Home » Sports » Women's Basketball » Hey, That guy's a Girl!

Hey, That guy's a Girl!

© Colleen Bittner

Before Title IX, most girls had to play on boys' sports teams, or not at all. There were few opportunities for girls to play sports. They were considered the "weaker sex" and schools did not see a need for them to have their own teams. Since Title IX came into effect, the playing field has leveled out somewhat for girls. Most schools have girls teams for almost every sport. However, some girls still play on the boys' teams. Shivani Sharma from Thornhill, Ontario, plays on the boys' team at her school. She comes from a small town where everybody knows each other. At the beginning of grade seven, she was approached by the coach of the boys' basketball team. Mr. Doug Wilton was her science and homeroom teacher, so he knew her well. "He knew of my love and excitement about basketball, mostly because I stuck out as the only girl who played streetball with the guys. He had seen me play and figured that I'd have no problem playing with his team." She was offered a tryout, and made the team.

Kerri Hill from Orlando area in Florida tried out for her school's boys' basketball team and "was pretty good so they accepted me." Kerri's school does not have a girls' basketball team for her to play on and therefore by law she is required an equal chance at the boys' team. Shivani's school does have a girls' team, which she also plays on. Kerri said she enjoys playing on the boys' team more, though. "This is because I am so used to playing with the guys that I feel that my skill level is in the same range as them. The boys bring on a lot more competition for me, than the girls. . . . I DO like to play with the guys. In my school they're the only competition (other than a few girls), everyone else is just worried about their nails or just hate sports."

There have been many professional basketball players who have grown up playing basketball with boys. Kate Starbird of the ABL's Seattle Reign played against soldiers at the Fort Lewis army base. At first, she just shot around when the men were between games, but after a while she had the opportunity to play with them. They realized they could use her kind of shot, one that went in more often than not, and let her play on a more regular basis. Kate went on to average 29 points in her senior year at Lakes High School in Tacoma, Washington.

The copyright of the article Hey, That guy's a Girl! in Women's Basketball is owned by . Permission to republish Hey, That guy's a Girl! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.