BillyVance 35 #1 January 24, 2007 The year: 1896 The sport: Basketball The teams: Stanford and California The player format: 9 players on the court each The scoring format: 1 point per basket The final score: 2 - 1 !!!!!!! Bwaaaaaa!!!! I don't care, that was funny! Sure you gotta start somewhere, but 2 - 1?!?!? Then again, back in those days, the tallest woman was probably about Gia's height... "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #2 January 24, 2007 I saw one of the first "Miss Softball" state championship competitions in the 80s. It was terrible. It seemed like one error on every play. Then, I saw my niece play in a high school state quarter final in the 90s. Literally, only one error the entire game when a ball took a weird hop and the outfielder missed it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #3 January 24, 2007 QuoteI saw one of the first "Miss Softball" state championship competitions in the 80s. It was terrible. It seemed like one error on every play. Then, I saw my niece play in a high school state quarter final in the 90s. Literally, only one error the entire game when a ball took a weird hop and the outfielder missed it. Amazing how far womens/girls sports have come in the last couple decades. The lack of quality in the 80s makes sense when you figure that Title 9 wasn't till 1972 and wasn't really enforced till the 80s. Takes a while to build up a base of competitive players, but we definitely have now. Billy - when my mom was in high school in the 50s they were still playing that "no crossing half court" game of girls basketball. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #4 January 24, 2007 Girls basketball wasn't much to look at in my time either. But now, damn... there's a handful of college girls slam-dunking in games, including only one I've ever seen do a running dunk with one hand on a break-away just a couple weeks ago, just like the guys do. It was a Tennessee Vol player. No surprise there though, they have more or less ruled college basketball under coach Pat Summitt, who built the program up there from scratch in the early 70's and is the all-time winner, men or women. Still, the amount of talent lags seriously behind the men. On the men's side, the top team from most of the mid-major leagues can play a good game against a team from a major league like the Big Ten or SEC. We even had a mid-major team make it to the final four last year: George Mason University. In women's basketball, pretty much, there's only one or two teams from these conferences - PAC 10, Big 10, SEC, ACC, or Big East that really dominates against most competition."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #5 January 24, 2007 Quote Billy - when my mom was in high school in the 50s they were still playing that "no crossing half court" game of girls basketball. Older rules are listed here...women were playing a 3-court game until the 30's, couldn't dribble, run, or talk at various points. There was no backboard and the basket was literally a peach basket, with an intact bottom (if the ball bounced out the score didn't count). Check out this picture of the 1899 UW women's team. Somehow I doubt they kept up on their personal grooming...can you say Chewbacca?! Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #6 January 24, 2007 QuoteAmazing how far womens/girls sports have come in the last couple decades. The lack of quality in the 80s makes sense when you figure that Title 9 wasn't till 1972 and wasn't really enforced till the 80s. Takes a while to build up a base of competitive players, but we definitely have now. I would say that it is the coaching. Just playing with friends in a sandlot does not compare. I know a minor league player who makes extra cash doing Little League coaching. From the age of 8, they get semi-pro level coaching. Their skills are honed at 12, instead of starting out with the jr high coach. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #7 January 24, 2007 The rules of old basketball are a lot like the rules of Ultimate Frisbee - no movement between passes. There was also no shot clock, so a team that took the lead could just hang on to the ball. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
