ranking for the program since 2009, when the Tar Heels were ranked No. 4. Starting off at No. 1⃣1⃣ Highest preseason ranking since 2009. pic.twitter.com/XFXiAeDiR8 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) October 14, 2025 UNC returns two starters – guard […]
'Bringing the Legacy Back': Highlights from UNC Women's Basketball's Day at the ACC Tipoff
UNC head coach Courtney Banghart, guard Reniya Kelly and wing Indya Nivar spoke at the ACC Tip-Off in Charlotte Monday afternoon. The Tar Heels are coming off a run to the Sweet 16 last spring, which also saw the program host NCAA Tournament games in Carmichael Arena for the first time since 2015. Here are […]
UNC Women's Basketball Announces 2025-26 ACC Schedule
The ACC announced the full 2025-26 conference schedule for all women’s basketball programs Tuesday afternoon. As was the case during the 2024-25 season, UNC will play 18 conference games, facing 16 teams once and rival Duke twice. Been waiting on this one… The ACC schedule is 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀! pic.twitter.com/EKw7G5eVCY — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) September 2, […]
›