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2/10
Dallas welcomes women's professional basketball team
RICHARDSON -- The chorus of boos was deafening last Thursday at the University of Texas at Dallas activities center. Fans would only show their displeasure once during the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) contest between the Dallas Fury and the Chicago Blaze. Their disagreement -- with the referees -- was understandable. Cheryl Ford, the 2003 WNBA Rookie of the Year and member of the defending WNBA champion Detroit Shock, was ejected with 4:58 remaining in what had been a productive first half for the daughter of current NBA great Karl Malone. Ford was sent to the lockerroom early after swinging her elbows too high according to referees. That did little to stop the Fury's momentum as the home team led comfortably most of the night and cruised to a 92-69 victory. "I'm cool with it," Ford said with a smile after the game. A festive
crowd that included Dallas Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter, former
NBA slam dunk champion Spud Webb, New York Giants safety Omar Stoutmire
and others -- not to mention former two-sport standout and current Fury
assistant coach Deion Sanders -- watched the Fury remain undefeated
at home as Big D welcomes its first professional women's basketball
team to town since 1984. "The game was great," said Corsicana native Ricky Talkington, whose Sista Hoops women's sportswear line is an official sponsor of the team. "They had to turn people away at the door. It was a tight game at the end, and (Dallas) turned it on to win. ... To be part of the first professional women's basketball team in Dallas in 20 years is exciting." Fury head coach/general manager Nancy Lieberman knows a thing or two about women's pro basketball in the Metroplex. She scored 27 points per game and garnered Women's American Basketball Association (WABA) MVP honors while playing for the 1984 Dallas Diamonds squad that won the league championship. "Every game is a building block of where we want to be at the end of the season," said Lieberman, a pioneer in women's basketball who also played for the Diamonds in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) and is joined on the Fury sideline by San Antonio Stars (WNBA) head coach Candi Harvey and Sanders. "We want to play against the best. The competition in this league is really good. That's a compliment to the league founders. ... "The fans (here) are the bomb to come out on a weekday and embrace the team." The crowd saw a great showcase of talent, including a solid game from two-time WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets. The former Texas Tech All-American and two-time Olympian promised a better performance than her two-point debut against Colorado and delivered with a 29-point, 10-rebound effort. Swoopes, who formerly played for the NWBL's Houston Stealth, said she is enjoying her first season with the Fury. "The fans in Dallas are warm and welcoming," the four-time WNBA champion said. "They haven't had a team here since '84, and I am real excited for it. I definitely plan on coming back (next year). I love being here, and I hope we get more fans." NOTES: The NWBL's six teams (Fury, Stealth, Chill, Blaze, Birmingham Power and Springfield Spirit) play 16 games in a two-month period. Several WNBA players dot the rosters of every squad in the NWBL, a league started in 1997. More information about the Fury and other teams can be found at www.nwbl.com. ---------- Chris Smith may be contacted via e-mail at csmith@corsicanadailysun.com |
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