What made you fall in love with WBB?

[Creature]

I played varsity basketball in a small rural South Carolina township. Our teams were average but our girls teams were always stellar dating back to the time I was a pre-teen. Their crowds were just as big as the boy's game crowds. We won numerous State titles and at one time had a 80+ game undefeated streak. So I was always appreciative of girls basketball based on my high school teams success.

As a youth , I always knew I wanted to attend the University of South Carolina. During the nascent period of Women's College Basketball in the late 70's early 80's;South Carolina was in that 2nd group of rising national powers [1st group being the likes of La Tech, ODU, Tenn., USC west coast] . Carolina had just hired away Old Dominion's Coach- Pam Parsons as our AD knew WBB was an opportunity for exposure for our state and university. Our first #1 ranking came in the 1980's. For about a 3 year period we were competing for a natl. titles and bringing in stellar recruits like Evelynn Johnson [Magic Johnsons baby sister] .

Unfortunately in the early 80's, we had the LSU scandal before LSU had the LSU scandal in the 90's [lol]. However, we were still perennial NCAA bound program when we were in the old metro conference but were humbled in 1992 when we moved to the SEC. We were mired in mediocrity with bits of success here and there [Final 8 under Coach Walvius] until Coach Staley comes in..

So why do I love Women's College BB and High School Girls BB + AAU. ..because of the experiences above..

 

[UcMiami]

I loved the Celtics of the sixties/seventies era growing up but sort of lost interest in the sport for a while when the men at all levels outgrew the court. My dad started watching the Uconn women in the 1990s (he was a professor at Uconn and had a few in classes and was surprised by their academic commitment.) When I was at home, I would watch with him and saw a brand of basketball that was a throwback to those Celtics teams. I got hooked in 1995 and then became a fanatic in the 2000 season.

 

[BruinGold]

My high school in the early 80s (Buena in Ventura, CA) had a stellar girls team that won a California State title. My girlfriend at the time did the stats for various teams and I got hooked while sitting behind her at the games. Later, my daughter started playing basketball, and got serious enough to play travel ball, etc. And, I got dragged into doing some coaching (coaching both my daughter, and later coaching with her). I started watching UCLA Women's games regularly in the late 90s, and though I attend a lot of UCLA sports, the women's basketball team is my favorite. I like the fact that the athletes generally stay for all four years, and you can watch them develop and grow.

 

[BRS24]

I am also a child of the Celtics, vintage 70s/80s. My favorite players were Bird, Parrish, McHale. I knew nothing about college basketball, even women's basketball. I moved to CT in the late 80s and found out that a coworker's daughter played for UConn, and also started following the men's program with George, Smith, Glenn, Sellars, etc (It's late, it's Tate, it's great!). As CPTV started broadcasting games as the program developed, I started following them more.

 

[KY Card Fan]

I'm a huge sports fan. University of Louisville graduate where I was the sports editor of the student newspaper my senior year. Never missed a MBB game. Had MBB season tickets for about 25 years. I knew about Tennessee/Pat Summit and about UConn/Geno but only peripherally. Then in 2007 someone told me about Angel McCoughtry and suggested that I attend a game. The rest is history. Now a 16-year WBB season ticket holder. I love the passion for the game that WBB players exhibit. I am in awe of the coaches - Jeff, Geno, Dawn, Tara, and the list goes on.

 

[Jmsdawg]

I loved the Celtics of the sixties/seventies era growing up but sort of lost interest in the sport for a while when the men at all levels outgrew the court. My dad started watching the Uconn women in the 1990s (he was a professor at Uconn and had a few in classes and was surprised by their academic commitment.) When I was at home, I would watch with him and saw a brand of basketball that was a throwback to those Celtics teams. I got hooked in 1995 and then became a fanatic in the 2000 season.

I agree, watching the Celtics of yesteryear was my introduction to basketball. I attempted to play HS basketball but never made the team. I was a goon squad member,group of football player picked to practice with the varsity toget them use to hard contact. I loved watching the pros when it was Bird and Magic but the modern pro games just do not interest me because it is so different than the game I played. The early WBB was just not dynamic enough and I did not become a real fan until Geno started coaching at UConn. Present day CWBB is the close to the game I played and loved.

