The start of the WNBA season this month brought record television ratings thanks to rising stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese entering their second year.
That popularity at the highest level isn’t yet trickling down to girls basketball in Wisconsin, however. In fact, participation in Wisconsin high school girls basketball has actually decreased nearly 25 percent over the past 15 years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Coaches in the state haven’t seen that trend reversing yet, although the younger age groups are showing some positive signs more recently.
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The Appleton-based AAU girls basketball program Wisconsin Blaze has seen some recent increased interest in its youth basketball teams, said Lisa Van Wyk, the program’s founder and director.
She joined WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” to discuss the impact of the WNBA, the trends she’s seeing in Wisconsin girls basketball and how it compares to other youth sports.
The following was edited for clarity and brevity.
Rob Ferrett: High school programs have reported a gradual decline in girls going into basketball, in part because of competition from other sports. How have you seen those ups and downs over the years?
Lisa Van Wyk: I’ve seen over the years, and I’ve been coaching for 30 years now, that we’ve had some struggles having enough players for three high school teams to get a freshman, JV and varsity team. I haven’t seen a change in that. It hasn’t gone in a positive direction because of the competition with volleyball, especially club volleyball, that tends to run during the basketball season.
I’ve seen girls who’ve played basketball through their middle school years decide to just focus on volleyball. So, even though there’s an increase in participation at the youth level in girls basketball in elementary, it seems to be [still decreasing] in high school because it is such a competitive sport. It’s very physical and time intensive in order to be a very impactful player, and it’s still tough to get the right type of kids competing at a high level in a number of them.
RF: How do you see that competition between sports playing out? Is it good news for volleyball and bad news for basketball?
LVW: I’ve coached so many girls and boys, both youth and collegiate, over the years, and I always say, “You have to do what you’re passionate about.” So when we have kids in our program who start off in basketball and decide to go in another direction, I love it, because it’s a sign that they’re discovering who they are, and we support them in that.
Yes, we’ve had some more competition in terms of seeing girls go toward hockey and lacrosse. There are a number of soccer players who also play basketball. But when we see them choose different sports, we’re just happy that they’re being active and they’re finding what their passion is.
RF: I know at Blaze you do basketball and volleyball, but can you make the case for us that girls out there should consider trying youth basketball?
LVW: I would say basketball is one of the premier sports that would help you develop your physical stamina, your grit, your ability to focus and think at a higher level. There’s so much to the game that challenges you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, as a communicator and as a leader. There’s just so much to the sport that helps an athlete become not only great at the sport but just a great person overall.
RF: What do club teams and school programs need to do to harness the popularity of the WNBA and women’s college basketball right now?
LVW: I think that families should spend time together watching the sport on TV and then go as a family to go watch a game live. I had the opportunity to go and watch Caitlin Clark last year, her first season with the Indiana Fever, and take our girls from our basketball team to watch them. It’s inspiring. It’s really cool because they’re right there. You can almost touch them.
You can analyze their gameplay and see that some of the things we’re doing, they’re doing. It’s really cool to just make that connection, and it’s neat for these young athletes to realize that [the players] are just everyday people. They used to be a little girl like them, and it’s possible for any of them to get to that point if they work for it.
