Women's Basketball: Ladies of the Hardwood
Roberta Williams: A Prolific Scorer
South Carolina State University
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 win 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, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Hall of Fame, and the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame. She is 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.
Jackie Dolberry was a dominant Division II basketball star for the Hampton Lady Pirates. Despite flying under the mass media’s radar in the 1980s, she was a three-time CIAA Player of the Year and multi-time All-American (Kodak All-American, American Women’s Sports Foundation (AWSF), Black College Sports Information Directors Association (BCSIDA), and the Black College Sports Report). She famously led Hampton to its first and only NCAA Division II National Championship in 1988. Dolberry finished her career as the CIAA all-time scoring leader with 2645 points…still a CIAA all-time best and ranked in the top eight in school history for rebounds, steals, and assists.
Jackie was inducted into the CIAA and Hampton University Hall of Fame.
Pat Hoskins Rules the Lane for the Lady Delta Devils
Mississippi Valley State University
Patricia “Pat” Hoskins was a dominant, record-setting center for Mississippi Valley State University from 1986 to 1989. A four-time All-American and All-SWAC selection, she became only the second woman in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding in a single season. During her historic 1989 campaign, she set an NCAA record by averaging 33.6 points per game and dropped two remarkable 55-point performances just weeks apart. Hoskins finished her collegiate career as an unstoppable force in the paint, amassing a then-NCAA-record 3,122 career points alongside a towering career rebounding average of 15.1, which still ranks second in Division I history.
She is inducted into the Mississippi Valley State Hall of Fame and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
Miriam Walker-Samuels: NAIA Scoring Queen
Claflin College
Miriam Walker led the Pantherettes of Claflin College to two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship finals and was a two-time MVP. She set nine NAIA records, including most points in a game (62 vs. Dillard in 1988), most points in a season (1,303 in 1989), and most points in a career (3,855 from 1987 to ’90). The three-time All-American guard is still among the top scoring record holders in the NAIA. She was inducted into the Claflin University Athletics Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame, and the NAIA Hall of Fame.
Tracy Saunders: 1991 National Player of the Year
Norfolk State University
Tracy Saunders was the catalyst for the 1991 Norfolk State Div. II Championship team. The 3-time All-CIAA star was Player of the Year and Kodak/NCAA Division II National Player of the Year in 1991. She led NSU to an NCAA Division II record 33 straight wins to start the season and finish with a program-best 33-2 record and a 95-25 record during her four seasons. She ranks third all-time at NSU with 2,084 points, fourth in rebounds with 978, third in steals and fourth in games played. Tracy set NSU single-season records with 294 field goals made and 158 steals during the 1990-91 season. Saunders was presented with the Honda Award, which recognizes the best female athlete across all sports in NCAA Division II and honored by the American Women’s Sports Federation All-America third team. She is in the CIAA Hall of Fame, NSU Sports Hall of Fame, the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame. Her jersey No. 10 is retired.
Lisa Rice Led the Nation in Assists
Norfolk State University
After a highly decorated high school career in Virginia, elite point guard Lisa Rice became a legendary playmaker for Norfolk State University. Under Head Coach James Sweat, she led the Norfolk State Spartanettes to three consecutive CIAA Championships (1992–1994) and back-to-back NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances. A two-time Kodak All-American and the 1995 CIAA Player of the Year, Rice dominated in the postseason as a three-time CIAA Tournament MVP. She finished her collegiate career as the NCAA Division II all-time assists leader (1,067)—setting multiple single-game, single-season, and tournament assist records along the way—and is enshrined in both the Norfolk State University Athletic and CIAA Halls of Fame.
Natalie White: "Just Do It"
Florida A&M University
Natalie White was an absolute force on the court as a point guard at Florida A&M University (FAMU). Her college career reads like a highlight reel: NCAA record for most steals in a game with 14 against South Alabama in 1991… led the nation in steals with 143 in 28 games (5.1 per game). 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. The perennial All-MEAC and Black College All-American was named to the All-MEAC First Team…BCSIDA 2nd Team…Black College Sports First Team in 1994. She was named the 1995 MEAC Player of the Year. In her senior season, she led the nation in steals with 172 (new NCAA record).Natalie was inducted into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame and the Florida A&M Hall of Fame. White served as the senior vice president and later the interim president and COO of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
