Althea R. Gwyn (May 19, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who was one of the first players in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL).[1][2]

Early life and education

Gwyn started her basketball career at Amityville Memorial High School on Long Island.[1][3] She went on to play at Queens College, playing on February 22, 1975, in the first women's college basketball game to ever be held at Madison Square Garden.[1][2][4] She achieved All-American status in 1978 and was a leading rebounder while at Queens College.[1][2]

Gwyn played for the USA Women's Team in the 1977 World University Games, under her Queens College coach Lucille Kyvallos.[5]

Career

After a brief stint playing amateur basketball in Belgium, Gwyn returned to the United States to play for the New York Stars, a team in the WBL.[2][3] She chose the WBL over the chance to play for the 1980 Olympic Team.[1][3] Gwyn later played for the league's New England Gulls.[1]  

Gwyn went on to be inducted into the Queens College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, and was named a Trailblazer of basketball by the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.[2]

After retiring from professional sports, Gwyn worked for the fire department of Fayetteville, North Carolina.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Baker, Tee (2022-01-17). "Remembering Queens College and WBL legend Althea Gwyn". The Next. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Queens College Athletics Mourns The Passing of Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Althea Gwyn". Queens College. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  3. 1 2 3 Harvin, Al (1979-01-07). "Althea Gwyn Finds Pro Game Suits Her". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  4. ↑ Araton, Harvey (2015-01-02). "A First at the Garden Earns an Encore". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  5. ↑ "NINTH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES -- 1977". www.usab.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  6. ↑ "Althea Gwyn". Queens College. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
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