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Basketball's Best - The Girls
Title IX -- what a revolutionary idea in 1972. You mean girls can play sports, too? Back in the Sixties, when it came to sports, a girl's dream was to be captain of the cheerleaders or to date the quarterback. Suddenly girls were wearing uniforms with numbers and kicking the soccer ball or hitting the softball. In the winter female basketball players started making their mark. It didn't take long for them to excel, either.
Among the greatest basketball teams in the North Country would have to be the Saranac Central team in 1980-1981. Led by Linda Ryan and Tina Pellerin, the Lady Chiefs won 22, lost 3, and started the parade of championships won by girls sports at that school. More recently, I remember the outstanding play of Annie Parks, now a college women's basketball coach, who was a great ballhandler and outstanding shooter.
The Westport Central teams coached by Tom Beauvais made their mark around the state in Class D girls' basketball. Both Julie Moore and Erin Pratt went on to play Division 1 women's basketball.
The dominant team in the last several years in Section 7 has been Northeastern Clinton Central, coached by my fraternity brother, Andy Landry. The NCCS girls' basketball program is unequaled when it comes to developing basketball players. Excellent coaching in the early grades inspires a sense of pride in the program and the players are devoted to the game at an early age. This year's team, with Courtney Coryea, one of the all-time greats, along with Alex Forey, Rachel Coryea, Darby Turner and others, may make their mark as one of the best ever in Section 7. Last night they wrapped up the CVAC title with a 15-0 record, and head into Sectionals play confident. If there were ever a team destined to be state champs, this is the team.
Sectional basketball begins next week. Check out the Press-Republican sports pages and get to a girls' game. It's come a long way from the days of having to pass the ball after a couple of dribbles and some girls not being able to go past halfcourt. Watch Nicole "You Can Call Her Nikki" Rock of Peru or Katelyn "Mega" Mannix of Beekmantown hit three-pointers. Watch Jessica Thorpe of Beekmantown or Shannon Nutbrown and Nicole Dirolf of Ausable Valley battle under the boards. Watch Jenna Ruff of Peru or Natalie LeMaire and Allie Hesseltine of Saranac Lake turn up the offense. Watch the never-quit hustle of Katelyn McNulty of Saranac and Katie McCallister of Ausable Valley.
I'll be there at Sectionals. Come over and say hello.
Comments
Who is the best basketball player in Australia?
Posted by: jennifer | March 8, 2006 12:41 AM
will agree that nccs has a good girls team but they are no state championship team. they dont face any real competition in section 7 and it hurts them when they do play in regional and states. put their teams in any other section besides 7 and they are average or below
Posted by: robert mccorry | March 6, 2006 10:53 PM
I was also fortunate enough to be involved in high school varsity sports in the early days of Title IX. No, I'm not female. I was coaching. It was amazing to see the passion and fire in their involvement. And this was at all levels of athletes. They took this new found freedom and exploded on to the sports scene. It was almost like they were trying to prove something. True, even the best and most talented girl couldn't compete with the best and most talented boys but they sure could make the rest of the boys sweat. After all, who wants to be beaten by a girl! Since most girls pre-Title IX were only exposed to cheerleading, the band, or other areas such as these, there was no boundaries for performance. And let me tell you, they performed. Many of the area's records still stand today. But alas, I think girls are starting to become stagant just like the boys. True, we still have good sports but how often do we see outstanding sports? Once in a blue moon. Chazy soccer team, Peru football NYS champions, Missy West, Josh MacDougal are the exception.
Posted by: J | February 20, 2006 7:57 PM
Hi Foxy....
I haven't been on for a bit, but I was glad to see your entry about the girls' basketball! You referred very briefly to the days when we could only dribble twice and then we had to pass and only one player could cross over the center line. She was called the "rover". How ridiculous those rules were. I remember playing in those days. We wore our regular one piece blue snap up the front gym "uniforms" with pinnies. Dribble, dribble, pass. But, you know what? We had a GREAT time. Miss Willard from Peru would always try to schedule at least one game with Miss D. from PHS and one with Keeseville. That was BIG....going to another school!!! So, yes...we've come a LONG way. Thanks for talking about the girls and letting me drift back to the mid 60's. Girls today just take it all for granted...a full interscholastic schedule with funding for busses and referees and rules that allow girls to play without the old restrictions. Oh...and... they have REAL uniforms and warmups and jackets and $100 shoes. All taken for granted. Thanks to the advocates who fought for Title IX. If any of them are reading this, maybe they could write a comment. I know Phoebe Sturm was very involved especially at the collegiate level. Maybe she could share her memories.
Posted by: Gale Carroll | February 18, 2006 10:02 AM
That's IT????
Posted by: Slash | February 16, 2006 5:24 AM