Everyone, and I mean everyone is excited with the explosion of excitement from women’s basketball. This sport is not what the original game was for the female of America. A gentler more Victorian version came into existence when it was the norm for women to be pampered and not physically stressed on the court of play. Like many aspects in life the game transitioned to the gala event we are witnessing today. A much more gentile version of what the men play has all but evaporated.
I remember as a child my mother telling me about her high school years in the alpine valleys playing basketball for Douglas County Hi in Nevada. I would silently sit as she told me of her team taking the little creaky train in a snowstorm from Carson City as it rose up to Virginia City to play in a cold unheated gym; yet it was great excitement to get there and play. The game was quite different and she showed me clippings of how she had been instrumental in wins due to her height and jumping ability. At that time in the throws of the far west there was a defensive group on one end of the court and an offensive group on the other end of the court. Neither group could cross mid-court. Every time a basket was made the two centers had to jump center and thus if a team had a tall player who could jump, the advantage was with them. This made for a very slow-paced game that that would be easier on the female frame.
The center jump after each score disappeared but the game remained to be played with a defensive squad and an offensive squad. It was still a half court game but the excitement was there and growing. Gyms would fill to see both girls and boys high school basketball. Farmerville had the largest basketball court in the deep south. Built after World War II, it held more fans than LSU and there were times that it would be full. I still remember that as a junior hi student watching Regina Phelps from Farmerville break the state scoring record and yet another transition was about to take place.
During my senior year of high school Louisiana High School made a change. One female player was allowed to travel the entire length of the court. This player, the rover, would help transition the game to where it is today. The female player could play full court and without any physical difficulties. The age of the full-fledged female basketball player had arrived yet for years it would remain known as the softer side of basketball.
By the mid 1970s Title 9 had been enacted. This meant that there was to be no discrimination due to gender for federally funded schools and thus the world opened for the female athlete in college. Locally, Louisiana Tech would embrace the sport for young ladies and thus began a golden era for women’s basketball at the university. I can recall returning from Saudi Arabia to find my father transfixed on listening to La Tech women’s basketball on the radio or the occasional telecast. A little dynamo from south Louisiana was lighting up the country as she led the team to national championships and raised the level for women’s basketball. Another transition was taking place as we see that women were able to compete in a manner only thought to be male dominated.
I had a cousin that came to visit from Carson Valley High School in the late 80s. Her dream was to play for Tech and she went to camp there. She never got the offer but standing at 6’3″ Kentucky came calling. Tens years earlier and there would have been little buzz for girls in recruiting but the world of girl’s sports was changing.
Over the years we have seen growth and transitions but the last year we witnessed another transition as a young lady from the corn fields of Iowa has once again transitioned the game; but this time it is multifaceted. She has broken about every record that can be broken and at the time of this writing her journey is not complete for the college level. What is so amazing about this young lady is not just her physical ability but here unwavering smile and her desire to connect with the children in the arenas across America. At a time when players will walk past wild-eyed youngsters and display no emotion nor desire to interact, young Kaitlyn Clarke immerses herself with the crowd and gives back a whole lot more than a three at the buzzer. She has added a sensitivity to the game. But our story doesn’t end here.
Viewership for LSU vs Iowa game played last week broke the women’s basketball record. 12.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the much-anticipated match. It was not to be a let down from a competition standpoint. Ironically this broke the overall viewership record held since 1982 when La Tech defeated USC for the first NCAA National Championship. It also surpassed the #4 viewership ranking when La Tech won a fist non-NCAA national championship. This was a true transition point for women’s basketball yet shows how one individual bridged the generational growth of the sport. That young girl from Tick Faw Louisiana that led her team to four state championships was the same young lady that spearheaded Tech’s run for national stardom and the same lady that won three national championships as head coach at Baylor and is that same person coaching the Louisiana State University in the most viewed ladies basketball game last week. Kim Mulkiy is one of those that transitioned the game to where it is today and displays the fiber of the American spirit.
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