UIL State Basketball: Evolution of the Title
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Monday, March 14, 2011 3:00 PM
Peyton Little of Abilene Wylie goes up for a shot during their 3A semifinal game against Rockport Fulton. Abilene Wylie went on to win the UIL 3A State Championship. Peyton Little was the MVP of that game scoring 43 points.
Photo by Stephen Tidmore
Every year, more than 150,000 spectators travel to Austin to watch history in the making as the best of the best student-athletes in the state of Texas compete in the UIL Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball State Tournaments. Each visit is a new experience as the sport and the tournament have evolved since becoming a UIL athletic event.
The first UIL Boys’ Basketball State Tournament was held in 1921 at Gregory Gym on The University of Texas at Austin campus. That year, El Paso High School defeated San Antonio High School for the first UIL basketball state championship, 25-11. Even though that score resembles a single quarter of scoring for today’s teams, there have only been a few significant changes in the 90-year history of UIL boys’ basketball.
The Prairie View Interscholastic League (PVIL), the governing body for extracurricular activities for Texas’ African American high schools, began to merge with the UIL at the start of the 1967-68 school year. That year, Houston Wheatley High School became the first former PVIL school to win a UIL boys’ basketball state championship. The contributions made by PVIL student-athletes and coaches were extraordinary and established a legacy that continues to enhance the value of not just basketball, but all athletic competition in Texas.
“Houston Wheatley came in and performed at a high level, and set the standard for years to come,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. “It was a historic occasion and it changed the face of high school basketball.”
During the 1987-88 season, fans witnessed one of the most significant rule changes to modern-day high school boys’ and girls’ basketball, the addition of the three-point line. In 2010, more than 600 three-point field goals were attempted during the UIL Boys’ Basketball State Tournament.
Girls’ basketball joined the UIL’s slate of athletic events during the 1950-51 school year, decades prior to Title IX. The girls’ tournament underwent much of the same changes as the boys’ tournament, except for one major alteration. Until 1978, UIL girls’ basketball was played using a six-on-six, half court format where only forwards were allowed to shoot the ball. Other states, like Iowa and Oklahoma, played this brand of girls’ basketball until the 1990’s.
“Many people were doubtful that girls could play at that speed or that pace,” Breithaupt said. “But they proved quite easily that they could adapt, and the rest is history.”
In 1978, the venue changed for the basketball state tournaments. The UIL basketball state championships moved from Gregory Gym to the newly built Frank Erwin Center in Austin. Since then, the arena has been a stage for the evolution of girls’ high school basketball in the state of Texas including the first player to dunk in a UIL Girls’ Basketball State Tournament in 2009.
Basketball continues to grow as one of the most popular and most participated in sports among Texas high schools and student-athletes. The state tournaments have shared in this growth as attendance records continue to be broken. Every year, fans can count on seeing something new as the game continues to evolve.
For full results from the 2011 State Basketball Championships, go to http://www.uiltexas.org/basketball.