Is Girls Basketball in Delaware on the Way Out?
(posted 07-12-10)
On July 8th, our friend, Buddy Hurlock (and he has been a friend -- being very helpful in sharing contemporary as well as archival information with DGB.com) posted on his blog (http://blogs.delawareonline.com/gametime/) recently released data on sports participation, according to the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA). Over this past weekend, I received an email from a regular DGB.com site visitor regarding the content of Buddy's blog. Apparently, this person was convinced that girls hoops in Delaware was on the wane. How so? It seems that for the 2009/2010 season, there were 1,061 girls participating in basketball at the high school level. This number placed the sport sixth among all girls high school sports based upon participation. In case you were wondering, the five sports with higher girls participation in the State are: Soccer (1,514), Field Hockey (1,459), Volleyball (1,322), Track (1,136), and Softball (1,075). How can our beloved basketball be falling behind so badly? Before hitting the panic button myself, I took a deep breath and decided to look at the question with a little more depth.
First things first. What I thought we should be looking at was not how basketball compared to the other girls sports, but rather, how it compared - historically - to itself over the years. Would we see a trend? Both myself and the worried emailer looked through copies of DIAA tournament programs from years gone by. It used to be that DIAA posted fairly complete participation numbers in the programs until 2003 (give or take a year). For the 2003/2004 School Year through the 2008/2009 School Year (6 years), we have no data. However, we do have very good data from the 1995/1996 School Year through the 2002/2003 School Year, plus the just released 2009/2010 School Year -- 10 seasons in all.
What we find when looking at those 10 seasons is that, on average, 1,044 girls play basketball in any given season. Further, of the ten years of data we have, the 2010 number (1,061) ranks third best.
That's the good news. But, girls hoops faces tremendous competition from Soccer and Volleyball. Both of those sports posted an increase of participation every year since 1994/1995! Fifteen years ago, there were just 673 girls playing Soccer in Delaware. Today, 1,514. Fifteen years ago, there were 818 girls playing volleyball. Today, 1,322. Track used to come in very consistently at around 880 participants, though we have seen an uptick to 1,136 today. Field Hockey has, interestingly enough, always had a greater participation than hoops every year that we have data for. And Field Hockey's numbers today are right in line with the historical average. The same for Softball. In summary, Basketball, Softball, and Field Hockey are today where they have always been since 1995. Very consistent participation levels. Track shows a recent surge. But Volleyball, and especially Soccer, have posted steady and, in the case of Soccer, dramatic growth.
True, none of these other sports conflicts with basketball's winter schedule. No girl who would want to play basketball would be forced to pick between hoops and another sport. Still, what we have certainly witnessed is that of the total girls playing basketball today, fewer would list it as their primary (or best) sport compared to 15 years ago. And that is a concern. Just ask any AAU coach who has to deal with absentee players who are at a Soccer tournament or practice instead of with the basketball team.
So, really, the result of the email to me regarding Buddy Hurlock's blog did get me thinking. And where I wound up after all the smoke cleared and the dust settled was this: Girls Basketball in Delaware is not on its last legs. It's not dying or even sick. But it is being encroached upon. It is being eroded. It is, quite frankly, being asked to share. And in the long run, that may be a good thing for the girls (who are now, more than ever, becoming proficient in a greater number of sports simultaneously), but it is probably a bad thing for basketball.
Why care about basketball? Well, I think there are a good number of reasons to care. For one, it is the sport where the level of play and intensity are the closest to the boys version of the same sport. Some, myself included, believe that the girls version of basketball is superior to the boys game in several respects, not the least of which is team vs. individual play. With no disrespect meant for anyone, there are several other girls sports that I must admit are difficult to watch from a spectator's viewpoint. The physical mastery and proficiency just aren't there to the degree they should be, and there may be a lack of qualified coaches in some of these sports. This is where basketball excels. There are probably more basketball coaches that are at least minimally qualified compared to most other girls sports. But most importantly, girls basketball players in Delaware bring it. The on-court product is not only watchable, it is often exciting. Some years, the Girls Basketball State Title Game actually outdraws the boys game! And attendance during all legs of the State Tournament (girls hoops) runs very high compared to other girls sports -- again, indicative of a good on-court product. Not everyone can play basketball. It is a hard sport to become great at. It demands that its better players be in top physical shape -- head to toe. It requires above average cognitive abilities and a skill at solving problems in the fraction of a second. And perhaps no other sport rewards those who are most coordinated. It is possible to hide an underperforming, unqualified player on a team roster of many of the other competing sports. But not basketball. The rosters are too small and the visibility on the court too high.
Basketball is where it's at. I hope the young women of Delaware will, in future years, preside over a renaissance and a resurgence in Girls Basketball. The effort will be well worth it.
“The top women athletes play a more pure game than the men. They play below the rim and fundamentally better. Women's basketball is a beautiful game.” - Coach John Wooden
Jim Charles