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The
Wrentham, Massachusetts based Lady Gators
Basketball Organization was founded by Leo
Maloney in 1992 with the idea of giving girls
the opportunity to learn the game of basketball,
develop basic skills, meet and make new friends,
and have the chance to work towards a common
goal. The teams consist of players from various
locations throughout Massachusetts and Rhode
Island.
The Lady
Gators have had a great deal of success since
their inception. In 1992 the Gators earned a
place in history when they were honored with a
team display in the NBA Hall of Fame in
Springfield, Mass. for holding a team to 3
points during a tournament game.
In the
1992-93 season the Gators posted an amazing 32-8
record, and won the Fort Devens Invitational
Girls Tournament by being the only team to go
undefeated.
The
1993-94 Gators had only one returning player to
the team, but had a season beyond expectations,
posting a record of 32-13. They won the Eastern
Division Championship of the South Shore Girls
Basketball League, and were runners up in both
the League championship game and also the
Milford Invitational Girls Tournament. The Lady
Gators then went on to win the Championship of
the Eastern Ontario Goodwill games held in
Ottawa, Canada. All in all a great season!
In the
spring of 1995 the Lady Gators became members of
the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) – New England
Association. The Lady Gators entered 6
tournaments throughout New England and New
York. The Gators were extremely successful
winning 2 championships out of the 6 tournaments
they entered.
In October
of 1995 the Lady Gators became members of the
Youth Basketball of America Association (YBOA)
based in Florida and shortly thereafter were
qualified to represent Massachusetts in the 15
year old girls division in the YBOA National
Championship Tournament which was held in
Orlando, Florida July 6-14, 1996.
In 1995
The Lady Gators hosted their first AAU Girls
Basketball Tournament in June – “Shootout
Classic” at Wheaton College in Norton, and have
since seen the tournament grow to 120 teams and
added a second tournament in early April –
“Spring Fling” at Clark University in Worcester,
Ma. which has drawn 137 teams from all areas of
the country. Both tournaments have become
amongst the biggest in New England.
During the
1996 AAU season the Lady Gators won tournament
championships in New Hampshire, Connecticut and
Maine receiving gold medals in all three
tournaments. They also received silver medals
in the Connecticut and New Jersey tournaments.
In July of
1996 and 1997 the Lady Gators participated in
the YBOA National Championship Tournament held
in Polk County, Florida. The Lady Gators
finished the overall tournament by being ranked
#8 in the US in both the 15 year old division
and the 16 year old division respectively. The
team received trophies along with individual
medals for each player.
Our goal
of competing in a National Championship
tournament was fulfilled, and being ranked #8 in
the country two years in a row was an
accomplishment beyond our expectations. This
deed was accomplished only through hard work and
team spirit from both players and coaches.
In 1998
the Gators broke their team season high wins
record by getting 41 wins with only 14 losses,
including being crowned Champions of the
Portlaise Invitational tournament held in
Ireland.
In the
spring of 1999 the Lady Gators expanded the
organization to 4 teams, including a 12 year old
team, two 14 year old teams and a 16 year old
team, with a total of 36 players from all over
Massachusetts.
Each team
participated in 13 tournaments totaling 52 games
per team, a huge but successful undertaking.
The 4 teams won a total of 5 Championships
during the spring/summer season, which was far
beyond our expectations when we expanded.
In 2000,
the Lady Gators organization traveled south to
the YBOA National Championships in Polk County,
Florida. The 17 year old Lady Gators finished
off an impressive regular season by finishing
5th in the nation! The 15 year old Gators
capped off their season with an 8th place
Nationals finish. Competing in the National
Championships was a learning experience for all
teams involved and will be a memory that will be
cherished forever.
In 2001,
the 14 and 16 year old Lady Gators teams
traveled to Ireland where they went undefeated,
made new friends, and had a great vacation.
Also in
2001,
the Lady Gators announced their new sister team
in Wicklow Ireland.
In 2002,
the Lady Gators had 11U and 15U teams. The 11U
team had a very impressive 28 and 12 season. The
15U team had a 21-win season with an exciting
final game in Vermont with the team winning in
spectacular fashion, playing with only 4 players
for the last 5 minutes of the game.
In 2003,
the Lady Gators had five teams: 11U, 12U, two
14U, and a 16U Team. The 12U team continued
their winning ways with a 33 and 7 record and
hopes for the state championship next year. Six
of the members of the 12U team joined a Walpole
town team to participate in the Bay State Games
and won the
Gold Medal.
They subsequently played in the State Games of
America in Hartford Connecticut and won the
Gold Medal
for their age division. The 16U team had a 500
season but an outstanding second half record of
15 and 5.
In 2004,
the Lady Gators had two teams, 12/13U and
16/17U, that had very successful seasons.
After finishing
with the 16U Lady Gators in the fall of 2004,
Coach Palizza moved his priorities to Rhode
Island, where he formed a 12U team. Due to a
late start, the Lady Gators played the 2005
Spring season with only 9 players on their
roster. The girls were very hard-working and
team-oriented. The team was also very
inexperienced and played strictly man-to-man
defense. They got off to a slow start going 0-8.
However, they finished the last part of the
season 5-7 for a 5-15 record overall. Things
began to turn around for the Lady Gators when
Nikki Ellis hit a last second shot for the
team's first win in a 28-27 victory over the
Weson Fillies.
In the Fall of
2005, the team added some new players and with
more experience, they went 5-6.
At tryouts for
Spring 2006, we had a large number of girls come
out for the team. As 13U's and playing in the
"A" bracket of the tournaments we attended, the
Lady Gators went 19-12. This included a 9-2
streak over the last 3 tournaments. few of the
girl's more exciting victories were a
hard-fought 48-38 win over the Providence Lady
Pride, a 44-42 nailbiter over the New Hampshire
Roadrunners and a very up-tempo 55-44 win over
Dana Barros in which the Gators hit 8 3-point
shots.
I would
like to thank my staff, the families of the
Gators who made many sacrifices for their
daughters to play basketball and to the many
people who sponsor and support the organization,
but, most of all the players, who make up the
Lady Gators Basketball organization.
Leo
Maloney
Director of the Lady Gators |
