Wheaton women's basketball to highlight next weekend's Tip-Off Classic by honoring 1993-94 Final Four team, welcoming J.J. Jumper

November 10, 2006

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's basketball team not only begins its 2006-07 season by hosting the Wheaton Tip-Off Classic next Saturday and Sunday, November 18 and 19, but it will hold a ceremony to honor the 1993-94 women's basketball team that advanced to the NCAA Final Four while also welcoming J.J. Jumper, the official mascot of the NCAA.

The ceremony commemorating the 1993-94 team will take place in Emerson Gymnasium on November 18, roughly 10 minutes before the Lyons' 1:00 p.m. season opener against Wentworth Institute of Technology. J.J. Jumper will perform throughout the game as part of the NCAA's commitment to promoting youth basketball participation and sportsmanship.

Wheaton's 1993-94 team was the college's first to reach the Final Four since the school went coed in 1987. Former head coach Del Malloy and his charges will be honored for a season in which they went 27-4 while winning the New England Women's 8 (NEW 8) Tournament and regular season titles. The Lyons finished the season at the Final Four in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Nearly every member of the team, including players, coaches and athletic trainers, is expected to attend, among them the program's top three career scorers in Allyson Aube, Cathy Silva and Christine Whelan. Aube, Silva and Dee Robichaud were captains of the 1993-94 squad, which set several school marks that still stand today, including wins, points and three-pointers. The team also ran off the two longest winning streaks in program history.

Silva was the lone senior on the squad, while Aube, Robichaud, Whelan and Cheryl Warren comprised the junior class. Rounding out the roster were sophomores Kerri Bucko, Deb Johnson, Molly Malloy and Tammy Masselli, as well as freshmen Marisa Frank and Nicole LaBelle. Assistant coaches Lauralee Fegel and Mike Walmsley completed Del Malloy's staff, while Gayle Olson and current head athletic trainer Greg Steele provided athletic training support at the time.

J.J. Jumper was created in 1999 to increase enthusiasm and awareness of NCAA basketball, while educating youths on healthy physical, emotional and educational values. J.J. is a 6-5 green creature with orange hair, size 26 shoes and a big heart that motivates youths to do their best on and off the court. J.J. appears at men's and women's basketball games in all three divisions, giving away NCAA basketball promotional items and performing skits during breaks in action. J.J. has visited more than 275 member institutions in the past three seasons.

The 2006-07 Lyons are coming off a 14-12 season, during which they recorded their most wins since 1999-2000. Green Mountain College and Saint Joseph's College of Maine square off during Saturday's second contest at 3:00 p.m., while the Lyons face Green Mountain on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Saint Joseph's and Wentworth complete weekend action at 3:00 p.m.

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