Give Women’s Basketball a Shot!
Watch the Broncos. You’ll feel yourself bonding as a fan.
Dave Tull
I asked my neighbor who’s had season tickets to Stanford Women’s Basketball for years why she favors the women’s game. “Women play as a team.”
“In the NBA the Golden State Warriors play a team game, but they are an exception.
Along with stardom Men tend to be concerned with individual accomplishments, such as hitting three point shots and throwing down in-your-face dunks.
For me, the thunderous slam and the 30 footer, like the frequency of home runs in Major League Baseball, have lost their effect. They are cliches more than they are statements.
Not surprisingly, NBA fans are caught up in the GOAT debate. Boys want to be Michael, Lebron, Kobe , or Seth making the big play and big money. Sue Bird, the WNBA all-star for 20 seasons?
Wanna Get Away?
Go to Leavey Center on the University of Santa Clara campus and watch the women Broncos or Maples Pavilion at Stanford and see the Cardinal play.
Both have a deft and aggressive style where hard work, skill, and constant awareness of teammates on the floor are on display. And yes, they hit the three pointers, too.
You not only will have fun, you will love that general admission tickets at both venues cost only ten dollars. Consider that the average NBA ticket is $95 and premiere teams charge way more. The average Laker ticket at home is $518 and a whopping $611 for the Warriors.
In many ways, women’s basketball is a throwback to the age of great teams when the Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, and UCLA Men were celebrated. Back then dunking was regarded as gauche and unnecessary. Today’s women, like players of old, run the fast break, hit the open player running the baseline, and pass from the pivot,
I recently enjoyed watching the Broncos up close in a nonconference game at home. I had the choice of sitting where I please, so I chose a folding chair on the floor.
I was impressed by the quickness and grit of guard Ashlee Maldonado, who fearlessly drove the lane. Equally fun watch were Tess Heal from Melbourne, Australia for her slick moves on the break, and 5′-5″ guard Ayzhiana Bassalo (pictured above) for her ballhandling and shooting.
Watch the Broncos. You’ll feel yourself bonding as a fan.
Academic Champs
The Bronco women are superior students, a measure of college athletic programs that is often disregarded. Last year the tean had a combined GPA of 3.72 for fall term and 3.64 in the spring.
In case you’re wondering which schools the Broncos compete against, they play in the West Coast Conference.
The WCC is comprised of 10 private Division 1 schools that more or less follow the Pacific Pacific Coast. Gonzaga in Spokane, WA is the most northerly. It also will become the most easterly after Brigham Young University leaves the Conference after this season.
