15 on final Basketball Hall of Fame list

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Pat Riley are among 15 finalists announced Friday in New Orleans for induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

Ewing helped Georgetown to three Final Fours -- beating Olajuwon's Houston team for the 1984 title -- as a college player, was an 11-time NBA All-Star and part of two Olympic Gold Medal winning teams.

Olajuwon was a two-time NBA defensive player of the year and owns the NBA record for blocked shots (3,830). He was the NBA most valuable player in 1994, the first of consecutive NBA titles for the Houston Rockets.

Riley has coached five teams to NBA championships and ranks third on the all-time coaching victory list behind Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens and Don Nelson.

Also placed on the ballot by the North American Screening Committee are former players Adrian Dantley, Denis Johnson, Chris Mullin, Coach Don Nelson, contributors Vic Bubas, Bill Davidson and Dick Vitale. The Veterans' Screening Committee put forth player Richie Guerion and contributor Johnny "Red" Kerr. And the International Committee suggested Coach Togo Soares and player Maciel Ubiratan. The Women's Committee's lone candidate is Cathy Rush.

The 2008 Hall of Fame class is to be announced April 7 with enshrinement ceremonies Sept. 4-6 in Springfield, Mass.