 

[Creature]

Just think..back in the day Danny Ainge or Nate Archibald could not dunk. We have women that dunk in Women's college Basketball Now.. !!!

 

[MSSportsGuy]

My mom and her younger brother were both basketball players. My mom was 6'0 and played in the old school 3 on 3 days on offense, once scoring over 40 points in a game. Her youngest brother was 6'6 and wound up playing at Delta State when I was very young. I grew up hearing about their women's dynasty and would have gladly attended the school except I wanted to study engineering.

I didn't play basketball but at my small, rural school the girls team was more successful than the guys team. Football was by far the biggest sport but girls basketball was big too. Ole Miss had a very good team in the late 80s/early 90s and Delta State also won a few D2 titles in that span. Additionally, the Lady Vols were starting to be dominant and everyone would cheer for Pat Summitt when they were on TV.

My days in college MSU was abysmal but I still attended a few games and would support them as a I could. By the time I was an adult WBB was finally on TV regularly and the WNBA was around. I know I'm an atypical fan (almost 50 year old male with no daughters or kids for that matter) but I'm still a big fan of many top teams. I admit to being on the UT side of the rivalry with UConn but never was "against" UConn due to the fact the teams were so impressive to watch and showed how excellent women's basketball could be played.

 

[Centerstream]

I became totally disinterested in all MBB games in the early 90s when it became a dunkfest. I completely stopped watching basketball. At that time I had no idea that WBB in it's current form existed, I thought it was still played like the HS intramural games in the late 60s and early 70s. My HS didn't even have a girls basketball team. Then sometime during the Stewie years I caught some ESPN games and really really liked how the games were played.
I am a late bloomer I guess.

 

[LowkeyX]

Watching all the UConn & Tennessee battles. Been a fan ever since.

 

[Ciscokid]

The duo of Mark Campbell and Sabrina Ionescu.

 

[Darwin]

The women’s game is still a team sport, requires teamwork, passing etc. and the fundamentals are still so important. The men’s game has morphed into something different because the athletes have either outgrown the court or their skills are so good they can do the 1v1 thing with success. I prefer the team game as a fan, it’s just me. Love WBB for those reasons, and tbh, I find the ladies easier to pull for. Have hardly watched an NBA game in many years, but I try to watch all of the great NCAAW BB games every season.

 

[Zanzman]

My mom and her younger brother were both basketball players. My mom was 6'0 and played in the old school 3 on 3 days on offense, once scoring over 40 points in a game. Her youngest brother was 6'6 and wound up playing at Delta State when I was very young. I grew up hearing about their women's dynasty and would have gladly attended the school except I wanted to study engineering.

I didn't play basketball but at my small, rural school the girls team was more successful than the guys team. Football was by far the biggest sport but girls basketball was big too. Ole Miss had a very good team in the late 80s/early 90s and Delta State also won a few D2 titles in that span. Additionally, the Lady Vols were starting to be dominant and everyone would cheer for Pat Summitt when they were on TV.

My days in college MSU was abysmal but I still attended a few games and would support them as a I could. By the time I was an adult WBB was finally on TV regularly and the WNBA was around. I know I'm an atypical fan (almost 50 year old male with no daughters or kids for that matter) but I'm still a big fan of many top teams. I admit to being on the UT side of the rivalry with UConn but never was "against" UConn due to the fact the teams were so impressive to watch and showed how excellent women's basketball could be played.

Funny i never considered myself atypical I’m 58 yo male with only 1 son that considers anything to do with sports (watching or playing) pure torture but stated following UConn in the newspaper In early 90’s then went ro my first game 93-94 omto season ticket holder in 95 for the first championship .
Also watched games on cbs qhn Kim Mulkey was at LaTech

 

[hornets]

Watching Cheryl Miller, fueled the Fire!

 

[Floridaduck]

In 1978 I heard that Oregon had an "outstanding" Freshman women's basketball player. We lived in a rural area about 1.5 hours from Eugene and I thought to take my 9 and 12 year old kids to go down and see a game. We sat in the first rows at Mac Court because you could in those days. The game was progressing and I was trying to discern the lineup. All of a sudden a loose ball came bouncing in our direction. It was being chased down by a tall athletic woman wearing #24. Instead of simply saving the ball back inbounds to whoever, she gathered the ball and in mid air turned and fired it down court to a streaking teammate for a layup. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I started playing close attention to #24, Bev Smith, future All-America and WBB Hall of Famer.

