Better than Baseball

The "Basketball for Thought" is a commentary by Kris Gardner.

March 2001

This is the time of year where Spring has sprung; March Madness is winding down; high schoolers and underclassmen are declaring for the NBA Draft; and the push for the NBA Playoffs shifts into high gear. Contending NBA teams are jockeying for optimal playoff seeds while pretending teams are either hoarding ping pong balls or trying to play the role of spoiler. This is an exciting time of year for another reason also: the WNBA season is not far away. I'm sure I'll get laughs and scoffs for that sentence; but, that's cool with me.

The WNBA Draft will be held on April 20. I'm looking forward to the Draft because it signals training camp, Media Day, and the start of the WNBA season aren't far behind. I want to hear Comets' coach Van Chancellor discuss (spin?) who and why he selected so and so in the Draft. I have tremendous respect for Van's knowledge of the women's game; plus, he always has a great quote.

In addition to asking him about the Comet's draft choices, I, along with a handful of other media members, can ask Van about Cynthia Cooper and her new job as coach of the Phoenix Mercury one more time.

Ironically, the closer we get to the Draft, the more I realize how little I know about the women's game especially women's college ball. Before the Women's NCAA Tournament started, I wouldn't have recognized Southwest Missouri State's Jackie Stiles (the NCAA's all time leading scorer in Division I women's hoops) if she knocked on my door. However, as Jackie continues scoring and playing at a phenomenal pace, along with her team and teammates advancing to the Final Four, Stiles has created a nice little niche on ESPN as well as greatly improved her position in next month's draft. Honestly, I'm still not sure if Jackie will be a great player in the WNBA; but, the more I see her play, the less doubts I have. She's truly an "old school" player. She is in constant motion on the court. She's quick and athletic; and she's a great outside shooter in addition to being able to create her own shot. Plus, she has a tremendous (almost mythical) work ethic. She, reportedly, practices until she makes (not attempts) 500 to 1000 shots a day! That's Larry Bird type stuff!

Besides Stiles, Australia's Lauren Jackson, at 6'5", who would probably be the top pick in the Draft whenever she decides to enter her name, (Lauren is still not sure she';s ready to leave Australia, yet.); Tennessee's Tamika Catchings(torn ACL) and UConn's Svetlana Abrosimova (foot) are also top prospects despite season ending injuries. I'm also looking forward to the Draft because I'll learn about more talented players who I've never heard or seen. Whether they're international players, top collegians, and / or veteran American women hoopers (who decided to play overseas because at the time of their graduation from college there was no WNBA), all the names just make the Draft more interesting.

Sure, the WNBA has warts; but, how many five year companies don't? I'm not trying to sell the league because everyone has their own opinion.

Women's basketball will probably never gain the recognition or respect from many men or media outlets it deserves. Nor will it become the "fifth major sport" as WNBA President Val Ackerman desires; but, as far as I'm concerned, it's better than baseball and that's good enough for me.