Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Thursday, August 21, 2008

A little US women's basketball history out of Salem, Arkansas:

"Not everyone knows that women have been playing basketball just as long as men," begins the article (True, unless you're one of the regular readers of the WHB!) and continues with the great story of Pauline Williams.

Pauline Williams, 83, of Salem fell in love with basketball when she attended Viola High School in the 1940s. "It felt good," she said. "It felt great."

The 5-foot-9 Williams said she started playing for the Viola Longhorns' women's basketball team at 13. "At school that's what we played at physical education class, and I liked it," she said.

Though Williams has suffered two strokes in the past couple of years, one can tell from the gleam in her eyes and strong talkative spirit that she still remembers the fun she had while playing basketball and many other joyous occasions.