The temperatures are no longer blistering in Chicago, while the air quality is creeping toward normal breathability. It was a good opportunity to get some movement in.
That aligned with the pre-practice message from coaches to the girls basketball players at the South Side’s Foster Park on 84th Street on Tuesday morning. The youngsters waited anxiously in their sky-blue shirts, water bottles full, to run drills with the blue basketballs provided.
A question was asked before dispersing to the baselines:
“You ready to hoop?”
The answer was an impatient yes, followed by a rush to the courts — newly renovated with an orange 3-point line. Thus, the Line ‘Em Up clinic began and the WNBA All-Star week continued.
WNBA’s Line ‘Em Up program is a nationwide effort that involves painting an orange WNBA-distance 3-point line around each basket at select courts. It’s designed to symbolize that girls of all ages belong in basketball.
“There’s a mix of kids (here) that do and don’t play basketball and that’s what the game is supposed to be about,” said Illinois Tech athletics administrator and women’s basketball coach Carissa Sain. “Welcoming more people in and helping those that are already in get better, it’s a fun event for the city.”
The paint didn’t take long to dry, adding more time for activity. The girls went through several drills like dribbling and layup lines while coaches made sure to keep the kids focused and having fun.
It’s a type of event that may not have been available to those coaches during their own youth basketball days. Now, their goal is to ensure the next era doesn’t know a world without them.
“I had opportunities and resources that afforded me the opportunities that I have now, but I never had a WNBA All-Star event come to my town’s park,” said Oak Park native and UIC women’s basketball coach Ashleen Bracey. “When you see events like this and you see people like this that are such a big part of the community as a kid, it inspires you.”
Tuesday’s event was a part of the WNBA noise Chicago will create this week — the three-day WNBA Live fan event at McCormick Place, Friday’s skills challenge at Wintrust Arena and Saturday’s All-Star Game at the United Center are ahead. The girls at Foster Park may be present Friday, as Mayor Brandon Johnson announced a giveaway of 500 tickets for the skills challenge — which preceded Amazon’s announcement of a $75,000 donation to the Chicago Sky Foundation to “support arts and recreation across the city of Chicago.”
“This redesigned basketball court at Foster Park is a reminder to Chicago’s young girls that we see them, that we value them and that their talents matter,” Johnson said. “The All-Star weekend is a powerful opportunity for young girls to see themselves represented in professional sports and I want to make sure that as many of Chicago’s young people as possible (engage) in this weekend’s programming.”
The Chicago Sky doesn’t have any players who were selected as All-Stars this season, but the organization still intends to make the city’s hosting effort one to remember. Sky co-owner Nadia Rawlinson emphasized Chicago as a basketball town and Tuesday’s featured attendees echoed the importance of showing newcomers it’s a great place to be.
“To be able to show people just what Chicago is all about and how well supported women’s hoops (and) sports is in Chicago, it’s honestly just an incredible experience for everybody,” Bracey said. “It shows the community of Chicago and how we do things and our mentality around it.”
After the practices finished, the kids sat across the taped 3-point line with their paint-soaked brushes and colored the court’s green into a WNBA orange. Johnson painted the final gap and was showered with cheers.
The bright, sunny day in Foster Park was filled with smiles, fun and exercise — the type of South Side event the mayor said he wants to promote.
“I’m grateful to the WNBA (and the) Chicago Sky Foundation (for) partnering with my administration to bring these opportunities in our parks,” Johnson said. “It certainly matters to make these investments on the south and west sides of the city, where historically disinvestments have been, unfortunately, the more prevailing form of governance.”
The WNBA’s goal for the Line ‘Em Up clinics — a second will be held Friday at Robichaux Park — is to instill confidence in young girls.
“The kids usually end up talking about these events because of the connection and the people they got to meet,” Sain said. “I won’t know many of their names, but they will remember mine, and that then ties them to the game and it makes them become a fan of basketball and the Sky, (which) gives you some city pride.
“The more you can do it, there’s never enough of this, to be quite honest.”
