Photo by Robert Scheer
Sam keeps the ball away from the Portland Power during a game in San Jose.
BY CHRISTY SHAUCK
First Richard Nixon signed Title Nine into law, forcing schools to provide the same athletic opportunities for girls and young women as for male students.
More than 20 years later, women's athletics has taken another leap forward with the establishment of the American Basketball League.
Billed as "one of the hottest new start-ups in Silicon Valley," the San Jose Lasers is California's first women's professional basketball team. The season began Oct. 18 and continues through playoffs in early March. There are eight teams in the nationwide league, which is split into East and West conferences.
Stanford women's basketball fans will recognize a few Lasers names: Sonja Henning, Anita Kaplan, Val Whiting and Jennifer Azzi, who also played on the U.S. Olympic basketball team.
Most players came from out of state and were shocked by the high cost of living upon their arrival last September. When Lasers management asked for community volunteers to board the young women until they could find affordable housing, Sunnyvale residents Ted and Risa Feely offered their guest room to No. 55, Sheri Sam.
"I have a 12-year-old who plays basketball," Risa said. "I thought that would be a neat experience. I also wanted to support the team.
"We are real avid women's basketball team fans," she continued. "We follow a lot of college teams, not just the local ones. My daughter Sarah knew who Sheri was and what position she played for Vanderbilt. One night at the dinner table my daughter said, 'I remember the game against Georgia in the NCAA--you scored 30 points for the team.' Sheri smiled."
Risa said Sam set a good example for Sarah, who plays Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball, a traveling team for ages 11-17.
"Sheri was always ready to practice," Risa said. "All her stuff would be packed and ready before she was going to get her ride. She was always very well-organized. There are certain things you do whether you are 12 or 22 to be prepared."
For the Sunnyvale family, sharing their home with a professional basketball player "was really exciting because I like basketball. I got to see how they live and how they are like," Sarah said.
During the month Sam spent with the Feelys, she joined them for dinner most nights.
Although a very shy person, Sam graciously chatted with Sarah's school friends, shaking their hands and taking time to talk with them about their activities, said Risa.
Because of her hectic schedule, the Feelys didn't get to show Sam around much. She did manage to catch a performance at San Jose Live. And the Louisiana native did get a general impression of the community: "It's a lot different from Louisiana, but it's not hard to adapt to; the people are really friendly. But the food is different; I'm used to Creole cooking and Cajun cooking. The structure of the city is different--a little more spaced out, more of a homey feeling than the Bay Area."
The youngest of eight children, Sam said she and her siblings received a clear message from their parents that sports are important. Her father, now an auto mechanic, was a pitcher back when blacks and whites had separate leagues.
Her mother loved watching the children play. Sam played basketball on the playground every day from age 8. She first played on a team in junior high.
"I was nervous the first time I tried out for a team, but I was the biggest one on the court and intimidated the other players. That gave me a little confidence,"
At 6-feet, 1-inch, the 22-year-old forward is now the fourth tallest Laser.
"Basketball has gotten me a college degree," Sam acknowledged. "Lots of times when I could have gone down the wrong road, I always had basketball guiding me the right way in life."
Sam said she takes the sport very seriously and tries to give back as much as she gets from it.
With salaries ranging from $40,000 to $120,000, Lasers understand that while they might become famous playing on the court, they certainly will not become rich. Each has earned a college degree; Sonja Henning graduated from Stanford and Duke Law School. Several players would like to coach or go into sports medicine, sports marketing or broadcasting when they retire.
A Vanderbilt graduate, Sam majored in human and organizational development. "It's like the business leadership type and human resources areas, dealing with the people part of the business," she explained. "I'm going into sports marketing either for a professional team or a shoe company."
Sam has another goal: "I want to play until 2000 because one of my dreams is to go to the Olympics."
Former Olympian Azzi told Sam what it was like to be on the U.S. basketball team. "She just reiterated the fact of it being something special, a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Sam said. Azzi also helped Sam transition into playing pro basketball.
Head Coach Jan Lowry said the team is "pretty balanced. We have some quickness at our parameter spots. We have some speed with our point guards and off guards. I think we are pretty solid inside. We are big and strong. With those qualities we have a good shot at beating anybody.
"We're really excited about this opportunity," Lowry said of the ABL. "It's something women have been looking forward to for years. Now it's at hand. So we've got to make it happen, make sure we take care of every aspect of what we're doing. Not only do we have to put a good product on the floor, we've got to be good role models off the floor. And we've got to be in the community. It's exciting to have the opportunity to do all those things."
Recently fellow teammate Azzi presented an award to the only girl on a coed basketball team at a San Francisco school. Azzi believes she and other female basketball players have "changed the minds of the American public as far as what they think of female athletes now; it's fun to be a part of that scene. People respect us now, and it's not just girls out there playing to have a good time."
Lasers home games are played at San Jose State University's Event Center, Seventh and San Carlos streets. For more information, call 271-1500 or check out the World Wide Web site at www.sjlasers.com.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 8, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.