ENMU to add five to Hall of Honors

PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University’s Hall of honors will add five members during a banquet scheduled for early next fall, including a NBA title-winning executive and a scholar athlete recognized by ESPN.

ENMU athletic director Greg Waggoner said the class includes Larry Riley (men’s basketball), Gary Good (rodeo), Alex Mayo-Otis (softball), Anna Bellum (volleyball) and Samantha Lawrence-Ward (women’s soccer).

Candidates are selected by the ENMU Hall of honors committee, which consists of Waggoner, Charles Chambers, Thurman Elder, Bill Joy, Mike Maguire, Wayne Moore, Kathleen Salter, Bryan Principe and Buck Wilson.

The banquet is scheduled for the Campus Union Building at ENMU on Sept. 23, at a time to be announced. Honorees will also be recognized at halftime of the Greyhounds’ home football game that night against Angelo State.

• Riley, who was the Greyhounds’ men’s basketball coach from 1978-87, helped build the Golden State Warriors’ recent NBA championship team, serving as its general manager. He spent 27 years in the NBA, beginning as a video coordinator/scout, and served in front office and coaching capacities with the Vancouver Grizzlies (1994-99), Dallas Mavericks (2000-05) and the Warriors.

He helped the Mavs post a 340-152 record during his tenure, including at least 50 wins in each season.

At ENMU, he led the Hounds to five postseason berths and helped the transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II in the early 1980s. His best season was in 1983-84, when the Hounds posted an 18-12 record.

• Good competed in rodeo at ENMU from 1971-75, reaching the College National Finals Rodeo each year. As a sophomore he was second at the CNFR in ribbon roping, while as a senior he won the Southwest Regional title in team roping.

He also ran track at the school in 1972 under Bill Silverberg. After leaving ENMU, he won numerous PRCA rodeo titles, including PRCA world champion steer roper in 1979 and all-around cowboys at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1978.

• Mayo-Otis played softball at ENMU from 2007-10, and was one of the most complete players in program history. She concluded her career ranking in the top 10 in nearly every offensive category, and set the program record for hits in a career with a grand slam against Northeastern State.

As a junior, she struck out just twice in 160 at-bats. She was a four-time All-Lone Star Conference selection, and earned academic All-American honors.

• Bellum was a two-time All-LSC selection in volleyball (2003 and 2004), helping the then-Zias to a 25-win season in 2004 when ENMU reached the finals of the D-II regional tournament at Kearney, Nebraska. Her 481 kills in 2003 rank seventh in a season all-time for the program, while her 942 career kills rank eighth.

Also strong academically, she was an ESPN The Magazine first-team academic all-district selection and was chosen ENMU’s LSC scholar-athlete.

• Ward-Lawrence played women’s soccer at ENMU from 2006-09 and is ENMU’s all-time leader in goals with 37, including two single-season marks of 11 in 2007 and 15 in 2008. She was a two-time Greatest Zia and a three-time All-LSC selection, with three team most valuable offensive player awards and its player of the year in 2008.

Lawrence-Ward also earned numerous academic honors, including honorable mention NSCAA Scholar All-West Region (twice), second-team academic all-district and academic All-LSC (twice).