2025 SALUQI HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Congratulations to the Honorees!
The Department of Athletics is pleased to announce the Accolades Brunch, a distinguished celebration honoring the achievements and lasting contributions of the Saluqis’ Hall of Fame class of 2025. These exceptional individuals have been recognized for their outstanding accomplishments, exemplary leadership, and positive impact on our community. This year’s Saluqis’ Hall of Fame Class includes nine former student-athletes as well as the recipient of the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations to all our honorees!
HALL OF FAME EVENT DETAILS
Friday, October 31
11:00 AM (Doors open at 10:30 AM for seating and buffet)
Union Avenue Campus, 737 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38134 (Building B106)
Admission is $25 per person. The deadline to purchase tickets is October 29.
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/3KMeTGq.
For more information, contact athletics@southwest.tn.edu.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
STEVE BALLARD (men’s basketball, 1985-87)
Steve Ballard played for the Shelby State Community College from 1985-1987, leading Saluqis to
44 wins in his two seasons. He averaged a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds
per game and also led the team with six blocks per game. He then played two seasons
at Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis), scoring 285 points and
grabbing 374 rebounds while starting in 58 games. After graduating from the U of M,
Ballard went on earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Tennessee Health
Science Center: College of Dentistry in 1993. He is a member of the National Dental
Association and the Shelby County Dental Society. In addition, Ballard is actively
involved in community and church events, including volunteering for Loving Memphis,
the South Africa Outreach Mission, and a U.S. Army Reserve. He is an active member
of the admissions committee and on the University of Tennessee Dental School faculty.
HALL OF FAME BIOS
LORICO DUNCAN (men’s basketball, 1996-98)
Lorico Duncan played for the Saluqis from 1996-98 and is currently the program’s 5th all-time leading
scorer with 1,240 points. A first team NJCAA All-American his sophomore season, Duncan
was also a two-time All-TCCAA and All-TCCAA West Division honoree and as a sophomore
was selected All-Region VII and voted the TCCAA and TCCAA West Division Player of
the Year. He averaged 24.1 points per game and set school records with 845 points
and 165 steals while leading the Saluqis to a 27-8 record, the Region VII championship,
and runner-up in the NJCAA National Tournament during the 1997-98 season. Duncan went
on to play at Kentucky Wesleyan University, where he was a two-time All-American,
two-time NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player, two-time All-Great Lakes Valley Conference,
and a starter on Kentucky Wesleyan’s 2001 NCAA Division 2 national championship team.
Following his collegiate career, Duncan played professionally in Mexico.
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JOHN GRICE (men’s basketball, 1998-2000)
John Grice played for the Saluqis from 1998-2000 and is currently the program’s 6th all-time leading scorer with 1,154 points. Grice was named third team NJCAA All-American as a freshman then followed that with first team NJCAA All-American recognition his sophomore season, becoming the college’s first two-time All-American. As a sophomore during the 1999-2000 season, he was named All-Region VII, TCCAA West Division Player of the Year, and TCCAA Player of the Year. Grice led the Saluqis to a 31-5 record, the Region VII championship, and a third-place finish in the NJCAA National Tournament, where he averaged 25 points per game (including 41 points and 15 rebounds in the 3rd place game) and was named to the All-Tournament team. Grice went on to play at the University of Memphis from 2000-2003, where he averaged 11.5 points per game his senior season and helped lead the Tigers to a national ranking and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Following his collegiate career, Grice played for the San Antonio Spurs summer league team and also professionally in the American Basketball Association.
LESTER HUDSON (men’s basketball, 2004-06)
Lester Hudson played at Southwest from 2004-2006 and as a sophomore he led the Saluqis to a 24-5
record, the Region VII Championship, and a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament.
His honors include honorable mention NJCAA All-American, first team All-TCCAA, TCCAA
Player of the Year, All-Region VII Tournament, and Region VII Tournament Most Valuable
Player. He went on to play at the University of Tennessee-Martin, where he was selected
the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year twice and became the first UT-Martin
player to garner All-American status. Hudson was drafted by the Boston Celtics with
the 58th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft and played for the Memphis Grizzlies,
Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Clippers. Hudson continued
his basketball career in the Chinese Basketball Association where he received All-League,
All-Star Team, and League MVP honors multiple times.
AMIE WILLIAMS (women’s basketball, 1999-2001)
Amie Williams is the first Saluqi Hall of Famer to have played both at Shelby State and Southwest.
