Tallahassee’s women’s basketball team looks ahead to playoffs

Antonio Rosado
Contributing Writer

After its 104-86 thrashing of the Gulf Coast Tropics June 19, it is clear that there is a new, competitive team in Tallahassee looking to astonish and deliver for fans. The Tallahassee Lady Thunder semi-professional women’s basketball team began its first season in the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League in May.

Team Owner and General Manager Eboni Kirby started playing in the WBCBL in Tampa, Fla., with the Tampa X-Factors. A job transfer to Tallahassee brought her back home; however, Kirby, a graduate of Florida A&M University’s Developmental Research School, did not want to stop playing basketball. She began probing around in hopes of finding a desire for a local team.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity for the women around town to start playing basketball competitively again, so I decided to start a new team,” Kirby explained. “I just asked around to see if they were interested in playing competitively again on a travel team, and people were receptive to the idea, so we started the team.” With possible players to start the franchise signing on, Kirby looked to an old friend and former coach to mold the upstart program into a team.

Head Coach Bobby Gaines said he did not hesitate to seize the opportunity to coach the Lady Thunder. “She [Kirby] called me, and she said she needed help,” Gaines admitted. ” I said that I would be there for her.” With all of the internal pieces to the puzzle intact, Kirby exhausted her remaining resources on fundraising. Even though every player on the Lady Thunder roster played collegiate basketball, the appeal of a brand new team was not attracting supporters.

“Just trying to find sponsors and get the money to fund the team was hard,” Kirby said. “Nobody knows about you, so they ask questions like, ‘what are you all doing?’ or ‘are you any good?” The answer for that was not apparent after two season opening losses; however, the ladies started clicking and won their next three games. The rapid evolution of his team’s play is a wonderful sight for Coach Gaines, considering the nationwide reach of the WBCBL. The league boasts 55 teams and elite players from all over the world.

“Some players have already been overseas and are just trying to stay in shape, while others are trying to go overseas,” Gaines said. “The league is very competitive because the women that don’t get picked up now are working that much harder to show that they are talented.” For Florida State University and FAMU student graduates and women who want to play, the objective of the Lady Thunder is to build a strong community-based foundation while providing another avenue for those who are trying to further their playing career, according to Gaines.

“With a league here, they can make a videotape to help build their resumes over the summer,” Gaines stated. “I don’t doubt our women because they can do anything they put their minds to.” Chariya Davis plays guard for the Lady Thunder and knows about resume’ building. Davis, head coach of the Rickards High School Lady Raider’s basketball team, is in the Hall of Fame at the University of Central Florida where she holds all-time records or steals and assists. She led her college team to two NCAA tournament bids, a goal she is confident her current team can attain.

“I think we have a pretty good chance to make it to the regional tournament and make it far in the playoffs,” said the soft-spoken Davis. “I think we’re getting back in the flow of it, and as the season goes on, we’ll get better.” For a team that has outscored its last three opponents by 93 points, better might be enough to land them in the national championship game in Miami, Fla. Not trying to think too far ahead, Kirby wanted the community to come out for the team’s final game of the season, a July 17 meeting with the Savannah Lady Warriors of Savannah, Ga. She wants the community to get a glimpse of the team’s progression through the first season.

“We would all like to see the community behind us,” she insisted. “We’ll make sure we get the word out to everybody who wants to come and see us play, especially for our last game because we are trying to make that a breast cancer awareness game.” Kirby asked for all supporters who attend the game to wear pink.

Any additional information can be found on the teams Website, http://www.tallahasseeladythunder.com.