When women's basketball forward Amber Strodthoff '11 was asked about head coach Carol Simon's induction into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame last weekend, she hadn't yet heard the news."I'm surprised [Simon] hasn't said anything to us, but that's her character," Strodthoff said. "She's not one to tell us awards she's received. She's really into that team mentality. It's a great thing."

Simon was one of four Division III women's basketball coaches and one of three members of the Brandeis basketball community inducted into the class of 2009. Glenn Wong '74 and Bill Lynch '79 were also honored under the Scholar Athlete Category.

Pat Glipson of Clark University, Amy Backus of Yale University and Stephanie Pemper of the United States Naval Academy were the other women inducted under the Division III Women's Coach Category. Though Backus and Pemper currently coach Division I programs, they were honored for their successful tenures at Middlebury College and Bowdoin College, respectively.

Wong and Lynch were both captains of the men's basketball team while playing at Brandeis.

"I'm very pleased and honored to be selected," Wong said. "We had terrific teams then with great people in terms of athletic ability. . I had a great experience at Brandeis, both as a student and as an Athlete. [Brandeis] taught me the great experience that Athletics can be: the hard work, the discipline, and teamwork."

Wong said the induction ceremony itself gave him a chance to reminisce about his time at Brandeis.

In Lynch's rookie year, Wong was asked to return to the University after graduating the year before to be the interim coach of the Junior Varsity team, which Lynch was a part of.

"The ceremony was wonderful," Wong said. "It was a very nice reunion, and I saw a lot of people in the basketball community, including coaches we played against."

Among the other inductees who Wong reunited with was his high school coach, Rollie Massamino. Massamino is best known for coaching the Villanova University Wildcats to a shocking National Championship over Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown University Hoyas in the 1985 NCAA Division I Tournament but was inducted for his time as the coach of Wong's Lexington High School in Lexington, Mass.

Massamino currently coaches at Northwood University in Florida, where former Brandeis women's basketball guard Amanda DeMartino '06 is the head coach of Northwood's women's basketball team.

Wong's co-captain at Brandeis, John Perry '74, was also in attendance to represent his late father, Walter Perry, who was inducted in the High School Boys' Coach category.

Wong earned his law degree from Boston College in 1977 and is a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is also the university's faculty representative to the NCAA and has served as interim athletics director.

Lynch is the current Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairman, but he played professional basketball in Ireland and starred on the Irish national team before starting his political career. Lynch could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

The tribute to Simon comes as she enters her 23rd season as head coach of the women's basketball team. Over the years, she has accumulated over 300 wins and earned the University Athletic Association Coaching Staff of the Year award twice.

She has also led her squad to consecutive Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships in 2004 and 2005 and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament in each of the last four seasons, a first in Brandeis history. Last season, Brandeis made its deepest NCAA Tournament run by reaching the Round of 8.

Despite her accomplishments, Simon attributed her success and the recognition to the people who support her.

"It's a great honor [to be recognized] amongst the other people [who were inducted], but to be honest, you've got to give credit to all the players and the administration that got me here," she said. "It's humbling. It's a nice honor, but again, I give all the credit to the people who make up this program. It's not about me."

Simon said she learned of the honor in early September but never told her team about the award.

"It was well kept," Simon said. "It's not one of those things you brag about. I guess it's something you keep humble."

Upon hearing the news, Strodthoff and other players like forward Kasey Gieschen '10, were thrilled and proud of their head coach.

"I definitely think she's very deserving and works very hard to make our team as successful as it is. She makes us individually as successful as we can be. She lives and breathes it," Strodthoff said. "I'm very happy for her."

"She's good at what she does and has a great relationship with other coaches and other players, and it's a great, well-deserved honor for her," Gieschen added.

Simon's players also pointed out her deep passion for the game and her ability to connect with players on and off the court.

"[There is] such a competitive side that she instills in all of us. She doesn't sugarcoat things," Strodthoff said. "We take a lot of lessons she teaches us on the court out in everyday life."

"She has a great appreciation for the fact that we're all student athletes [and] puts the student before the athlete on a lot of occasions," Gieschen added. "She's very understanding [and encourages] us to excel athletically on the court for her."

Though Simon's modesty was evident, she did reflect on the strong program she had built since she became the head coach in 1987. Nonetheless, she managed to credit her players as being the primary focus of her time here.

"The program here has grown tremendously since I've been here," Simon said. "I will say that the one thing that's been the same is getting dedicated and committed student athletes. Regardless of a 20-win season or a four-win season, it doesn't change."

The women's basketball team begins its run at its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance Nov. 15 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.