By Marisol Nicholson

The BIG EAST Conference announced the establishment of the BIG EAST Basketball Legends Recognition in March 2024. The Conference’s 11 member schools were tasked with selecting a former prominent coach or player from both their men’s and women’s programs to be honored at the upcoming BIG EAST Tournaments.

Women’s basketball Legends will be recognized during the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals on March 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Men’s basketball Legends will be honored during the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals on March 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 

Butler’s Julie VonDielingen Shelton (1989-93)
A 2006 Butler Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Shelton is regarded as one of the top women’s basketball players to ever wear a Butler uniform. She finished her career as Butler’s all-time leading scorer and as the second all-time leading scorer in the Horizon League. She’s the only player in Butler women’s basketball history to score over 2,000 career points, finishing with an all-time record 2,018 points. She was a four-time, first team all-league performer, and she was named Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year in 1992-93.

UConn’s Laura Lishness (1987-91)
The 1988 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, she scored over 1,300 career points. As co-captain her senior year, Lishness helped lead her team to the NCAA Final Four in 1991, the first for UConn women’s basketball. She went on to earn KODAK District 1 All-America honors.

Creighton’s Marissa Janning Murphy (2012-17)
A 2023 inductee into the Creighton Hall of Fame, Marissa (Janning) Murphy is responsible for a number of firsts in the storied history of Creighton women’s basketball. She became the program’s first Freshman All-American, first WBCA All-American, first BIG EAST Player of the Year and recipient of the first BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award (2015). She was a three-time First Team All-Conference choice, when she scored 1,934 points (4th in CU history), dished out 507 assists (2nd) and made 267 three-pointers (3rd) while establishing program records with 136 games played and 4,401 minutes played.

DePaul’s Khara Smith (2002-06)
A 2023 DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Smith is DePaul women’s basketball’s only three-time All-American. Over 15 years after her career, she remains the school’s all-time leading rebounder (1,369) and ranks second all-time with 2,241 career points while shooting 59.2 percent from the field. During her career she helped lead the Blue Demons to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program’s first Sweet Sixteen in 2006. Smith was a three-time All-Conference honoree, Conference USA Freshman of the Year and a member of the Conference-USA All-Decade Team. She was also a member of the Blue Demons 2005 Conference USA Championship team, the first tournament title in program history.

Georgetown’s Kris Witfill (1989-93)
A member of the 2011 Georgetown Hall of Fame, Witfill graduated as the Hoyas’ all-time scoring leader with 1,885 points. A three-time all-BIG EAST selection and the BIG EAST player of the year in her final season, Witfill co-led her team in 1993 to the regular season conference title and to the NCAA Sweet 16. She remains among the all-time conference leaders in points, scoring average, free throws, and steals.

Marquette’s Allazia Blockton (2015-19),
The 2018 Big East Conference Player of the Year and honorable mention All-American, Blockton scored 2,204 points for Marquette over her four seasons to become the all-time leader in scoring for the Golden Eagles. She averaged 17.4 points per game over her collegiate career, boasting a career-best 34 points against Louisville in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

Providence’s Kathy Finn Hill (1980-84),
A 1997 Providence Hall of Fame inductee, Finn Hill was the 1984 BIG EAST Player of the Year – the first Friar in program history to earn the honor. She was a tie-time KODAK District 1 All-America selection, two-time All-BIG EAST First Team pick, and two-time Providence College Female Athlete of the  Year. She led Providence in scoring and steals in each of her four years to finish as the Friars’ all-time leading scorer with 1,942 points.

St. John’s Debbie Beckford (1979-83)
A member of St. John’s first-ever NCAA Tournament team, Beckford was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1983 BIG EAST Tournament as well as the 1983 BIG EAST Player of the Year. At the time of her induction into the St. John’s Hall of Fame in 1992, she held the record for most points (705) and most field goals (314) in a season (1982-83) and was second on St. John’s all-time career scoring list with 1,753 points. Beckford led St. John’s to its first BIG EAST regular-season title and BIG EAST Tournament Championship and was also named the Lady Niagara Player of the Year, given to the top player in New York State.

Seton Hall’s Jodi Brooks (1990-94)
Jodi Brooks, whose number 12 was retired shortly after graduation, helped elevate the women’s basketball program to a new level. In 1994, she led the Pirates to their best season ever with a 27-5 record, an NCAA Tournament berth and run to the Sweet Sixteen, and a finish as the No. 14 team in the national rankings. As a senior, she averaged 18.6 points, was named New Jersey and Metropolitan Player of the Year, received an honorable mention All-America selection and was named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team.  Brooks was a two-time All-BIG EAST and CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, and, at the time of her induction, was the only Seton Hall player to record over 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 steals.

Villanova’s Harry Perretta (1978-2020)
Perretta coached the Wildcats for 42 years, totaling 783 career wins. Villanova earned 11 NCAA Tournament berths, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2003. Perretta was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 2022 and the Villanova Hall of Fame in 2021. He is a four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year as the Wildcats won three BIG EAST regular-season titles and three BIG EAST Tournament crowns under his watch.

