CHICAGO - For the second time in three years, an illustrious and at times arduous journey fraught with overcoming tremendous odds but always reinvigorated by an undying love and passion for the game has brought Doug Bruno to the precipice of women's basketball's summit.

The iconic Blue Demon coach is among 12 finalists for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF).

Fingers crossed.

Make that doubly-crossed.

Bruno is up against the best in the business as the Class of 2022 will be announced Feb. 14 during the Maryland-Iowa game on ESPN2 (9 p.m. ET).

What an exquisite coincidence that the longtime Rogers Park resident with a heart of gold and a selfless disciple of St. Vincent de Paul's teachings could be chosen for hallowed ground on Valentine's Day.

A beloved figure on DePaul's campus for 36 years, this graduate of Quigley South who went on to play for Blue Demon legend Ray Meyer is three-fourths of the way to 1,000 collegiate career wins (750-360) and was a trailblazing pioneer coaching the Chicago Hustle in this country's very first women's pro game on Dec. 9, 1978.

None other than the esteemed and legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite noted the history-making event on his national TV newscast.

Hand-in-hand with his irrefutable credentials (overall record 790-390) that include leading DePaul to 24 NCAA tournaments and four Sweet 16s is Bruno's unrelenting passion to grow the game of women's basketball in an environment wholly tuned in to male sports.

For most of his basketball life, he has waged a personal crusade for gender equity in mainstream media sports coverage. Bruno is a modern-day Sisyphus, a figure of Greek mythology who was condemned to repeat forever the same task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again.

Then came Bruno's one shining moment.

The Chicago Sky sold out Wintrust Arena with more than 10,000 screaming partisans exhorting ex-Blue Demon Allie Quigley, Naperville Central's very own Candace Parker and all their teammates onto the WNBA title last summer.

 "Watching the Sky win, I was just so thrilled for the sport of women's basketball," Bruno said. "What I watched on that Sunday, what has been my passion ever since my first DePaul women's game made me realize women's basketball is for real.

"Looking up at Wintrust Arena filled to the rafters with fans cheering on a champion even though the Bears were playing just a few miles away---that was such a glorious moment for women's basketball. It's what I envision how the sport should be.

"That moment filled me with pride and joy---I'm getting emotional just thinking about it. It's what you've been fighting for your whole life.

"It doesn't matter who it is---whether it's the Sky, the Chicago Red Stars pro soccer team, a local college team---as long as it's a women's team being celebrated. The Sky's championship was a victory for all of women's sports."

Bruno took a moment to reflect on becoming a candidate for basketball immortality.

"I have been blessed by the leadership of a great athletic director like DeWayne Peevy," Bruno started out. "DeWayne represents all the terrific administrators I've been fortunate to work alongside.

"There's Jean Lenti Ponsetto who was a player on my team, an assistant coach and later become my boss as an assistant athletic director and athletic director.

"I can never say enough about my current coaching staff. Jill Pizzotti has been with me for the last 11 seasons while Lisa Ryckbosch has been an assistant coach for a total of 22 years and Candis Blankson has been with me as a player and assistant coach for 21 years."

He paused as his mind's eye took him back in time.

"And I am nothing without my players," Bruno continued. "I have been so lucky. The players on this year's team are the latest in a long line of terrific student-athletes who competed ferociously with a ball in their hands or a book in their laps.

"This year's team exemplifies all the players I've been blessed to coach these last 36 years."

The trip down Memory Lane had one last stop.

"I am so grateful and blessed to have been coached as a player by inspirational people such as Coach Ray, Frank McGrath, Dick Flaiz (Quigley South), Dan Pierce and Gene Sullivan on whose staff I worked on at Loyola," Bruno said.

"What a ride, and it's not even close to being over."

