So, I got thinking about Pearl Moore the other day. You know, the all-time leading scorer in women’s college basketball history. Her name popped up, and I went down a bit of a rabbit hole.
I started digging around, just reading stuff online. Her scoring record is just insane, right? Over 4,000 points! Nobody else is even close in AIAW/NCAA history. It got me really curious about how she actually played back then, in the 70s.
Trying to picture it
Finding actual game footage from that era, especially clear stuff showing her specific moves consistently, wasn’t easy. Lots of mentions of her scoring, her consistency, playing for Francis Marion. But seeing exactly how she got all those points, the rhythm, the style back then… it’s different from just reading stats.
I spent a good chunk of an afternoon just searching, trying to piece together a picture. Found some articles, mentions of her work ethic, playing all the time. It seemed like sheer volume and determination were huge parts of it, alongside the skill, of course. The game looked different back then too.
On the court – kind of
Then I had this idea. Maybe just for fun, try and channel some of that relentless scoring mindset during my usual pickup game. Not that I have her skill, obviously, but just the attitude. Focus purely on getting shots up, finding ways to score, every single possession.
Here’s what happened:
- I showed up at the park court, like usual.
- Warming up, I decided, okay, today’s the ‘Pearl Moore’ day, just focus on scoring.
- The game started. And honestly? It felt weird.
- My usual game is more about passing, setting screens, playing defense. Just trying to force shots or look for my own offense constantly felt… off.
- My buddies were looking at me funny. Like, “Dude, pass the ball!”
It didn’t really work, at least not in the context of our casual run. It messed up the flow. Maybe my interpretation was too simplistic. It wasn’t just about shooting; it was about how she fit into her team, the system they played, the era of basketball she dominated.
So, the experiment kind of fizzled out after maybe half the game. I went back to playing my normal way. It made me appreciate team basketball more, I guess. But it also gave me a deeper respect for what Moore accomplished. Scoring that much, consistently, over a whole career? It takes a special kind of focus and skill, regardless of the era.
It wasn’t really a ‘practice’ of her skills, more like a practical reminder that you can’t just copy-paste history onto today’s game. But thinking about her story, her record? Still pretty mind-blowing.
