She's the legendary former Garfield High School basketball star, college All-American and Harlem Globetrotter who learned the game by playing with the boys on asphalt courts in Seattle's Central District. Joyce Walker now is being asked to restore glory to Garfield's girls-basketball program as the Bulldogs' head coach. Several of her players hail from families without much money. In girls basketball, success on the court has become a commodity. And money makes for an uneven playing field.
Participation is a prerequisite for any girl with realistic aspirations to play college ball.
Parents send their daughters to expensive summer camps or hire personal trainers for them. The investment plays out on the courts. Their parents can pay the money to get their kids the type of training that is necessary. In the Metro League, which is made up of five private and seven public schools, the last public school to win the girls-basketball championship at what is now the 3A level was Rainier Beach in 1989. Each private school has won the title since.