Viking Pride: Stephanie Osburn Norman

Stephanie Osburn Norman, Siuslaw Class of 1984

Siuslaw hall-of-fame member Stephanie Osburn Norman came within shouting distance Sunday of the NCAA women's basketball Final Four.

Norman is associate head coach of women's basketball at Louisville, which Sunday lost in the Albany Region final to Connecticut, 80-73.

Virginia was the region's top seed, UConn No. 2.

Oregon, also a No. 2 seed, beat No. 1 seed Mississippi State in the Portland Region final, 88-44.

The final two regional finals are Monday.

Norman, a 1984 Siuslaw graduate, was a member of the second class of the Siuslaw Hall of Fame. She was inducted in 2012.

Her hall of fame resume read thusly:

Osburn's high school career was highlighted by three appearances in the state basketball playoffs, where she led teams to second- and fourth-place finishes. Osburn went on to play four years of varsity basketball at Arizona State University where she was named an Academic All-American. She is currently an assistant women's basketball coach at Louisville and had coaching stints at Oregon, Oregon State and Vanderbilt. Norman is considered one of the best recruiters in the nation and has recruited 14 players who went on to play in the WNBA.

Also inducted in 2012 were Terri Gortler, Tammy Courtney Johnson, Bob Hylton, Larry Ulrich, Jef McClellan, Delbert Reavis Sr., the 1966 boys cross country team and Glenn Butler.

Norman's Louisville resume, entering the current season (from the school's website):

Has aided Louisville to eight Sweet 16 appearances, three Final Four appearances, including a pair of national championship contests
Served on the Cardinals' staff since the hiring of head coach Jeff Walz, helping Louisville to an average of 27.0 wins per season — or 299 since the 2007 season
Helped produce a program-best 36-3 record in 2017-18 as Louisville reached its third Final Four. Reached as high as No. 2 in Associated Press poll, which marked highest rating in school history. Opened season with a 20-0 record, which marked best start and longest winning streak in program history.
Helped develop six of Louisville's WNBA Draft picks, including first-round picks Angel McCoughtry (2009) and Shoni Schimmel (2014)
Is instrumental in the recruiting efforts, inking the No. 1 class of 2015 that featured three McDonald's All-Americans; helped pen the No. 6 freshman class in 2016 and the No. 4 class in 2017; aided in signing the 12th-best recruiting class in 2008, followed by three-consecutive top 10 classes (2009, 2010 and 2011); the 2010 class was tabbed as No. 5 nationally, the highest at the time in school history