Q: Does anyone remember the WBCA Red-White AS Games at HCC?

[DobbsRover2]

While looking at an old UConn schedule from 1999-2000, I noticed a final listing following the NC win for a game between the White Team and the Red Team for April 6 2000. While checking what that meant I found a few links to to the WBCA all-star game for top HS senior recruits (DT on White and Ashley Battle and Morgan Valley on Red in 2000). The game started apparently in 1992 (old WBCA site appears dead) and it seems that from 1998 to 2002 they might have been held in the Civic Center before moving to a new location. Anyone remember them, or this pic of future teammates and NC championship winners Barbara Turner and Ann Strother at war in the 2002 game?

 

[meyers7]

Yeah, went to 2-3 of them back in the day. I know I was at DT's ( I remember her leading UCONN cheers) but not sure what other years I went. I think I was at the Strother/Turner year too because I remember Goring being there and then never actually showing up at UCONN. But it's been awhile, my memory might be playing tricks on me.

They were cool because you could mingle with the parents after the game. The kids would be set up for autographs and the parents would be hanging around.

 

[Husky1964]

Got Chubby Checker's autograph at one of the games. His daughter was playing. Think Gillian Goring played in that game also.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I went to most of them at the Civic Center... from when Cash and the Gang played in it

 

[Fiftyish]

Went to at least two games that stand out in my memory. I was at the 1998 game that featured Player of the Year Tamika Williams, Swin Cash and Sue Bird. I remember Swin had gangly running style with long, skinny legs.
I was also at the HCC for WBCA game that featured DT.
The City of Hartford hosted a few of the games and had great attendance. Don't know why it stopped.

 

[meyers7]

Went to at least two games that stand out in my memory. I was at the 1998 game that featured Player of the Year Tamika Williams, Swin Cash and Sue Bird. I remember Swin had gangly running style with long, skinny legs.
I was also at the HCC for WBCA game that featured DT.
The City of Hartford hosted a few of the games and had great attendance. Don't know why it stopped.

A hint.

 

[meyers7]

Got Chubby Checker's autograph at one of the games. His daughter was playing. Think Gillian Goring played in that game also.

Mistie Bass (Duke).

 

[Fiftyish]

A hint.

Ah yes, the very obvious....

 

[DobbsRover2]

A hint.

Got that right. Found a Sept. 2002 WBCA release announcing the move of the game to Atlanta for 2003 and to be held at the time of the FF that Atlanta was hosting. This was being done because: "This move will provide broader national exposure for the High School All-America Game and avoid direct competition with a newly introduced all-star game scheduled to take place the week preceding the Women's Final Four." Hard to believe that the Women's College Basketball Association would have a tough time competing with McD's. Obligatory

The game appears to have kept going through 2010 with the sponsorship of Nike, but any searches for more recent years go to the far better known Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association game, which no Husky player could ever have played in.

 

[Blakeon18]

I went to all the ones in Hartford. Chubby sat about 4 rows in front of me.
Repeat story from Dee's game: She played like it was an all-star game....some wild shots and an excess of fancy passes.
Her talent though was so obvious. Randy Smith [the late Randy Smith] was a sportswriter for the JI. After the game Randy [who had never met Dee]
was sitting somewhere in the bowels of the arena and Dee walked by. Randy wrote that he told her 'Diana, you can't play like that at UConn.'
Dee responded with 'I know that , sir' and walked out into the night.

He wrote many stories about Dee over the next four years...all of which exuded that he practically wanted to adopt her.
She had him wrapped around her little finger with that response. His olde-school self was thoroughly charmed.

 

[Husky1964]

Snuck down to the bench area and Sveta showed up and sat next to me. Dee threw a behind the back pass from half court to a teamate for a layup. Seem to recall she left in 4th Quarter to catch a Bradley flight.Still in my mind the greatest UConn player.!!!!!!!