BASKETBALL

Richardson, Sutton Hall of Fame finalists

Nolan Richardson and Eddie Sutton, who combined for 650 victories, 22 NCAA Tournament appearances and 4 Final Four appearances in 26 seasons as Arkansas coaches, are among10 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.

Inductees for the 2014 class will be announced April 7.

Richardson is Arkansas’ all-time leader in victories with a 390-170 record in 17 seasons in 1986-2002. He coached Arkansas’ only national championship team in basketball in 1994, led the Razorbacks to a runner-up finish in 1995 and coached their 1990 Final Four team among his 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Richardson has a 509-207 record in 22 seasons as an NCAA Division I coach, including a 119-37 record in five seasons at Tulsa before coming to Arkansas. His first Tulsa team won the 1981 NIT championship. He also won a national junior college title at Western Texas.

Sutton, Richardson’s predecessor at Arkansas, is second on the Razorbacks’ career victories list with a 260-75 record in 11 seasons in 1975-1985. He coached NCAA Tournament teams his final nine seasons at Arkansas, including a 1978 Final Four appearance.

Sutton has an 804-329record in 36 seasons as a Division I coach and 26 NCAA Tournament appearances. In addition to Arkansas, he also coached at Creighton, Kentucky, Oklahoma State and the University of San Francisco. He led Oklahoma State to Final Four appearances in 1995 and 2004.

Richardson and Sutton previously have been inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the National College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Other Naismith Hall of Fame finalists announced Friday were former NBA players Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Kevin Johnson and Spencer Haywood; former college coaches Gary Williams and Harley Redin and the women’s team from Immaculata College, which won three consecutive national championships in the 1970s.

Sports, Pages 22 on 02/15/2014

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