| SNEAK PEEK INSIDE THE WOMEN'S
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
So what can
you expect to see if (scratch that — make that when) you come
to see the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee?
Oh sure, like
any Hall of Fame, there will be lots of old stuff and, of course,
plaques recognizing Hall of Fame inductees for their achievements.
But there's more than that. Here's your sneak peek at what's inside
the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Well, we'd
better start outside. At one end of the Hall of Fame building is
the biggest basketball you've ever seen. It's 30 feet tall and weighs
10 tons, and it sits on top of a glass staircase that looks like
a basketball net. You can't miss it.
At the other
end of the building is another big basketball, but this one is made
out of bricks, and it's flat and embedded in the ground. You'll
walk across it as you enter the Hall of Fame. Many of the bricks
have names engraved on them. You can have one with your name on
it, too. (If you're interested in purchasing a brick, call the Women's
Basketball Hall of Fame at 865.633.9000.)
 Once
you get inside the Hall of Fame, the first thing you'll see is a
sculpture called "Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Promote
the Future." That's because there are three players —
one from the past, complete with her middie blouse and bloomers;
another from the present, wearing a USA Basketball uniform (at 17
feet tall, do you think she is someone Coach Nell Fortner would
like to have on the US Olympic team in 2000?); and the third from
the future, a young girl dribbling a basketball between her legs.
After you buy
your ticket, the first thing you will see once you are officially
inside the Hall of Fame is a film called "Hoopful of Hope."
The film recounts the history of women's basketball all the way
from 1892, when Senda Berenson first adapted Dr. Naismith's original
rules to make the game more "ladylike" (yeah, you heard me right)
for her students at Smith College, all the way up to the present
and the WNBA. Think history is boring? Think again. Bet you learn
some things you never knew about women's hoops.
You'll learn
even more at the next stop on your tour of the Hall of Fame. It's
a timeline with highlights from the first 100 years of women's basketball.
You may be surprised to learn that women haven't always played the
five-player, full-court game, or that there used to be a limit on
the number of times that you could dribble the ball, or that you
used to have to pull a chain for the ball to go through the basket.
Speaking of
Berenson, you'll be able to listen to her — well, at least
an animatronic version — give her thoughts on the early days
of the game.
As you work
your way through the Hall of Fame, the next thing you'll see is
a replica of an old locker room — quite a contrast to the modern
locker room that comes next. Want to see what a player's locker
really looks like? Well, here it is — complete with uniforms,
shoes, warm-ups and all other kinds of neat stuff. The best part
of the modern locker room exhibit, though, is the video. Here's
your chance to sit in the locker room before the game or at halftime
and listen to Pat Summitt (Tennessee), Geno Auriemma (Connecticut),
Leon Barmore (Louisiana Tech), Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech), Tim Ritchie
(West Texas Flyers), Nell Fortner (USA Basketball), and Lynn Burkey,
Jack Harlow, and Rick Insell (Tennessee Stars).
There are lots
of displays throughout the Hall of Fame with all kinds of unique
memorabilia, from Olympic uniforms to WNBA gear, from rule books
and balls to trophies and medals. Up above, there are more than
100 jerseys hanging from the rafters, representing players who have
been recognized as high school or collegiate All-Americans. There
are also two videos in this area — "Honor the Past," with
former players, coaches and administrators talking about "what it
used to be like," and "Current Champions," which gives
you an inside look at some of today's top players, like Chamique
Holdsclaw and Nykesha Sales.
Downstairs
is where the real fun is. Here's your chance to show your stuff
on the basketball court. Don't forget to bring your sneakers! There
are three goals where you can shoot hoops, a dribbling course where
you can check your time, passing interactives where you can try
your hand at passes ranging from a simple chest pass to a behind-the-back
pass and a tip-off interactive, where you can measure your vertical
leap against the likes of Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper. You can
even see what you would look like in a uniform from the 1920s, 1940s,
1960s or 1990s at the photo ops along the edge of the playground.
Back upstairs,
there's a display on the advances that have been made in sports
medicine and athletic training throughout the years. There's also
an exhibit about the All American Red Heads. Haven't heard of them?
Well, the Red Heads were a touring squad that traveled all across
the United States for 50 years, playing against men's teams with
men's rules. In order to play for the Red Heads, you had to have
red hair, either natural or "henna-enhanced."
Like the modern
locker room, the "In the Huddle" interactive gives you a chance
to see what it's really like on the sideline as you eavesdrop on
coaches during time-outs that were taped at actual games. What are
LSU's Sue Gunter, North Carolina State's Kay Yow, Illinois' Theresa
Grentz, or Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer really like? Here's your
chance to find out.
Then there's
"I'm in the Hall," where you'll have a chance to create your own
Web page. Then go back home and show your friends that you are,
well, "in the hall."
There's a "Winners'
Wall," recognizing championship teams all the way from grassroots
age group organizations to the Olympics. And then, of course, there
is the Hall of Honor, where you can learn about the achievements
of the Hall of Fame's inductees.
Finally, there's
the Big Finish Theater, a fast-paced, action-packed video that is
sure to get you pumped up as you enter "Trophies," the Hall
of Fame's gift shop. You don't want to leave without stopping there.
If you're looking for a basketball souvenir (any kind of basketball
souvenir), you definitely can find it there.
Whew! That's
a quick walk, or rather, a quick run-through of the Hall of Fame.
But you really need to see it for yourself, so y'all come. We'll
be looking for you.
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