1983–84 Cheyney State Lady Wolves basketball team

1983–84 Cheyney State Lady Wolves basketball
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 9
Record25–5
Head coach
  • Winthrop McGriff (2nd season)
Assistant coaches
  • Carlotta Schaffer (5th season)
  • Ann Hill
Home arenaCope Hall
Seasons
← 1982–83
1984–85 →

The 1983–84 Cheyney State Lady Wolves basketball team represented Cheyney State College as an NCAA independent during the 1983–84 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The team was led by second–year head coach Winthrop McGriff and played their home games at Cope Hall in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. The Lady Wolves earned a record of 25–5 and a No. 9 ranking, were invited to the NCAA tournament, and reached their second Final Four in three seasons.

To date, Cheyney State is the only HBCU to reach the NCAA women's Final Four – doing so twice. They played for the NCAA championship in 1982, finishing runner-up.[1][2]

Roster

1983–84 Cheyney Wolves women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Hometown
G 3 Sandra Giddins 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Sr Yonkers, New York
G 10 Karen Draughn 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Sr New Haven, Connecticut
F/C 15 Ann Strong 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Jr Toledo, Ohio
C 34 Shay Taylor 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Sr Jersey City, New Jersey
G 41 Paulette Bigelow 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Jr East Orange, New Jersey
G/F 44 Yolanda Laney 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Sr Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
F 51 Rosetta Guilford 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Sr Newark, New Jersey
Head coach
  • Winthrop McGriff
Assistant coach(es)
  • Ann Hill
  • Carlotta "Bunny" Schaffer
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Dec 14, 1983*
 No. 20 No. 18 Penn State W 96–75  –
 Cope Hall 
Cheyney, Pennsylvania
Dec 17, 1983*
 No. 20 at No. 11 Old Dominion
Optimist Classic 		L 68–86  –
 Norfolk Scope 
Norfolk, Virginia
Dec 18, 1983*
 No. 20 vs. Duquesne
Optimist Classic 		W 85–41  –
 Norfolk Scope 
Norfolk, Virginia
Feb 14, 1984*
 No. 14 at Penn State W 88–82  –
 Rec Hall 
University Park, Pennsylvania
Feb 25, 1984*
 No. 12 at No. 13 Maryland W 83–76  –
 Cole Field House 
College Park, Maryland
PSAC tournament
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 1984*
 (6 E) No. 17 (3 E) No. 9 Maryland
First round 		W 92–64[3]  23–4
 Cope Hall 
Cheyney, Pennsylvania
Mar 22, 1984*
 (2 E) No. 14 vs. (3 E) No. 9 North Carolina
Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen 		W 73–72  24–4
 Norfolk Scope 
Norfolk, Virginia
Mar 24, 1984*
 (1 E) No. 4 at (3 E) No. 9 Old Dominion
Regional Final – Elite Eight 		W 80–71[4]  25–4
 Norfolk Scope 
Norfolk, Virginia
Mar 30, 1984*
 (3 ME) No. 15 vs. (3 E) No. 9 Tennessee
National Semifinal – Final Four 		L 73–82[5]  25–5
 Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, California
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Eastern.

Rankings

Main article: 1983–84 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
Poll12345678910111213141516Final
AP192020201920151210131211141212109

Awards and honors

  • Yolanda Laney – All-American

See also

References

  1. ^ "Forty Years Ago an HBCU Played in the First Women's Final Four. Today the Program Is Gone". Sports Illustrated. March 31, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "How the NCAA women's Final Four was born". The Washington Post. March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Md. Women Are Ousted by Cheyney State". The Washington Post. March 17, 1984. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "McGriff Follows Leader, Takes Cheyney to Final 4". The Washington Post. March 29, 1984. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  5. ^ "Teamwork Spurs Tennessee Women". The New York Times. April 1, 1984. Retrieved April 20, 2024.