Here are the 12 Hall of Fame finalists.
Debbie Antonelli (Contributor)
*Entering her 34th college basketball season on air as a Basketball Analyst for multiple networks earning two Emmy Awards and one Gracie Award for work in broadcasting basketball
*2007 Mel Greenberg Media Award Winner
*2021 Inductee into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

Alice "Cookie" Barron (Veteran Player)
*Played for Wayland Baptist Flying Queens, leading the team to an undefeated record of 104-0 from 1954-1957.
*Helped guide Wayland to three national championships en route to being named Wayland's Outstanding Woman Athlete in 1956-57.
*Helped guide USA Basketball to the gold medal in the 1957 FIBA World Championships

Evelyn Blalock (Coach)
*Started the women's basketball program at Kilgore College, leading them to three NJCAA Championships (1988, 1990, 1993)
*Named the WBCA Junior College Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1990
*Inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame

Cathy Boswell (Player)
*Guided USA Basketball to the Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympics
*A two-time WBCA/Kodak All-American and two-time Wade Trophy finalist
*Played for Illinois State University (1980-1983) finishing her collegiate career with 2,005 points and 1,054 rebounds

Doug Bruno (Coach)
*Head coach for 36 years at DePaul University, guiding them to 24 NCAA tournament appearances and four Sweet 16 berths
*Three-time Big East Coach of the Year (2014, 2016, 2017) and three-time WBCA Regional Coach of the Year (2004, 2005, 2017)
*Six-time gold medalist coach with USA Basketball including two Summer Olympics

Becky Hammon (Player)
*Six-Time WNBA All-Star (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011) and voted WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time in 2011
*Played for Colorado State (1995-1999) finishing her career as their all-time leading scorer with 2,740 points
*Named ESPNW Woman of the Year in 2015

Donna Lopiano (Contributor)
*CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation from 1992 to 2007 being named to Fox Sports' "The 10 Most Powerful Women in Sports" list
*From 1975-1992 Director of Women's Athletics at Texas and leading the Longhorns to 18 national championships in six different sports
Member of multiple Halls of Fame including the Connecticut and Texas Women's Halls of Fame

Lisa Mattingly (Official)
*Official for 33 years who officiated the NCAA Women's Final Four Championship game 10 times (2001-2007, 2009, 2011, 2014) and the semifinals seven times (1999, 2000, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018)
*Officiated the WNBA League Championship Series from 2000 to 2007 and the WNBA League Finals from 2002 to 2006.
*Recipient of the 2002 Naismith Award for Outstanding Official.

Delisha Milton-Jones (Player)
*Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist (2000, 2008)
*Two-time WNBA champion with the Los Angeles Sparks (2001, 2002) and a three-time WNBA All-Star (2000, 2004, 2007)
*Wade Trophy Recipient (1997)

Paul Sanderford (Coach)
*Collegiate head coach for 25 seasons with a career record of 453-189 (.709)
*Led Western Kentucky to 12 NCAA tournament appearances including three Women's Final Fours and was the 1992 NCAA Division I national runner-up
*Won a JUCO National Championship, was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2000 and into the Western Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008

Bob Schneider (Coach)
*All-time coaching record of 1,045-293 (.781), with only two losing seasons in 40 years
*Third all-time in NCAA Division II history with 634 victories
*During his 12 years at Canyon High School (Canyon, Texas), his teams won five state championships and finished runner-up five times

Penny Taylor (International Player)
Three-Time WNBA champion (2007, 2009, 2014) and three-time WNBA All-Star (2002, 2007, 2011)
Named to the 2007 All-WNBA First Team and 2011 All-WNBA Second Team
Guided Australia Women's National Basketball Team to two Olympic silver medals (2004, 2008)

Timeline for the Class of 2022 and 2022 Trailblazers of the Game Recipient
January 20, 2022: Announce the Class of 2022 12 Finalists during the Louisville at North Carolina State game on ESPN.
*February 14, 2022: Announce the Class of 2022 and 2022 Trailblazers of the Game recipient on ESPN2 during the Maryland-Iowa game (9 p.m. ET). Induction tickets go on sale at www.WBHOF.com.

*March/April 2022: Introduce the Class of 2022 and the 2022 Trailblazers of the Game Award recipient at media events conducted at the 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four and Women's Basketball Coaches Association National Convention in Minneapolis.

**June 11, 2022: Induction of the Class of 2022 and recognition of the 2022 Trailblazers of the Game Award recipient in Knoxville, Tenn.---home of the WBHOF.