So that was the exact moment I got hooked on WBB. Of course we returned again and again throughout her career and beyond.

 

[cancontent]

For me, it was high school ball. Hadn't played the game seriously until my coaches saw me walking through a hallway. Said I didn't have a choice and that I had to come out. From there, I got hooked. Fortunately I was part of some competitive teams that made history at my school which I'm proud of.

Through my coaches, I got into MBB first then I stumbled across WBB games when CBS was broadcasting them on television in the early 90s. As a kid from Canada, I didn't realize that NCAA ball was an option for girls until then. Was a big fan of Dawn Staley and Jennifer Azzi because Virginia and Stanford games were on a lot. Still followed the game from a distance but got back into it much more seriously once my daughter started playing.

 

[cancontent]

View attachment 84332
In 1978 I heard that Oregon had an "outstanding" Freshman women's basketball player. We lived in a rural area about 1.5 hours from Eugene and I thought to take my 9 and 12 year old kids to go down and see a game. We sat in the first rows at Mac Court because you could in those days. The game was progressing and I was trying to discern the lineup. All of a sudden a loose ball came bouncing in our direction. It was being chased down by a tall athletic woman wearing #24. Instead of simply saving the ball back inbounds to whoever, she gathered the ball and in mid air turned and fired it down court to a streaking teammate for a layup. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I started playing close attention to #24, Bev Smith, future All-America and WBB Hall of Famer.

So that was the exact moment I got hooked on WBB. Of course we returned again and again throughout her career and beyond.

What's unfortunate as a Canadian is I didn't learn about her until much later in life. Sadly, our investment in basketball development between the 70s - early 2000s was abysmal. Some great players made impact, like Sutton-Brown (who I played against as a teen), but nothing was really said about them.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

As I've said before - I went through a bout of insomnia in the early '90's and would watch some local / Rutgers sports on the overnight telecasts. Women's basketball was one of the sports and a bit intriguing - I wasn't a men's basketball fan at all.

My first "national" following on TV was the Final Four that North Carolina won with the shot - phenomenal game. This even tweaked my wife's interest.

The following year, when she went to buy my annual Christmas gift of Rangers Hockey Tix (1 game) the NHL was on strike and she got front row seats for a Rutgers / George Washington WBB game instead; having lived in DC at one time she was aware that GW was generally decent and of course this was a major in-conference rivalry as this was RU's last season in the A10. We both got hooked.

While we didn't attend many more home games, we did attend the A10 tourney in St. Joseph's and it was great.

The following season saw the arrival of CVS, us purchasing season tix, and attending the final four in Charlotte because - back then - you could easily. And been a fan ever since; Rutgers (my alma mater) we followed closely from 1995 through 2011 (but remain fans) and Arizona since we moved to Tucson in 2011.

 

[Floridaduck]

What's unfortunate as a Canadian is I didn't learn about her until much later in life.

Bev Smith and her older sister Tara were from Salmon Arm, BC... not exactly main line basketball center. I'm guessing that Tara just showed up (maybe recruited?) at Oregon to start playing and Bev followed a couple years later. They played together one year I think. This was all during pre-NCAA, Pre-Pac 10 days. Oregon played in the AIAW Region 9 and won it all four years Bev was there. Team record for her career: 93-19

The 6'1" Bev is still listed in Oregon WBB career stats:
5th scoring, 2nd Rebounding, 1st in Steals (!), 4th in Assists, 4th in Blocks. Remarkable talent.

 

[cancontent]

Bev Smith and her older sister Tara were from Salmon Arm, BC... not exactly main line basketball center. I'm guessing that Tara just showed up (maybe recruited?) at Oregon to start playing and Bev followed a couple years later. They played together one year I think. This was all during pre-NCAA, Pre-Pac 10 days. Oregon played in the AIAW Region 9 and won it all four years Bev was there. Team record for her career: 93-19

The 6'1" Bev is still listed in Oregon WBB career stats:
5th scoring, 2nd Rebounding, 1st in Steals (!), 4th in Assists, 4th in Blocks. Remarkable talent.

