Hall of Fame Class of 2023: '83-84 Squad Set a Mighty High Standard

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Central Michigan's women's basketball program has seen a considerable amount of success from the early 1980s to present day. In that time, the program has made six NCAA Tournament appearances, one of which yielded a Sweet Sixteen berth.

Not only has the program been successful on a national scale, it has entrenched itself as a consistent contender in the Mid-American Conference with three MAC Tournament titles in its nine appearances in MAC Tournament championship games.

A shining example of such success is the 1983-84 team, which is being inducted into the Central Michigan University Marcy Weston Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 29 (6 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena. It is the seventh team to be enshrined in the prestigious Hall.

MARCY WESTON CMU ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CEREMONY
Date: Friday, Sept. 29, 2023
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: McGuirk Arena
Admission: Free and open to the public

Led.by coach Laura Golden, the Chippewas went 27-3 and a perfect 18-0 in the Mid-American Conference, becoming the first – and still only – Chippewa women's basketball team to run the table in the league. Golden was named MAC Coach of the Year and the 27-3 record ranked fourth in the nation with a .900 win percentage.

The beginning of the magical season did not necessarily suggest what the team ultimately had in store, as it was 1-2 three games in with back-to-back losses by a combined six points to Nebraska and Michigan State. CMU responded by ripping off 26 straight wins en route to the MAC regular season and MAC Tournament titles. It marked the second straight year that the Chippewas had swept the conference crowns.

So dominant were the Chippewas in the MAC that 16 of their 18 league wins came by 10 or more points, and they went unbeaten at home until dropping their NCAA Tournament opener.

A quartet of Hall of Famers -- Sylvia Odum, Jody Beerman, LaTanga Cox and Betsy Yonkman – led the charge. The balance of the roster comprised starters Denise Tower and Kathy Labarge along with junior Chris Magnant, sophomore Trisha Phillips, and freshmen Sophia Chapman, Tammy Figg, Elaine Loch and Amy Welch.

Gallery: (8-15-2023) 1983-84 CMU women's basketball

Odum's team-leading 16.7 points per game ranked fourth in the MAC, while her 3.9 assists per game ranked sixth and earned her a spot on the All-MAC First Team. As a junior, she ranked 21st in the country from the free throw line, shooting 82.9%. She also finished 17th in the country in steals per game with 3.5.

Beerman was recognized as a Freshman All-American honorable mention just one year after being named Miss Basketball in Indiana. She chipped in 8.1 points along with nearly three assists per game.

Cox, a sophomore, played center and ranked first in the MAC in field goal percentage at 57.3%, 16th in scoring with 12.5 points per game, and 10th with 8.0 rebounds per game. She was an All-MAC honorable mention.

Like Cox, Yonkman was also named as an All-MAC honorable mention in her sophomore season. Her scoring mark of 12.8 points per game ranked her within the top 15 scorers in the MAC, while her 3.2 assists per game ranked 10^th.

The final member of the team to earn postseason recognition was Tower, who ranked in the top 15 in the conference in scoring at 12.8 points per game and was sixth in rebounding at 9.2 per game in her senior season, which netted her All-MAC Second Team honors.

The Chippewas rode a wave of momentum into the MAC Tournament and rolled to a pair of relatively easy wins – 106-72 over Northern Illinois and 71-55 over Toledo -- to claim their second straight title.

Cox had a monster 18-point, 17-rebound performance in the championship game and earned the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player Award. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Yonkman and Tower, who scored 17 and 12 points, respectively, in the championship-game romp.

The MAC champions punched their ticket into the NCAA Tournament. Competing in the mideast regional bracket as a seven seed, the Chippewas drew a first-round matchup of Alabama, which came in as a two seed.

CMU put up a good fight against Alabama. After falling in to a deep hole in the first half, CMU rallied an briefly took the lead early in the second. Alas, the Crimson Tide regained the lead and ultimately held off the Chippewas, 78-70. CMU finished the year ranked 30th in the nation, ahead of notable teams such as Penn State, Cal, and Villanova.

Odum set season program records for points (501), points per game (16.7), field goals (209), assists (117), and game records for scoring (34) and steals (nine). She averaged 3.5 steals per game, a CMU best that still stands today.

Other individuals etching their name into the record book were Cox, whose field goal percentage of 57.3% and total blocked shot tally of 35 were both season records, and LeBarge's 11 assists against Minnesota was a single-game record.

In addition to the players, the team as a whole set many records, some of which still stand. The Chippewas ended their season as the program leader in scoring, both in total points (2,483) and points per game (82.8). CMU's 82.8 points per game as a team ranked 15th in the country, and it had a scoring margin of plus-16.4, which was eighth best.

The 82.8 points per game remains the best season average in program history. Among other records set by the '83-84 Chippewas that still stand are consecutive road wins (12), consecutive wins (26), fewest losses (3), free throw attempts (755) and field goal percentage (50.1%).

For the full listing of the 1983-84 roster, click HERE. To find the 1983-84 schedule and results, click HERE.

Hall of Fame Class of 2023: '83-84 Squad Set a Mighty High Standard

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