Or more satisfying.
Rush entered the Hall of Fame on Friday night - the only woman among the seven-member Class of 2008.
As the coach at little Immaculata University for seven seasons, Rush's teams went 149-15, won three consecutive national championships (1972-74) and became the first women's program to appear on national television (1975).
Rush's love for the game began when she was a youngster in the 1950s.
"I was the only girl in the neighborhood playing basketball," she said. "Fortunately, I had two cousins who allowed me to play - encouraged me to play - along with them."
Rush recalled Immaculata's first AIAW national tournament.
"In the regionals, we played four games in three days to save an extra night's lodging," she said. "At the nationals, we played Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday night and Sunday morning."
Memories
New Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing has fond memories of Utah, going back to his days as a freshman at Georgetown.
In 1982, the Hoyas were given the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament's West Regional.
After a first-round bye, Georgetown opened with a 51-43 win over Wyoming in Logan. The Hoyas reached the Final Four with wins over Fresno State (58-40) and Oregon State (69-45) in Provo.
"My first NCAA Tournament," Ewing said. "It was great. It was a wonderful tournament. We came out West. We were the No. 1 seed. . . . We played Wyoming and kicked their butt. We played Fresno State and kicked their butt. We kicked everyone's butt, all the way to the final game.
"It was a wonderful experience for me," Ewing said. "I'm an East Coast guy. I had the opportunity to go to UCLA. But it was too far from [home]. I wanted to get out of Boston, but stay close enough so my family could come watch me. . . . Going out to Utah let people see what kind of game [Eastern teams] had."
Briefly
The 2008 Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase will be held Dec. 6 at the new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The college doubleheader annually serves as a fundraiser for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. This year, Indiana and Gonzaga will play in the first game, followed by Notre Dame-Ohio State. Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, will be the site for the 2010 Final Four and the 2012 Super Bowl. . . . Val Ackerman, the former president of the WNBA and current president of USA Basketball, received this year's John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award. Outside of enshrinement, the Bunn Award is the most prestigious given by the Hall of Fame.
luhm@sltrib.com
