It's time for the first-quarter grade for the American Basketball League, and even the toughest critic would have to give the ABL at least a B+. My grade would be an A-, and with the proper pleading and begging, I might even drop the minus.
Attendance is fine, the games are on TV, the scores are on the Associated Press wire service and the presence of the women's pro game has filtered into the American sporting consciousness.
My own experience with the San Jose Lasers has been uniformly positive. The team is run professionally, there's more than just the game (but not too much more) and the arena is consistently three-quarters full.
Will it last when the NCAA shifts into high gear? That's hard to say, because a lot of the fans in San Jose (and Columbus and Hartford and Seattle) are college fans as well, and no one knows how many games they'll drive through winter weather to pay for.
When they arrive, one thing is for sure: They'll see high quality basketball played with intensity and skill.
Some are complaining that the ABL is too physical, certainly more physical than the European version of the women's game. Though it's certainly true that it's hard for some of the offensive stars to be as spectacular as they might be because of the physical, pressure defense that never seems to let up, consider the alternative. Would fans rather see teams playing hard on both ends every night, or watch a kind of all-star exhibition game where people only worked on offense?
The ABL work ethic is very obvious in Columbus, where Brian Agler has a very quick team playing serious defense and running the floor with abandon. Sure the Quest is small, but their tenacity -- and the spectacular play of Nikki McCray -- gave them a perfect record through the first ten games of the season.
Atlanta, the team most thought had the best chance to be 10-0, doesn't seem quite as physical, or as intense, as Columbus, and as a result has started slowly. But it's early yet, and the grind has just begun. It well could be that the Quest will burn out while the Glory makes a late run; or it could be that Agler and company are on top because, simply, they're the best team.
But the burnout question points to the biggest flaw in the ABL game plan: the 10-woman roster. Not only will it be hard for players to hold up for all 40 games, but when an injury or two strikes, it's devastating. San Jose had two guards hurt (Jenni Ruff and Jennifer Azzi) and was literally down to one backcourt player. The Lasers simply couldn't compete that night because the bench wasn't long enough, and they were playing Seattle, which isn't a backcourt-oriented team. It's frightening to think what would happen to San Jose if the Lasers had to try and match up with Atlanta or Columbus with only Sonja Henning as a true guard -- but this won't be the last time a team is in big trouble because of a run of injuries at one position.
Injuries are going to be a big problem for another reason: There's a big dropoff when most teams go to the bench. Sure, there are a lot of very good women's basketball players in the league, but there are few very stars. When the big guns go down, the role players aren't ready to step in. Even though there are only eight teams, the depth isn't there yet, and probably won't be until there's a merger between the two leagues and all the Americans come home from Europe.
But these are quibbles. Overall, the ABL is everything its founders hoped it would be. It's a showcase for a brand of basketball that has its own charm and its own style, and it's a well-run showcase as well.
Whatever the future holds, those involved in the league aren't going to look back and wonder `What if?' They've done their job, and done it well. Forces outside their control will probably decide the future -- but they, and all of us, should enjoy this classy ride for as long as it lasts.
11/16/96