Big things happening in Mississippi
December 6, 2004 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Mississippi Miracles News Release
Greenwood, MS. At 7PM tonight, history will be made at the Leflor Civic Center in Greenwood, Mississippi, when Amy Williams takes the floor as a player for the ABA Mississippi Stingers, the first woman player in ABA history. Ms. Williams is a 6'7" center that led Jackson State's women to the last two outstanding seasons. She has passed up offers to play internationally and hopes to continue her career in the United States. Dr. Morris Britton, team owner and player, was instrumental in bringing her to the team.
The debut of Amy will be the scene of a battle for first place by two of the top teams in the ABA, as the Stingers, on a five game winning streak, take on the Nashville Rhythm - the team led by the only female head coach in the ABA, Ashley McElhiney.
To add to the excitement of the game, the Rhythm brings not only their 6-1 record, but also one of Mississippi's favorite sons, Mississippi State's former star Dontae Jones. Jones is the leading scorer in the ABA Blue division averaging over 30 points a game. The Stinger rosters boasts a number of names familiar to Mississippi basketball bans inlcuding Detrick White, Brandon Vincent and Horatio Webster of Mississippi State; David Sanders of Ole Miss; tim Henerson and Morris Britton of Jackson State; Delta State's former All Americans, Dennis Douglas and Chris Sykes, and Cohoma JC's Tyrone Davis.
As relates to Ms. Williams, Coach Andy Stoglin says, "I have known Amy for two years and have watched her play and develop. The toughness I noticed her displaying against college men at Jackson State made me think it would be possible for her to play in this league. If Amy had not injured her knee her senior year, she could be in the WNBA today. She has great hands and a soft shot. I hope that by working with the Stinger team she will completely rehabe her knee and be in shape for WNBA tryouts this spring." Dr. Britton added, "This is all about helping Amy and I think she will help our team too. And she's also one of the tallest players on our roster - we're excited about having the first woman play in the ABA - playing against the first woman coach. This is truly a history-making league."
Game time is 7PM; tickets are $7. at the door. For more information, call Travis Gordon at 601 664 1879 or email jadvocat@aol.com or visit www.abalive.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
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American Basketball Association Stories from December 6, 2004
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- RimRockers topple Rhythm on the road - Arkansas RimRockers
- Big things happening in Mississippi - Mississippi Miracles
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