Golden Tigerettes: A Legacy of Women's Basketball

Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history, stories you've probably never heard. This month we hear about women's basketball---at Langston High School and beyond.  In the last five years, Alasia Smith played basketball for Science Hill High School and two NCAA Division I teams: Gardner-Webb University and the University of Memphis. And her success has a backstory. This story goes back several generations to tell the history of a basketball family, of the Langston Golden Tigerettes, and of women's basketball itself.---Credits- CH365 is a production of the Langston Centre Media Lab- Host: Karen Sullivan- Producers: Kelvin Scott & Isaac Wood- Writer: Isaac Wood- Mix and Master: Kelvin Scott- Multicultural Engagement Manager for the Langston Centre: Adam Dickson- Thank you to LEAD and to the City of Johnson City’s Parks and Recreation Department for supporting Community History 365. - Many thanks to Jennie Jackson, Bobbie McAdams Douglass, and Leah Jackson-Smith for sharing their stories.- Thank you to the Community History 365 History Task Force for giving their collaboration and expertise.- Thank you to Rebecca Henderson for agreeing to promote CH365 in Today in Johnson City History in exchange for us promoting her newsletter.SourcesInformation about the University of Tennessee Knoxville basketballhttps://www.knoxnews.com/story/shopper-news/south-knox/2025/04/03/lady-vol-for-life-gloria-deathridge-looks-back-at-early-70s-team/82639328007/Information on Senda Berenson: https://thewestendmuseum.org/history/era/immigrant-neighborhood/senda-berenson/https://thesportjournal.org/article/book-review-senda-berenson-the-unlikely-founder-of-womens-basketball/History of Women's Basktball:https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-womens-basketball-in-america-3528489RecordingsThe Community History 365 theme song is called “Feels Good to Be” and comes from audionautix.comThe music for the Today in Johnson City History promotional comes from Pixabay.com. It's called "Uko," and it's by St Joseph Anglican Church in Likuni, Lilongwe, Malawi, Africa.The audio clip at the beginning, with music and an announcer saying "Smith," comes from this video on the Memphis Tigers Athletics YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c7P2pqPkno0 ---Community History 365 is supported by LEAD (Langston Education and Arts Development), a nonprofit created by Langston High School alumni. Seeking to preserve the school building’s integrity, legacy, and historical value, the alumni formed LEAD which helped the building open up as the Langston Centre. This multicultural facility serves the community as part of the City of Johnson City Parks and Recreation Department.