I’m going to a rare thing in the World 🌎 of writing ✍, I will start out saying that if you’re not a fan of Women’s Hoops you should save yourself 10 minutes by skipping over this story because I don’t think you will enjoy it.
Everyone has things in their life that they feel are just not quite right with ones point of view. Some are more serious than others but I tend to leave those topics for more serious people. I do however feel strongly that the game of Women’s Hoops is treated as a coattail relative of the Men’s game.
Tonight we have #9 Duke playing at #11 Virginia Tech on a Thursday evening. There is zero question about this being the biggest regular season match-up of the Atlantic Coast Conference season.
The game is a Win-win for me as a Long Time Iron Dukes member and a fan that spent many a night across a decade watching Kenny Brooks guide our James Madison University Dukes. Kenny has a bit more gray in his beard but there was never a doubt that he was the man that Tech needed at the wheel of their program.
While I have never campaigned about the Men’s game and the Women’s game being equal, I do believe that there’s no reason for it to be a Nickle on the Dollar. Aja Wilson and Bre Stewart don’t need LeBron and Steph money but is there room to close the gap ? The person that I have had this discussion with more than anyone else with over the years is Chris Graham.
I’m not sure if I have moved the needle but I feel good for trying to do so. Before heading to Blacksburg for the game tonight I reached out to Mr. Graham to ask the question ???
How many people would need to walk through the doors at Cassell Colesium (capacity – 10,400) for the game to qualify as relevant ? The answer was 50%, now while I wasn’t smart enough to gain amitdence in Durham back in the early 1980’s I am capable of doing enough math to realize I need 5,200 fans to hit that mark.
For those who haven’t watched VT play basketball this season they play a style of defense that would make Coach Tony B up in Charlottesville pretty proud. Tonight they held the #9 team in the Country to 14 first half points.
Whether or not we break the imaginary line of 5,200 could come down to the counting system that is used for Women’s Basketball in the ACC. If its like the American League in baseball where they count tickets sold or the National League where its the number of folks that pass through the turnstiles.
We will have to wait and see what the final attendance is but here’s two things I can already tell you (1) They saw a high quality basketball game and (2) 97% percent of them will leave here Happy!
Thank You Kenny Brooks and Kira Lawson for pushing the game in the right direction because my Main Man Geno and Dawn Staley need all the help they can get because its a Long Journey.
No disrespect to the Fighting Irish , Wolfpack or the Cards programs in deeming this one the Cream of the Crop but when you add VaTech’s dislike of the Blue Devils its not even that close this year.
A.S.P.N on The Hill 