Hall of Fame picks feted by Massachusetts lawmakers

It was a victory lap for them one day after their induction was announced.
BOSTON (AP) -- Joe Dumars, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins and Geno Auriemma walked around the Statehouse like kings on Tuesday, an unlikely occurrence given that all have given Massachusetts sports fans their share of heartache over the years.
This time, they weren't members of dreaded sports rivals, but representatives of the latest class of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Each was feted by lawmakers with a ceremony in the Senate, a reception outside the House of Representatives and a news conference at the foot of the building's Grand Staircase.
It was a victory lap one day after their induction was announced, a nod to Springfield as the birthplace of basketball, and to Boston as the host of the 25th anniversary NCAA Women's Final Four championship. The announcement was made Monday in Indianapolis before the NCAA men's basketball championship. The induction ceremony will occur Sept. 8-9 in Springfield.
Recalling the past
"Most of us for different reasons -- Joe with the [Detroit] Pistons and Charles with the [Philadelphia] Sixers and Dominique when he was with [the] Atlanta [Hawks] -- every time we've come to the Boston area, it's not been under friendly conditions," said Auriemma, who has won five national championships and nearly 600 games as coach of the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team. "We've got to let Dave speak for us."
Auriemma referred to Dave Gavitt, considered the father of Big East basketball and a former executive with the Boston Celtics. He was also in the class of inductees, along with Italian coach Sandro Gamba.
The normally outspoken Barkley, now a TV basketball analyst, was subdued during the Senate ceremony, where each inductee was recognized with speeches and presented a proclamation commemorating their achievement.
"This is the greatest achievement of our lives, professionally, basketballwise," said Barkley, who, like Wilkins, was a power forward. Dumars, meanwhile, helped the Pistons earn two championships before helping the team win another in 2004 as vice president of basketball operations.
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