Women's Basketball: Ladies of the Hardwood
Roberta Williams: A Prolific Scorer
Roberta Williams was the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs’ first female athlete to receive a full scholarship in 1976. By the time her career ended in 1980, the Burke High graduate had become the most prolific scorer in SCSU women’s basketball history, pouring in over 2000 points while leading her team in scoring for three seasons.
She led the Lady Bulldogs to a 121-13 record that concluded with the 1978 AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) National Division II Basketball Championship finals which ended with a narrow 92-88 loss to High Point. The Lady Bulldogs vindicated themselves with a 73-38 over Dayton in the 1979 AIAW finals and their first national championship. Williams was named the Most Valuable Player.
Williams was a three-time All-MEAC, All-State, All-Region, and two-time AIAW All-American.
In 1980, she was a second-round draft pick of the San Francisco Pioneers, the first U.S. professional women’s basketball league.
Williams was inducted into the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Hall of Fame and a member of the MEAC’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Basketball Team.
In 2018, she was honored as a “Trailblazer of the Game” by the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Hall of Fame, and both the City of Charleston (2018) and the Avery Research Center of Charleston (2019) honored the SC State basketball legend with a “Roberta Williams Day” celebration.
Four-time All-CIAA performer and three-time CIAA player-of-the-year Jackie Dolberry played for head coach James Sweat and the Hampton Lady Pirates, who were the top contender every year in the CIAA. Playing Division II, Jackie largely went unnoticed by the mass media, but in the 1980s, she was undoubtedly one of the best players of the country. Hampton University’s 1987-88 magical season saw Dolberry eclipsed former Lady Pirate Anita Cooper’s all-time scoring record (1795, 1982-86) with 2645 points…still a CIAA all-time best). They got an invitation to the NCAA Div. II Tournament and she joined teammate Venice Frazier to lead the Lady Pirates to their first and only national championship…defeating West Texas State, 65-48. Dolberry was ranked in all four statistical standings: no. 4 all-time career rebounds (to go along with the all-time 2645 points) …2nd in career steals- 343…8th in assists -433.
Pat Hoskins Rules the Lane for the Lady Delta Devils
Pat Hoskins dominated the paint as a four time All-America and All -SWAC center at Mississippi Valley State University from 1986-89. In 1989, Pat had two 55 points scoring games…vs. Southern University and Alabama State two weeks apart, which was the fifth highest scoring totals in NCAA Division I history. She is only the second woman in NCAA history to lead the NCAA Division I in scoring and rebounds in a season. Her scoring average -33.6 points per game– set another NCAA Div. I record (1989).Hoskins’ 3,122 career points set another NCAA record.
Her 15.1 career rebounding average ranks second in NCAA Div. I women basketball.
Miriam Walker-Samuels: NAIA Scoring Queen
The Pantherettes of Claflin College was one of the dominant teams in NAIA Division I during the 1980s despite never winning a national championship. In Coach Nelson Brownlee career 623 victories, behind stellar performances from Miriam Walker (Samuels), the team enjoyed trips to two NAIA semi-finals and was runner up in the tournaments in 1988 and 1989.
The Walker-led teams won 17 Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournaments, seven NAIA District VI championships, six Southeastern Athletic Conference titles and four NAIA tournament appearances, but none bigger than the 1984 season when they narrowly missed winning it all.
Walker set numerous single game, season and career records including Most Points in a game, 62; Most Points -season, 1303, 1989-90 (532 FGs, 208 FTs, 37 Gms), Average per Game, 35.5, 1988-89 (1280 Points, 36 Gms) and Most Points in a Career: 3855, 1987-90 (1601 FGs, 573 FTs, 111 Gms).
Nearly a quarter-century later, the All-America guard is among the top in NAIA scoring records.
Tracy Saunders: 1991 National Player of the Year
Tracy Saunders was the catalyst on the 1991 Norfolk State Div. II Championship Team. She was 3-time All-CIAA / CIAA Player of the Year and the 1991 Kodak/NCAA Division II National Player of the Year.
Saunders was inducted into the Norfolk State University Sports Hall of Fame.
Lisa Rice Led the Nation in Assists
Lisa Rice tasted success in basketball since her high school playing days at Gloucester High School in Virginia. She was named the 1989 Female Player of the Year by the Newport News Daily Press and the 1990 Gloucester High School Female Athlete of the Year. Rice was recruited to Norfolk State by highly successful coach James Sweat and went on to lead the Spartanettes to three consecutive CIAA Championships in 1992, 1993, and 1994. They made four NCAA Division II Tournaments appearances A point guard with deft quickness and dribbling skills, Lisa led a highly productive offense and was a game changer on defendse with constant pressure, creating steals and turnovers that altered games. She led the Lady Spartans to the national quarterfinals in 1993 and 1994, and was named the CIAA Player of the Year in 1995. She was the CIAA Tournament MVP in 1992, 1993, and 1995 and set a tournament assist record with 43 in 1993. She also set a single season record with 264 assists. Rice finished her career as the all-time assists leader in NCAA Division II -1067, and shares NSU’s single game assist record of 20 (1995).
Natalie White: "Just Do It"
Natalie White’s college career reads like a highlights reel: She set a NCAA record for most steals in a game with 14 against South Alabama in 1991 and led the nation in steals with 143 in 28 games (5.1 per game). As a 5-5 point, she had 13 rebounds against Delaware State in 1993. In 1992, White twice scored career high 31 points against Florida International and Southeast Louisiana. She had a rare night for a college player when she posted a near quadruple-double with 16 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and nine steals in a game against Troy State on February 8, 1994. She capped off her senior season leading the nation in steals with 172 (new NCAA record) …2nd in team scoring – 12.3 ppg…3rd in rebounds – 6.2 rpg…120 assists…1st in free throw percentage-69%. The perennial All-MEAC point guard, Natalie was named to the All-MEAC First Team…BCSIDA 2nd Team…Black College Sports First Team in 1994.
