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University Bids Farewell to Whorton
In December, Lions across the country, especially women鈥檚 basketball fans, said goodbye to the man who put 鈥渨inningest鈥� in their vocabulary.
Hall of Fame Women鈥檚 Basketball Coach Louis Whorton passed away. Whorton compiled a 648-277 win-loss record over 30 years in the NJCAA and NCAA Division II.
He was inducted into the AV抖阴 Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019 and the NJCAA Women鈥檚 Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. He is a member of the University of the Ozarks Eagles Hall of Fame.
鈥淐oach Wharton is a AV抖阴 legend,鈥� AV抖阴 Athletics Director Curtis Janz said. 鈥淗e set a standard not only for AV抖阴 Women鈥檚 Basketball but for the entire department. He set a standard for excellence on the court and made an impact on so many people鈥檚 lives. Coach will be missed, but he will always be remembered here. We love him and his family, and they will always be in our hearts.鈥�
He won a national championship in the 1994-1995 season by going 35-0 and was named the NJCAA Coach of the Year. His team placed second in the NJCAA national tournament in 1993-1994. In their 1997-1998 and 2005-2006 national tournaments appearances, the Lady Lions finished seventh. In 2003-2004, they finished fourth. In 2004-2005 and 2007-2008, they finished third.
Former player and friend Brenda Frederiksen remembered Whorton for two of his sayings.
He told players to 鈥渁lways keep the main thing the main things.鈥�
鈥淎nd, as he always said, 鈥極nce a Lion, always a Lion.鈥欌��
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