In her freshman season (at Shelby State, 1999-2000), Williams averaged 20.9 points
and 11.6 rebounds per game and was named second team NJCAA All-American, the TCCAA
West Division Player of the Year and TCCAA Player of the Year. As a sophomore in Southwest’s
first season (2000-01), Williams averaged 17.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game and
led the Lady Saluqis to the Region VII championship and a berth in the NJCAA National
Tournament. She was selected first team NJCAA All-American, TCCAA West Division Player
of the Year, and TCCAA Player of the Year. Williams is the Lady Saluqis’ third all-time
leading scorer with 1,102 points in her career. She went on to play at Jackson State
University, where she was a two-time All-SWAC performer and SWAC Player of the Year
as a senior.
ASHLEY SHIELDS (women’s basketball, 2006-07)
Ashley Shields played only one season at Southwest (2006-07) but it was a spectacular one! She led
the NJCAA in scoring with a 27.4 average and also ranked among national leaders in
rebounds (11.3 per game), assists (6.6 per game) and steals (4.1 per game). Shields
scored an NJCAA single game record 65 points against Cleveland State in the semifinals
of the Region VII Tournament. Among her many honors were WBCA/Kodak All-American,
NJCAA First Team All-American, TCCAA West Division Player of the Year, and TCCAA Player
of the Year. Shields was chosen in the first round as the eighth overall pick in the
2007 WNBA draft by the Houston Comets, becoming the first Southwest player and first
junior college player ever drafted. After playing for the Comets during the 2007 season,
Shields played in 2008 for the WNBA champion Detroit Shock.
JOHNIE SANFRATELLO (baseball, 1994-95)
Johnie Sanfratello played for the Saluqis during the 1994 and 1995 seasons, earning All-TCCAA West Division,
All-TCCAA and honorable mention NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore. Sanfratello
holds the Saluqis’ career records with a .420 batting average and .517 on-base average
and also ranks among the program’s all-time leaders with 36 stolen bases. As a sophomore,
he led the team with a .451 batting average, .541 on-base average, and 73 hits, ranking
him among the single season leaders in each category. Sanfratello went on to play
two seasons at the University of Tennessee-Martin, leading the Ohio Valley Conference
Commissioner’s Honor Roll both years and was awarded the H. Kirk Grantham Memorial
Award. Sanfratello is currently head softball coach and athletic director at Tipton-Rosemark
Academy. He has compiled a 332-159-5 record and has guided his TRA softball teams
to the state tournament 11 times including the state championship in 2014.
NICK SMITH (baseball, 2003-04)
Nick Smith played at Southwest during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, leading the Saluqis’ baseball
team to the Region VII Tournament championship in 2004 and making the All-Tournament
team. As a sophomore, Smith was named first team All-TCCAA, third team NJCAA All-American
and All-East Central District, leading the team with a .437 batting average with 11
home runs and setting school records with 86 hits, 31 doubles, 77 runs batted in,
152 total bases. A two-time All-TCCAA selection, Smith set Saluqis’ career records
with 142 hits, 46 doubles, 20 home runs, 131 runs batted in, 254 total bases, and
a .495 on-base average. Smith went on to play at NCAA Division 1 Troy State University,
where he was one of his team’s top hitters both years, hitting 21 home runs and driving
in 89 in his two-year career.
AMBER HAYES (softball, 2009)
Amber Hayes played just one season for the Lady Saluqis after transferring from the University
of Tennessee-Martin but in that one season she set school records that still stand.
Hayes led the entire conference with 17 home runs (still a Southwest record), six
triples, and a .914 slugging average (also still a Southwest record.) She was named
first team All-TCCAA, the first Southwest player to voted first team by the coaches,
and was selected Southwest softball’s first ever NJCAA Player of the Week after hitting
five home runs in two days against North Arkansas. In addition, Hayes received the
TCCAA’s Academic Achievement Award and was named to the NJCAA’s Academic All-American
team. She went on to play at Union University where she was a two-time All-TranSouth
Conference selection , TranSouth Conference Player of the Year, and NAIA All-American.
ALEX TURNER (Softball, 2014-15)
In her two seasons at Southwest, Alex Turner broke nearly every Lady Saluqis’ career softball record including 103 runs scored,
33 doubles, 22 home runs, and 243 total bases, all of which still stand. As a freshman,
Turner had a .401 batting average with 15 home runs and was voted first team All-TCCAA
then in between her freshman and sophomore seasons, Turner played for the NJCAA All-Stars
in the Canadian Open Fastpitch Tournament in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. As
a sophomore, Turner was named second team All-TCCAA, becoming only the fifth two-time
all-conference honoree in the program’s history then went on to play at Bethel University,
where she was a two-time member of the Southern States Athletic Conference All-Conference
team.
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