AAU Girl's Basketball, Bigger and Better than Ever
By Sherilyn Fiveash, WBCA
Coaching Women's Basketball - Membership Issue
One hundred thousand, one hundred and eighty-eight.
That's hard to read when you actually realize that that is the number of young girls who play Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball.
As the nation watches in awe as women have taken to the hardwood to play in one of the two professional leagues, the staff at the new AAU offices at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., is also in awe at the number of young girls that continue to take to the hardwood and play AAU basketball during the summer.
And, if you really think about it, this whole AAU women's/girls' basketball craze began more than 92 years ago.
The AAU, founded in 1888, was formed to provide sports and physical fitness programs for kids to participate. The AAU slogan, "Sports for All, Forever," has done just that for the young girls who want the opportunity to fine-tune their basketball skills during the summer months.
Since 1991, the number of girls' teams from the ages 10 to 18 has more than doubled from 2,712 to 5,749.
To truly appreciate these numbers, you must understand even though 92 years have past, and the game has seen some changes, the players are participating for the same reason. However, during the early years, young women did not always have the same opportunities available today.
The first AAU National Championship took place in 1926 in Pasadena, Calif. There were teams that dominated over the years such as the Oilers (Dallas, Texas), the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens and Nashville Business College. These teams featured some of the finest women's athletes in the country.
"Women's basketball is hot now, but it was really great back in the '40s," said Alline Banks-Sprouse who played AAU basketball from 1939 until 1950.
Doris Rogers, who played for the Nashville Business College from 1961-68, said, "There are a lot more good players now than there used to be. I don't think the better players now are any better than the better players then, I just think there are more of them."
Banks-Sprouse was an excellent example as she earned numerous All-America honors. During a game in New York, Banks-Sprouse scored 56 points with her left hand, which may not sound all that impressive. However, she was right-handed and had hurt that arm during a game the previous night in Pittsburgh and had to have it taped to her side.
"I wished they had the three-point line when I played. I could hit from anywhere on the court," said Banks-Sprouse.
There were only a handful of schools that provided scholarships to women during the early years, and not every state provided girls with the opportunity to play basketball at the grade, middle or high school levels. The only way a girl could play basketball was to participate in the AAU.
"I can remember thinking as a little girl, I wished I could play basketball all my life. Really at that time AAU was the only organized ball for women beyond high school. A few colleges like Wayland Baptist and Iowa Wesleyan gave scholarships. At any kind of a national level you had to play AAU," explained Rogers.
Though there were no scholarships, most teams recruited their players. Margaret Sexton-Gleaves, who played for such outstanding teams as the Nashville Business College, Royality Aircraft and Cook's Goldblooms, said, "I started playing in grade school and played for four years in high school. I still wanted to play because I loved basketball. We couldn't afford to go to college and the reason I got to keep playing was because Nashville Business College asked me to play."
George Sherman. a former sports editor at the St. Joseph's Gazelle (Mo.) and AAU coach for 18 years, recalled the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens holding two weeks of summer tryouts where players from all over the country came to participate. The athletes that made the team received full scholarships and convertible cars. The Flying Queens even traveled in style in four Beechcraft Bonanzas. One year, before the national tournament the Wayland team, which was owned by a wealthy oilman (Claude Hutcherson), had a hairstylist from New York flown in to give the team special hairstvles.
There were numerous outstanding AAU players. including Rogers, Gleason, Bank-Sprouse, Nera White, Anne Paradise, Joan Crawford, Alberta Cox, Eckie Jordan, Shirley Petersen, Sue Lett, Mary Jane Marshall and Hazel Walker-Crutcher. In 1944, Walker-Crutcher won the national free throw shooting championship hitting 50 in a row.
The women played six-on-six basketball until 1969, and the five player full-court game became the official rules of the AAU in 1971. As colleges and universities began offering athletic programs and scholarships for women, the AAU program, as we know it today went by the wayside for a number of years.
In 1972, Ruthie Webster, who played for the Raytown (Mo.) Piperettes and was a member of the AAU National Women's Committee, pushed to start a new program for young girls. Webster hosted a national invitational in 1972 and, at the AAU national convention that same year the association passed a motion to start a basketball tournament for girls 15-and-under and 18-and-under. The first AAU National Tournament was held in 1973 in New Orleans with just 16 teams participating.
As the popularity of AAU and girls' basketball grew, the AAU began offering tournaments for the 12-and-under (1981) and the 16-and-under (1983) age groups.
Bill Tipps, a former national chairperson for AAU girls basketball, recalls that there were just 32 teams at the 1978 AAU National Championship Tournament in Tullahoma, Tenn.
"Ruthie was the person responsible for getting the girls' program started. I remember the biggest thing was getting the word out. In 1973, (the state of Tennessee) had just four teams, two 15s and two 18s. We contacted people in Memphis, Chattanooga and Nashville to get more teams involved." explained Tipps. "As the chairman for the state of Tennessee, I sent information out to the high school and junior high coaches. Finally, it took hold. Every state had a different way of getting teams together. Some went through the school systems and others went through the recreational departments in the cities and communities."