Xavier’s Ta’Shia Phillips (2007-11)
Phillips, a two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, was the 2008-09 A-10 Player of the Year. Phillips was selected as a 2010 and 2011 State Farm Honorable Mention All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association before being drafted eighth overall in the 2011 WNBA Draft. Phillips, XU’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,552 career boards, notched 77 career double-doubles and scored in double-figures in 103 out of 131 career games played. She led the league in rebounds per game for four consecutive years, earning a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team for the three consecutive seasons. Phillips was honored as an All-District I pick by the WBCA in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and earned All Atlantic-10 First Team honors in each of her last three seasons.

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Shelvin Mack, Butler (2008-11)
Mack led Butler to back-to-back NCAA Tournament national championship game appearances in 2010 and 2011. He was named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Southeast Regional in 2011, leading the Bulldogs’ return to the Final Four, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the 2011 NCAA Final Four. In his three seasons with the Bulldogs, Mack scored 1,527 career points. His 357 assists and 216 3-pointers in only three years remain on Butler’s top 10 lists. Mack was drafted with the 34th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and spent eight seasons in the NBA.

Chris Smith, Connecticut (1988-92)
Still UConn’s all-time scorer with 2,145 career points, Smith led the Huskies to their first BIG EAST regular-season and tournament crowns in 1990 when the team posted a 31-6 record and reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. He is also still the Huskies’ career points leader in BIG EAST play with 1,140 points. He earned All-BIG EAST honors for three seasons. A member of the UConn Basketball All-Century Team, he scored in double figures in 107 career games.
Randy Eccker, Creighton (1974-78) – Inducted into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999, Eccker was a standout point guard for the Bluejays in the mid-70s. Nicknamed “The Glue” for his importance in keeping the team together, his assist total of 205 as a junior still ranks fourth in school history. He is No. 6 on the all-time assist list with 458. Eccker quarterbacked Creighton to NCAA Tournament bids as a senior and a freshman.

Wilson Chandler, DePaul (2005-07)
Chandler excelled at DePaul for the Blue Demons’ first two seasons as a members of the BIG EAST before he declared for the NBA Draft. He made the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in 2005-06 and BIG EAST All-Second Team as a sophomore when he averaged 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds while helping DePaul to a 9-7 league record. Chandler was a first round draft pick of the New York Knicks and played in the NBA for 13 seasons.

Reggie Williams, Georgetown, (1983-87)
Williams was one of the prime contributors to Georgetown’s reign of success in the mid-80s. The smooth forward helped the Hoyas to a 51-13 regular season record during his four seasons, three BIG EAST Tournament titles and a national championship in 1984. He capped his collegiate career as a senior by being named BIG EAST Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player in the BIG EAST Tournament. He is still third on the school’s all-time scoring list with 2,117 points.

Jerel McNeal, Marquette, (2005-09)
McNeal graduated as the program’s all-time scoring leader with 1,985 career points and is still MU’s leader in steals with 287. He held the scoring record for over 10 years until it was broken by Markus Howard in 2019. While part of Marquette’s first four BIG EAST teams, McNeal played in the NCAA tournament all four years. He was a three-year team captain and an an AP Second Team All-American as a senior. McNeal was the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, as well as a four-time all-conference selection.

Ernie DiGregorio, Providence (1969-73)
One of Providence’s all-time greats, DiGregorio was the point guard who led the Friars to the Final Four in 1973 under coach Dave Gavitt. For his collegiate career, he averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds. As a senior, he earned all-America honors and won the Lapchick Trophy as the Best College Player in America. “Ernie D” was the third pick in the 1973 NBA Draft, selected by the Buffalo Braves and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1973-74.

Marcus Hatten, St. John’s (2001-03)
A high-scoring guard, Hatten is still the BIG EAST’s all-time leader in scoring average with a 23.0 mark in league games. For St. John’s, he is still second in single-season scoring with 756 points in 2002-03 and seventh in scoring average for a season with 22.2 points per game. He is the program leader for career scoring average at 21.2. Hatten earned All-BIG EAST First Team recognition in both of his seasons.

Terry Dehere, Seton Hall (1989-93)
Dehere is still Seton Hall’s all-time scorer with 2,494 points and ranks fifth in the BIG EAST is career scoring in league games with 1,320 points. As a senior in 1992-93, the sharpshooting guard was BIG EAST Player of the Year and Most Outstanding Player in the BIG EAST Tournament leading the Pirates to the tourney title and a top-10 national ranking. The Hall also won the BIG EAST tourney title in his sophomore season. The Los Angeles Clippers chose Dehere in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft.

Randy Foye, Villanova (2002-06)
The BIG EAST Player of the Year as a senior, Foye still ranks ninth on the Wildcats’ career scoring list with 1,966 points and sixth on the steals list with 198. The Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tournament twice in the shooting guard’s career, reaching the Sweet 16 in 2005 and going to the Elite Eight in 2006. The 2005-06 team was the first Nova team ever to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Foye was selected by the Boston Celtics with the seventh pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.

J.P. Macura, Xavier (2014-18)
Macura was a standout guard and emotional leader for the Musketeers. He played in the NCAA Tournament in all four of his seasons and reached the Elite Eight in 2017 and Sweet 16 in 2015. In his senior season, Xavier posted a 29-6 record, won the BIG EAST regular-season title and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

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