After otherworldly superstar Maya Moore propelled the University of Connecticut Huskies to their 89th straight win, a new record for the men’s and women’s college game, pundits and sports writers began to speculate about whether Moore could hang with the men in the National Basketball Association.
Even the NBA Commissioner believes the prospect of a female in the men’s professional game will happen soon.
Yes, folks are already tossing around suburban Atlanta native Moore’s name as a possible barrier-breaking pioneer. As one of the elite players in the history of the women’s college game, they believe Moore could bypass the fledgling WNBA completely and roll right into the previously unchallenged fortress of testosterone. Even Hall of Fame coach Van Chancellor, who won four WNBA titles with the Houston Comets and won a gold medal in the Athens Olympics in 2004, believes Moore could handle her own with the big boys. Here’s why he thinks that, according to Time magazine:
“Chancellor described how Moore was the rare women’s player whose upper-body strength, and technically sound shooting technique, allowed her to catch a pass and immediately rise up to the basket in one motion, just like any NBA player. Most women players have to reset their feet, and almost hop, to summon the leg strength to take a shot. This slows down their motions, and makes them easier to defend. Since Moore can skip that move, she can essentially get her shot of whenever, and wherever, she wants.”
Chancellor’s sentiments about women playing with men — not necessarily Moore — are concurred by NBA commish David Stern. He already told Sports Illustrated that it is “well within the range of possibilities,” that a woman may play in the NBA within a decade.
And readers of a huffingtonpost.com poll were practically split down the middle when they were asked if Maya Moore could make it happen on the hardcourt in the NBA:
49.83 said yes; 50.17 said no.
I can’t see this happening right now. I remember how many players went volcanic over the prospect of women gaining entrée to the all-male referee club in the NBA.
What do you think? But having a female suit up and join the boys on the court is an entirely different matter altogether. Is America ready for this? Forget that … are the male athletes ready?
–terry shropshire
