1978–79 WBL season
The 1978–79 WBL season was the 1st season of the Women's Professional Basketball League. The season ended with the Houston Angels winning the WBL Championship, beating the Iowa Cornets 3 games to 2 in the WBL Finals.
| 1978–79 WBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's Professional Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | December 9, 1978 – May 2, 1979 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Ann Meyers |
| Picked by | Houston Angels |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Houston Angels |
| Season MVP | Rita Easterling (Chicago) |
| Top scorer | Brenda Chapman (Milwaukee) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Houston Angels |
| Runners-up | Iowa Cornets |
The league was divided into two divisions, with Chicago Hustle, Milwaukee Does, Iowa Cornets and Minnesota Fillies playing in the Western Division, while the Dayton Rockettes, Houston Angels, New Jersey Gems and New York Stars were in the East.
Notable occurrences
- In June 1978, Karen Logan became the first player to sign a contract with the league.[1][2]
- With the first overall pick in the WBL draft, Houston selected Ann Meyers from UCLA.[3]
- The league's inaugural game was on December 9, 1978, between the Chicago Hustle and the Milwaukee Does at the Milwaukee Arena, attracting coverage in the previous night's CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Milwaukee mayor Henry Maier issued a proclamation comparing this first game to the first professional football game, played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and the first pro baseball game, played in Cincinnati.[4] The game attracted a crowd of 7,824, which saw the hometown team lose to Chicago 92–87. Debra Waddy Rossow of the Hustle, led all scorers with 30 points.[4]
- The league was able to arrange an All-Star game in 1979, which was played at the Felt Forum in New York City's Madison Square Garden in front of 2,731 fans. The game was hastily arranged and inserted into the league's schedule, using a court borrowed from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and forcing some players to have to make hectic travel arrangements to get to their next regular season game. The East beat the Midwest by a score of 112–99. Althea Gwyn of the New York Stars led the East with 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Chicago Hustle players Debra Waddy Rossow with 26 points and Rita Easterling with 19 points led the Midwest. Easterling, who also had 18 assists, was named the game's most valuable player.[5]
- The Houston Angels defeated the Iowa Cornets, 111–104, on May 2, 1979, behind 36 points by Paula Mayo, to take the league's first championship in game five of a best-of-five finals series.[6]
Standings
| # | Eastern Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Houston Angels | 26 | 8 | .768 | – |
| 2 | x-New York Stars | 19 | 15 | .559 | 7 |
| 3 | Dayton Rockettes | 12 | 22 | .353 | 14 |
| 4 | New Jersey Gems | 9 | 25 | .265 | 17 |
| # | Western Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Chicago Hustle | 21 | 13 | .618 | – |
| 2 | x-Iowa Cornets | 21 | 13 | .618 | – |
| 3 | Minnesota Fillies | 17 | 17 | .500 | 4 |
| 4 | Milwaukee Does | 11 | 23 | .324 | 10 |
Notes
- z – division champions
- x – clinched playoff spot
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||
| Houston Angels | 2 | ||||||
| New York Stars | 0 | ||||||
| Houston Angels | 3 | ||||||
| Iowa Cornets | 2 | ||||||
| Chicago Hustle | 1 | ||||||
| Iowa Cornets | 2 | ||||||
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Brenda Chapman | Milwaukee Does | 29.7 |
| Rebounds per game | Althea Gwyn | New York Stars | 17.3 |
| Assists per game | Rita Easterling | Chicago Hustle | 10.1 |
| Steals per game | Liz Galloway | Chicago Hustle | 4.00 |
| Blocks per game | Sue Digitale | Chicago Hustle | 1.12 |
WBL awards
- Most Valuable Player: Rita Easterling, Chicago Hustle
- Coach of the Year: Don Knodel, Houston Angels
- Manager of the Year Chuck Shriver, Chicago Hustle[7]
All-Pro team
- Rita Easterling (Chicago)
- Debra Waddy-Rossow (Chicago)
- Vonnie Tomich (Dayton)
- Paula Mayo (Houston)
- Belinda Candler (Houston)
- Molly Bolin (Iowa)
- Denise Sharps (Iowa)
- Doris Draving (Iowa)
- Brenda Chapman (Milwaukee)
- Marie Kocurek (Minnesota)
- Gail Tatterson (New Jersey)
- Althea Gwyn (New York)
Source[8]
References
- "Karen Logan is first to sign with women's pro cage league". The Paducah Sun. Associated Press. June 21, 1978. p. 2D. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Bill Jauss (June 20, 1978). "Skyline acquires two shooting stars". Chicago Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Ann Meyers first choice in women's cage draft". Great Falls Tribune. Associated Press. July 19, 1978. p. 11. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Harvin, Al. "Female Pros Make History; Playing Game Alone", The New York Times, December 10, 1978. Accessed July 26, 2010.
- Harvin, Al. "Miss Gwyn Stands Out As East Stars Triumph; No Break in Schedule", The New York Times, March 15, 1979. Accessed July 28, 2010.
- via Associated press. "Houston Angels Win Title In Women's Basketball", The New York Times, May 3, 1979. Accessed July 26, 2010.
- "Shriver gets honor". The Columbia Record. November 17, 1979. p. 4B. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Three Cornets named All-Pro". The Des Moines Register. June 5, 1979. p. 3S. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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