Very true, however her contributions to Canadian Basketball didn't get the recognition it deserved for a long time. Regardless of NCAA and all that, she deserved better from Canadians who love sports.

 

[HuskyNan]

My husband and I used to watch our local PBS channel, named CPTV (CT Public TV), to see This Old House, American Experience, NOVA etc so it was just on that channel all the time.

When my oldest boy was born in November 1994, my husband and I were too exhausted to get up to get up to change the channel one night (no remote) when a UConn game came on. My husband liked seeing the passing, cutting, and screening he saw the team play and I liked the way the team seemed so likable. We got hooked that season and the hook bit deeper when the Huskies upset Tennessee in the regular season then went on to an undefeated championship.

 

[BruinGold]

View attachment 84332
In 1978 I heard that Oregon had an "outstanding" Freshman women's basketball player. We lived in a rural area about 1.5 hours from Eugene and I thought to take my 9 and 12 year old kids to go down and see a game. We sat in the first rows at Mac Court because you could in those days. The game was progressing and I was trying to discern the lineup. All of a sudden a loose ball came bouncing in our direction. It was being chased down by a tall athletic woman wearing #24. Instead of simply saving the ball back inbounds to whoever, she gathered the ball and in mid air turned and fired it down court to a streaking teammate for a layup. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I started playing close attention to #24, Bev Smith, future All-America and WBB Hall of Famer.

So that was the exact moment I got hooked on WBB. Of course we returned again and again throughout her career and beyond.

I miss Mac Court. I roamed that place for a few years in the 70s when my parents went to games. I didn't pay much attention to the basketball, though, as I was under 6.

 

[WeCocky]

I have always been a fan of basketball, but what drew me to WBB in particular was back in the early 1990’s, the ACC women’s tournament was held at the Winthrop Coliseum for a couple of years. I was in middle school, and my parents got tickets for our family to attend all the sessions. I was blessed with being able to see players such as Dawn Staley, Tammi Reise, Charlotte Smith, etc. play in my own hometown. The atmosphere was electric, and the sports fanatics of Rock Hill, SC helped grow interest in the ACC WBB tournament with the sellout crowds in those years. Those tournaments made quite the impression on me. I remember telling my friends the day it was announced we had hired Dawn Staley as our new coach that she would be the heir apparent to the great Pat Summitt as the next dynasty in SEC WBB.

 

[JDuro]

I played varsity basketball in a small rural South Carolina township. Our teams were average but our girls teams were always stellar dating back to the time I was a pre-teen. Their crowds were just as big as the boy's game crowds. We won numerous State titles and at one time had a 80+ game undefeated streak. So I was always appreciative of girls basketball based on my high school teams success.

As a youth , I always knew I wanted to attend the University of South Carolina. During the nascent period of Women's College Basketball in the late 70's early 80's;South Carolina was in that 2nd group of rising national powers [1st group being the likes of La Tech, ODU, Tenn., USC west coast] . Carolina had just hired away Old Dominion's Coach- Pam Parsons as our AD knew WBB was an opportunity for exposure for our state and university. Our first #1 ranking came in the 1980's. For about a 3 year period we were competing for a natl. titles and bringing in stellar recruits like Evelynn Johnson [Magic Johnsons baby sister] .

Unfortunately in the early 80's, we had the LSU scandal before LSU had the LSU scandal in the 90's [lol]. However, we were still perennial NCAA bound program when we were in the old metro conference but were humbled in 1992 when we moved to the SEC. We were mired in mediocrity with bits of success here and there [Final 8 under Coach Walvius] until Coach Staley comes in..

So why do I love Women's College BB and High School Girls BB + AAU. ..because of the experiences above..

One of those stellar recruits being the great Medina Dixon, a Gamecock for a year before transferring to ODU in the wake of the Parsons scandal.

 

[JellyBean]

Watching Cheryl Miller, fueled the Fire!

Yup. Same here. When Cheryl Miller, along with the McGee twins (Pamela and Paula), had USC playing for the national championship in 1983, I became a fan. Well, I was a fan when Sports Illustrated had an article about Cheryl Miller's 100-point game.