Why Women’s Basketball?
How I fell in love with the “pure version” of the sport…
I can’t really pinpoint the day that basketball entered my life. I remember seeing Michael Jordan in TV commercials throughout my childhood, along with occasional highlights of Magic and Bird on ESPN, but the sport itself didn’t quite resonate with me until some time in the latter part of the 1980s.
I had already played Little League baseball for several years and possessed just enough athletic ability to not be completely aloof when basketball was introduced during grade-school P.E. classes. It would just be about learning the rules of the game, and then adapting to the strategies that would lead to success. What I found was fascinating: five players each harmoniously moving around the court, working together to create the best scoring opportunity. It was much more involved than baseball, and my interest was piqued.
“Sports is the best when you’re 12 years old”
I’m paraphrasing here, but I’ve heard variations of this quote offered up by sports broadcasters and journalists over time. I still enjoyed baseball, but a growth spurt during the summer of 1988 (when I turned 12) had propelled my lanky frame to well north of six feet in height, leading to numerous friends encouraging me to play basketball instead.
Living in Hawaii, I was able to shoot hoops at any number of outdoor courts in my neighborhood, plus we had Prime Ticket on our cable package, which allowed me access to the “local” NBA team: the Los Angeles Lakers, who had just won their second consecutive NBA title and were winning over fans with their wildly entertaining play. I also began following the basketball team from the University of Illinois (my home state), who would make a surprising run to the Final Four the following season.
By the time I started high school the next year, I could be found working on my mechanics in pickup games with friends nearly every day after school. I resisted any form of organized basketball due to years of Little League baseball preventing me from having any semblance of a social life, but that all changed with a little bit of government interference…
After more than two decades of service in the United States Navy, my father was transferred to his newest work station in Louisville, Kentucky. Our family settled into nearby Fort Knox, and I made our high school’s basketball team during my senior year. I barely got off the bench during that season, but participating in practice and observing games up close provided great insight into the game.
While a couple of my teammates could actually dunk, we mostly relied on a series of set plays to generate offense. I was also able to watch the girl’s team quite often that season, as many of their games would take place just before ours, and what I saw reminded me of my first exposure to the game back in grade school: teamwork, fundamentals, and unity.
“A more pure version of the sport”
This is the famous quote attributed to legendary coach John Wooden about why he enjoyed women’s basketball and it still rings true to this day. I’m convinced that a majority of basketball fans today have played the game at some point, with many likely drawn to it at an early age in which they had to rely on passing and shooting to get by. Sure, our NBA favorites were thrilling audiences with dazzling plays above the rim, but those of us without supreme talent were relegated to that pure version of which Wooden spoke. Seeing my high school classmates on the girl’s team work the ball around brought back memories of team play that drew me to the sport years earlier, and I wanted to see how women on the next level competed. But how?
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This was 1993, and I vaguely recall hearing about a woman named Sheryl Swoopes and how she led her Texas Tech team to the NCAA title. The next season, I had a tough time finding college games on TV, but managed to tune in for the Championship game on CBS to see Charlotte Smith write her name into the history books:
Rebecca Lobo and Geno Auriemma took center stage one year later, as their undefeated Connecticut team made headlines in the basketball world, and I once again watched the finale on CBS. The following years would see an increase in exposure with several games on ESPN, and I watched as much of the NCAA tournament as I could. The WNBA also premiered in 1997, though it didn’t quite grab me the way the college game had.
The University of Tennessee was a dominant force in the late 1990s, as coach Pat Summitt and the “Three Meeks” (Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings, Semeka Randall) led the Lady Vols to three consecutive titles, but it was their loss to Duke in the 1999 tournament that stuck with me — to this day, I will NEVER forget the image of Holdsclaw collapsing in tears into her coach’s arms, having been denied one last championship. It was the type of emotion that I hadn’t witnessed from male players and it was profoundly moving.
My own college experience became overwhelming and I lost touch with women’s basketball for a few years, though I always kept an eye on that Geno guy and his UConn Huskies. I remember hearing about players like Shea Ralph and Sue Bird, but there was one name in particular that would cement itself in my consciousness and reawaken my passion for this “pure version of the sport”. One name to bring me back to this wonderful game.
“Tell him about Taurasi!”
By 2003, my nightly viewings of SportsCenter would often feature a footnote about a historic ongoing winning streak for the UConn women, led by a charismatic junior named Diana Taurasi. Before I could get a chance to see the team in action, the streak was snapped by Villanova in the Big East Tournament and ESPN provided extensive coverage of the moment. I knew I had to watch that year’s NCAA Tournament, and I was treated to some amazing basketball from a group of highly-respected programs, culminating in another UConn championship.
But I could not stop watching Diana Taurasi. She was somewhat brash, perhaps a little rough around the edges, but you could not deny the talent she possessed. She talked a lot but she could back it up with her game. It was women’s basketball featuring the same fundamentals, unity, and passion that I had grown to love, but now it had flair. I was hooked instantly.
I moved to Los Angeles later that year, and in the spring of 2004, I was working in the film industry at a post-production company. My boss was a huge fan of women’s sports, and we would often talk about how much we preferred watching tennis stars Martina Hingis and the Williams sisters more than their male counterparts.
Not long after I was hired, I told him about my newfound appreciation for the UConn Huskies and Diana Taurasi. His face lit up immediately, and he motioned for me to follow him down the hall to a co-worker’s office. When we arrived, he looked at me and then pointed at our colleague, shouting:
TELL HIM ABOUT TAURASI! I’VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL HIM AND HE NEVER LISTENS TO ME! TELL HIM ABOUT TAURASI!!”
We bonded on a level that I don’t think I ever had before with another supervisor. I could see how much it meant to him that women’s basketball was finally getting the love and respect that he felt, and I was compelled to carry that on.
UConn would go on to yet another title that season and I watched every second of their NCAA Tournament games, preserving them on VHS tapes (which I’ve digitally transferred and uploaded to YouTube). Taurasi then graduated and ascended to the WNBA, bringing me around to the pro game, and I’ve been along for the ride ever since.
Simply put, the game of women’s basketball is special. It means SO much to SO many people. It encapsulates the traditional aspects of the game’s origin, focusing on teamwork and the basics of working together for a common goal. At the same time, the talent continues to evolve, with these gifted individuals permeating the sports landscape and establishing their legacy.
Now seems as good a time as any for me to take my love of this game and see what I can do to spread the word and inspire others. Wish me luck!
