Sheryl Swoopes |
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Sheryl Swoopes was born on March 25, 1971. She started playing basketball at an early age. She often played with her brothers and friends. When she got to highschool, she started playing on the girls' team. She was named Texas Player of the Year when she was a Junior. Sheryl lived in a state that was home to many outstanding athletes, such as Babe Didrikson, so this was considered quite an accomplishment. After Sheryl had finished highschool, she played basketball for South Plains Junior College. There she set 28 records and became an All-American Player. From there she went on to Texas Tech, where her team won their conference both years she played for them. In her Senior year, they also won the national championship. She led her team to victory by scoring an amazing 47 points, setting a new record for most points scored in a national championship game, men's or women's. In the Final Four Tournament, Sheryl broke nine more records, including most points scored in a Final Four Tournament by a women and most points scored in a tournament. Sometimes called "the female Michael Jordan", Sheryl's impact on women's basketball has been huge. After college, Sheryl decided she wanted to continue her career in basketball. Unfortunately, there weren't any professional women's basketball teams in the United States yet, so she decided to join a team in Italy. But after playing only 10 games, she decided she wanted to go back home to Texas. She became a bank teller and sometimes played basketball at the local gym. Sheryl married Eric Swoopes on June 17, 1995, but Sheryl had also earned a spot on the nonprofessional U.S. Women's national team. They were named the Dream Team. The Dream Team toured Europe, Asia, and Australia to prepare for the 1996 Olympic games. Sheryl and the U.S. Dream Team brought home the gold medal. When Nike introduced the new Air Swoopes, they were sold out of stores immediately. Sheryl became the first women basketball player to have a shoe named after her. In 1997, Sheryl's dream finally came true, the Women's National Basketball Association was finally created. She was signed to play with the Houston Comets. She could play professionally in the United States. She had to sit out most of the season, because of the birth of her first son, Jordan (named after Michael Jordan). But six weeks later, Swoopes was back on the court. Along with the other talented players like Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, and Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl managed to make the first season of WNBA a success. Sheryl even wrote a children's book called Bounce Back, to encourage girls to shoot for their dreams. But Sheryl's influence is shown when a girls basketball team in Shallowater, Texas, in honor of our hero, named themselves "The Swoopesters." Sheryl Swoopes is a big role model for girl athletes everywhere! |
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