Van Chancellor, head coach of the two-time WNBA national champion Houston Comets, can remember when he coached at Harrison Central High School in Gulfport, Miss.
"I knew nothing about AAU. I had put together a group of my younger players and we went to New Iberia, La., and won a tournament. A women came tip to me and said, 'Here's your forms to fill out to go to the national tournament.' I said, "'What national tournament?' She said there was a national tournament in St. Joseph's, Mo. I never knew there was one." Chancellor explained.
His team needed to raise $2,000 to make the trip to St. Joseph's for the AAU National Tournament. After seven fund-raising events, Chancellor's team not only went to St. Joseph's, but captured the national title.
"When we came back home, all the people of Harrison Central met us at the county line and had a great big deal for us," said Chancellor "AAU was a spring board to everything I have achieved."
He also said, "I don't think there is any doubt that AAU, probably in ny mind, has done more to change the landscape of women's basketball. When I went to my first AAU tournament there were very few teams and very few participants. Today, it is unbelievable how many young ladies are playing AAU basketball."
Chancellor also feels that AAU bas ketball has helped, not only the college coaches, but also the athletes participating in AAU.
"The college coaches love AAU basketball because they can see so many players at one tournament in one place over a seven or eight day period," said Chancellor. "And the AAU player loves it because it not only gives them the opportunity to participate, but it also lets college coaches see them so they can get scholarships."
Tipps, like Chancellor, had no idea what AAU was until his daughter came to him and told him she wanted to get involved in a basketball program she had heard about.
"My daughter (Gail), who was 13 years old, was interested in basketball and wanted to get involved. There was a group of people already involved in AAU, so we got started. She played for five or six years, and my wife and I really enjoyed it and just stayed involved."
Tipps, who is still the Treasurer of the AAU Girls’ Basketball Executive Committee, believes that AAU not only provides young girls with the opportunity to participate in basketball, but helps bring communities together.
"We live in Manchester County and the school programs were always bitter enemies," said Tipps. "We combined the kids from the three different towns around here and made up some teams. I think that has done more to help the community get along than anything."
Throughout the years, there have been some AAU programs that have dominated, such as the Domninos (New Orleans) in the late '70s and early '80s and many Tennessee teams in the late '80s and early '90s. According to Eddie Clinton, the National Administrator for girls’ basketball and golf at the AAU National Office, programs from Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee seem to dominate today. When you look at the number of participants by AAU Association, Indiana leads the nation with 9,309, while Michigan is second with 6,562. Inland Empire, consisting of Washington state and part of Idaho, is third with 5,365 and New England (Mahhachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New hampshire and rhode Island) is fourth with 4,870. Ten years ago, there were 18,686 girls competing in AAU basketball, while today there are 100,188 competing.
The AAU began with the 18-and 15-and-under age groups, and expanded to 12-and-under in 1981. The 16-and-under and 14-and-under age groups were added in 1983, while 13-and-under and 11-and-under programs were started in 1987. The two final age groups to be added were 10-and-under in 1996 and 17-and-under in 1997. Guiding AAU girls basketball to its new level of popularity is current National Chairperson Carroll Graham, who replaced Tipps in 1991.
In 1973, eight teams competed at the 18-and-under Girls’ National Championship, while 44 teams were at the championship in 1998. The largest increase in teams participating at the national championship has been the 12-and-under age group. In 1981, there were just 14 teams at the AAU National Championship, but this year 64 teams took part. The 14-and-under age group also has increased from 24 teams in 1983 to 86 in 1998.
The AAU has not only had dominating teams, but also players that made an impact at the collegiate, international and now professional level. As a matter of fact, almost every member of the 1996 Gold Medal. U.S. Olympic Team was at one time a member of an AAU squad. Two-time WNBA MVP Cynthia Cooper played for Southern California Women’s Basketball Club, an AAU team from Los Angeles. Joining Cooper on that team was Phoenix Mercury head coach Cheryl Miller. Katie Smith, a member of the two-time ARL champions Columbus Quest also played AAU basketball. A member of the current U.S. National Team, Smith played for three area teams (Logan AAU, Urbana-Danville AAU and Wooster AAU). As you scan both the WNBA (Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoopes and Nikki McCray) and ABL (Jennifer Azzi, Shelley Sheetz, Vicki Hall and Katrina McClain) team rosters, you will find numerous former AAU players.
"The popularity of the collegiate game, television exposure of the women’s game and the two new professional leagues have really helped get people involved with AAU girls’ basketball," explained Tipps. "We have 10-year-olds that are as good now as many 12- and 14-year-olds were 10 or 12 years ago. AAU has given them the opportunity to start playing basketball a lot earlier."
"Sports for All, Forever". The AAU and women’s/girls’ basketball just keeps growing bigger and better.
