The year 1972 was groundbreaking for women’s sports with the passage of Title IX, a federal gender equity law that increased participation of girls and women in athletics.
During the 50-year anniversary of this game-changing legislation, the St. Louis American has been celebrating the talent and achievement of women in sports from several generations.
In my final installment of the summer, I’ve assembled a St. Louis metro area girls’ basketball team from 1980, the year I first moved to the area, to the present. Here is my team, listed in alphabetical order.
Rita Adams (East St. Louis, 2000): Adams was a star point guard at East St. Louis Lincoln and East St. Louis in the late 1990s. As a junior in 1999, Adams led Lincoln to a berth in the Illinois Class AA state championship year. She went on to have a stellar four-year collegiate career at the University of Kentucky.
LaShonda Albert (Wellston, 1994): A 6’1” guard who was one of the most talented players ever to lace them up in the St. Louis area. She scored 69 points in a district championship game against Orchard Farm her senior year, when she led Wellston to the Class 2A state championship. She averaged 29 points a game as a senior. She went on to play collegiate ball at Central Missouri, where she was a NCAA Division II All-American.
Angelina Bonner (Southwest, 1981): The first true star player from the Public High League, she was Ms. Show-Me Basketball as a senior. She averaged 30 points in the state tournament, including 40 in the state championship game. She went on to enjoy a stellar collegiate career at Kansas State.
Felicia Chester (Incarnate Word Academy, 2006): The versatile 6’2” forward led IWA to the Class 5 state championship in 2006. She went on to have a stellar collegiate career at DePaul, where she made the All-Big East Team. She was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA in 2011.
Napheesa Collier (Incarnate Word Academy, 2015): The 6’2” Collier is the most decorated player ever from the St. Louis metro area. After leading Incarnate Word to three consecutive state championships, Collier was selected to the McDonald’s All-American game in 2015. She went on to have a stellar four-year collegiate career at national powerhouse UConn, where she helped the Huskies win two NCAA national championships. She was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, where she was the Rookie of the Year in 2019. She was also a member of the USA’s gold-medal winning team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Kristin Folkl (St. Joseph’s 1994): The 6’2” Folkl had the most dominant high school prep career in the history of St. Louis sports, male or female. From 1991 to 1994, she led St. Joseph’s to four consecutive state championships in both basketball and volleyball. Folkl led the Angels on a 71-game winning streak in basketball. She went on to play both sports in college at Stanford, where she was an All-American in both. She also helped lead the Cardinals to the NCAA Tournament Final Four in basketball twice.
Tara “Peaches” Harris (Gateway Tech, 2000): A 5’9” point guard, Harris was a four-year starter for the Jaguars during their dominant run during the late 1990s. She was the floor general of the Jaguars’ two state championship teams in 1997 and 1999. She went on to play at UNC-Charlotte where she set records for 3-point shooting.
Tina Hutchinson (East St. Louis Lincoln, 1983): The 6’3” Hutchinson was one of the most talented players we’ve ever seen in this area. She was a tremendous athlete who could play all five positions. She was the Parade Magazine National Player of the Year in 1983. As a freshman at San Diego State, she averaged 30 points and six steals a game. If not for a knee injury, she would probably still be the NCAA career leader in scoring.
Niele Ivey (Cor Jesu, 1996): The 5’7” point guard led Cor Jesu to the Class 4 state championship and an undefeated season in 1995. She went on to have a great college career at Notre Dame, where she led the Fighting Irish to the NCAA national championship in 2001. She played in the WNBA and is currently the head coach at her alma mater, Notre Dame.
Petra Jackson (University City, 1981): The 5’9” Jackson was a star shooting guard for U. City who went on to set collegiate records at Southern Illinois University. She was inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame. She is currently the head coach of the St. Louis Surge.
Theresa Lisch (Althoff, 2004): Lisch enjoyed a great career at Althoff, where she led the Crusaders to a berth in the IHSA state championship game as a senior. She went on to have a record-setting collegiate career at Saint Louis University. She is a part of the very talented Lisch basketball family.
Sug Sutton (Parkway North, 2016): The talented point guard was a McDonald’s All-American selection in 2016. She led the Vikings to the Final Four of the state tournament in 2015. She had an excellent four-year college career at Texas. She was drafted by the Washington Mystics of the WNBA.
Tammy Wilson (Hazelwood Central, 1985): Another one of the great stars from the 80’s, Wilson was an athletic 5’11” forward who could do it all. She led the Hawks to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 1984 and 1985. She was an All-American player at Central Missouri State.
I’ll put this high school team against any in the nation, dating back to 1980.
