Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame / en Michèle Bélanger inducted into Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame /celebrates/mich-le-b-langer-inducted-canadian-basketball-hall-fame <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Michèle Bélanger inducted into Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/community" hreflang="en">Community</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-07-13T12:05:23-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 13, 2022 - 12:05" class="datetime">Wed, 07/13/2022 - 12:05</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/staff" hreflang="en">Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/faculty-kinesiology-physical-education" hreflang="en">Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/canadian-basketball-hall-fame" hreflang="en">Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/Belanger-HOF-Induction-crop.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item">Michèle Bélanger at the induction ceremony at The Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame (photo courtesy of KPE)</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Former Varsity Blues women's basketball coach <strong>Michèle Bélanger</strong>, who led the University of Toronto&nbsp;to more than 850 victories, has been <a href="https://www.basketball.ca/news/canadian-basketball-hall-of-fame-classes-for-2021-and-2022-announced">inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame</a>.<br> <br> Described as a coaching&nbsp;icon&nbsp;by the Hall,&nbsp;Bélanger <a href="https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/07/11/michele-belanger-toronto-basketball-hall-of-fame/">told <em>CityNews</em> </a>she was shocked to be recognized alongside “true legends of the game.”</p> <p>Other inductees recognized on July 10 include Steve Nash, two-time MVP of the NBA.</p> <p>In 41 seasons as the head coach of the Varsity Blues women's basketball program, Bélanger led U of T to nine OUA championships and a national title in 1986. She finished 21 seasons with four or fewer regular season losses and was named OUA coach of the year eight times. Bélanger also coached for Canada at all levels of competition, serving as an assistant coach to Team Canada when they earned a program-best silver medal at the 2015 FISU Games, and leading Canada to a 13th place finish at the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade.</p> <p>“There are a lot of young women that want to play the game and that are in love with this basketball game, which I think is great. You didn’t see that 30 years ago. You were the odd one out,” Bélanger told CityNews. “I want to see people coming back into the gyms and supporting these young women. They’re working so hard. Their skills are amazing.”</p> <h3><a href="https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/07/11/michele-belanger-toronto-basketball-hall-of-fame/">Read the <em>CityTV</em> article</a></h3> <h3><a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/varsity-blues-news/varsity-blues-michele-belanger-inducted-canadian-basketball-hall-fame">Read the Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education article</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">KPE</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 13 Jul 2022 16:05:23 +0000 lanthierj 175619 at