Former University of Connecticut star Jen Rizzotti, who coaches the Hartford women, also was named along with longtime Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, former Texas center Annette Smith-Knight, and former Mississippi star Peggie Gillom-Granderson.
Last month, former Temple coach Dawn Staley was inducted.
The 63-year-old Foster, who was born in Abington and graduated from Cardinal Dougherty High School and Temple, is the fourth person with St. Joseph's ties to be inducted.
Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, a Big Five Hall of Famer who played for the Hawks, was inducted last year, and Immaculata great Theresa Grentz, a previous inductee, is a former St. Joseph's coach.
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, a Hall inductee as well as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., was hired by Foster as an assistant when Foster became the Hawks coach before the 1978-79 season. He is from Norristown.
Foster, who coached such St. Joseph's stars as Debbie Black, now one of his aides with the Buckeyes, current Hawks coach Cindy Griffin, and current staff member Katie Gardler, was an assistant to Grentz on the 1992 U.S. Olympic team that won a bronze medal.
"It's hard to get a grasp on the magnitude of the honor when you've still only recently gotten the news," said Foster, who was informed three weeks ago by Carol Callan, the president of the Hall's board of directors.
Foster, whose overall record is 765-294 in 34 years of coaching, is one of only a handful of coaches who have had three different teams earn rankings in the Associated Press women's poll. In addition to St. Joseph's and Ohio State, he coached at Vanderbilt, which he led to the Women's Final Four in 1993. He coached the Hawks for 13 seasons before moving to Vanderbilt in 1991.
Foster also coached the Bishop McDevitt High girls in the Philadelphia Catholic League before succeeding Rene Portland as coach of the Hawks.
"I'm out recruiting this past week, and when I'm at [AAU] games and camps, kids of my former players are now on the court," said Foster.
He said he recalled no specific highlights of his career.
"It's more about the day-to-day, the players and assistants over the years," he said. "It's being at St. Joseph's and being associated with [former men's coaches] Jim Lynam and Jim Boyle. The 76ers used to practice there every day, so it was a great opportunity to be around them and soak up all that knowledge."
Black was informed earlier Monday of Foster's honor.
"That's great, very well deserved," she said.
Foster gave Auriemma his first coaching job when he hired him on Hawk Hill.
"Getting inducted into a Hall of Fame is a combination of things," Auriemma said. "The quality of work you have done and the time you have done it. To be at three different schools that Jim has been and to have the success he has had at three different schools, he certainly has that criteria. . . . I'm surprised it took this long."
Wicks, who played for Grentz from 1984 to '88, still holds records for Rutgers women and men for career points (2,655), scoring average (21.2 ppg.), rebounds (1,357), and field goals made/attempted (1,091/2,099), and women's career records for rebounding average (10.9 rpg.), blocked shots (293), and free throws made and attempted (473/641).
Wicks was a WNBA all-star when she played for New York.
"I'm absolutely, positively thrilled for her," Grentz said. "She's earned it, and I plan to be there with bells on when she gets inducted.
"And Jim, he was one of my Olympic assistants. He's done so much for the game. Just another in a long line of great Philly basketball coaches, men and women."
Blair, who guided Texas A&M to the 2011 NCAA title, said he was surprised when he got the call.
"This one I didn't really think about," he said. "I broke down and cried when I got the news."
Jim Foster's Career Record
Year School Overall Conf. NCAA Tournament
1978-79 St. Joseph's 16-9 AIAW 1st Rnd.
1979-80 St. Joseph's 11-15 3-1 Big 5 ------
1980-81 St. Joseph's 14-11 2-2 Big 5 ------
1981-82 St. Joseph's 16-12 2-2 Big 5 ------
1982-83 St. Joseph's 15-13 3-1 Big 5 ------
1983-84 St. Joseph's 17-10 3-1 Big 5, 3-5 A-10 ------
1984-85 St. Joseph's 25-5 4-0 Big 5, 7-1 A-10 1st Rnd.
1985-86 St. Joseph's 22-7 2-1 Big 5, 12-4 A-10 2d Rnd.
1986-87 St. Joseph's 23-9 3-1 Big 5, 14-4 A-10 2d Rnd.
1987-88 St. Joseph's 24-8 3-1 Big 5, 16-2 A-10 2d Rnd.
1988-89 St. Joseph's 23-8 2-2 Big 5, 16-2 A-10 2d Rnd.
1989-90 St. Joseph's 24-7 4-0 Big 5, 16-2 A-10 1st Rnd.
1990-91 St. Joseph's 18-12 4-0 Big 5, 10-8 A-10 ------
1991-92 Vanderbilt 22-9 6-5 SEC Elite Eight
1992-93 Vanderbilt 30-3 9-2 SEC Final Four
1993-94 Vanderbilt 25-8 9-2 SEC Sweet 16
1994-95 Vanderbilt 28-7 8-3 SEC Sweet 16
1995-96 Vanderbilt 23-8 7-4 SEC Elite Eight
1996-97 Vanderbilt 20-11 6-6 SEC Sweet 16
1997-98 Vanderbilt 20-9 9-5 SEC 1st Rnd.
1998-99 Vanderbilt 13-14 6-8 SEC ------
1999-00 Vanderbilt 21-13 6-8 SEC 2d Rnd.
2000-01 Vanderbilt 24-10 8-6 SEC Elite Eight
2001-02 Vanderbilt 30-7 10-4 SEC Elite Eight
2002-03 Ohio State 22 -10 10-6 Big Ten 2d Rnd.
2003-04 Ohio State 21-10 11-5 Big Ten 2d Rnd.
2004-05 Ohio State 30-5 14-2 Big Ten Sweet 16
2005-06 Ohio State 29-3 15-1 Big Ten 2d Rnd.
2006-07 Ohio State 28-4 15-1 Big Ten 1st Rnd.
2007-08 Ohio State 22-9 13-5 Big Ten 1st Rnd.
2008-09 Ohio State 29-6 15-3 Big Ten Sweet 16
2009-10 Ohio State 31-5 15-3 Big Ten 2d Rnd.
2010-11 Ohio State 24-10 10-6 Big Ten Sweet 16
2011-12 Ohio State 25-7 11-5 Big Ten 1st Rnd.
Overall (34 years) 765- 294 .722 winning pct.
Ohio State (10 years) 261-69 .790
Vanderbilt (11 years) 256- 99 .721
St. Joseph's (13 years) 248-126 .663
Overall conference 342-130 .725
Big Ten (10 years) 129-37 .780
SEC (11 years) 84-53 .613
Big Five (12 years) 35-12 .745
Atlantic 10 (12 years) 94-28 .770
SOURCE: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
