RebKell's Junkie Boards

[ClayK]

Sometimes late at night, she hears the steady drum of a worn leather basketball.

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It reminds Lusia Harris-Stewart of blinding lights, the roar of fans, sweat stinging in her eyes - days gone by.
A lifetime spent on the polished floors of the basketball court has left the Olympian with little cartilage in her knees. Just standing brings waves of pain.

"I just look at basketballs now," Stewart said. "I miss it a lot."

Last year, Stewart, 51, applied for a wheelchair from Living Independence For Everyone. The private non-profit organization provides wheelchairs, prosthetics and accessibility to the handicapped.

But to accommodate Stewart's 6-foot, 3-inch frame, a manual wheelchair will cost $1,600, according to Gracie Morlino, an independent living specialist with LIFE.

Morlino said the organization has found most of the funds to purchase the wheelchair. Stewart has chipped in with 25 percent. Some private organizations, such as Greenwood Junior Auxiliary, have donated to the cause.

But there's still a $375 balance remaining.

Stewart grew up in Minter City, shooting hoops in between school and picking cotton.

Basketball was a pastime everyone enjoyed. There was no shortage of players; Stewart is one of 11 children.
Stewart was hooked on basketball by the fifth grade. She is fascinated by the sight of the ball sinking through the hoop and its swish while passing through the net. "I just love to score," she said.

Regular practice as a child made Stewart a lightning-fast center for Amanda Elzy High School's basketball team. At Elzy, she scored a high school career record 46 points in one game.

Stewart and her team went on to win three all region and all conference games. Her accomplishments in high school were only the beginning.

At Delta State University, she averaged 25 points a game for a four-year total of 2,981 points. Stewart also snagged 1,662 rebounds.

Once, Stewart's college team also played in New York City's Madison Square Garden. The vast expanse of the arena and the bright lights dazzled her.

She broke a record for Madison Square Garden by scoring 47 points in that game.

By now, her pulse carried the rhythm of a steady basketball dribble.

Stewart was on the 1975 Pan American Team, which won a gold medal. She also played on the first Olympic women's basketball team, which won a silver medal in 1976.

She worked her way through college and graduated in 1977.
Stewart spent the rest of her career teaching and coaching high school in various schools across the Delta, including Greenwood.

Playing basketball is much easier than coaching young ones, she said. But, "seeing them execute what you've asked them to do is thrilling."

Stewart left a wake of career records behind her. They caught up with her when she was inducted in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. Two years later, her name was added to the National Hall of Fame. Next came the Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

"It's so special to be recognized as a pioneer in women's basketball," Stewart said.

Her dark eyes sparkle with spirit when she recounts the hard-won battles of old.

But these days those eyes flicker more with pain than pride. Years of leaping for rebounds and pounding up and down the courts took their toll on Stewart's body.

Besides her broken-down knees, Stewart has rheumatoid arthritis. The arthritis she inherited from her parents has settled into her shoulders and painfully knotted her fingers.

Stewart cannot stand on her own because of the pain. Her condition has left her confined to her house in Greenwood. The only way she can get around is in a wheelchair borrowed from her church.

Denise Taylor of Jackson grew up in Cleveland watching Stewart play. "She was a quiet storm on the court," Taylor said.

Stewart's tenacity and skill inspired Taylor to pursue her own career in basketball. In 1997, Taylor coached the former American Basketball Association Utah Stars.

Currently, she coaches at Jackson State University.

Stewart used to visit Taylor's basketball training camps to give students pep talks. Each year, Taylor noticed Stewart's easy gait slowly degenerating into a painful hobble. The last time Taylor saw her, Stewart was on crutches.

Taylor is working to find the funds to pay off the balance. In addition to a wheelchair, Taylor also wants to find money for two knee replacements.

Stewart doesn't expect to return to the court any time soon. But eventually she would like to leave a wheelchair and walk again. It would give her greater mobility and a chance to visit her four grown children.

In the meantime, she has plenty of friends and family to check up on her at home. "It gets depressing sometimes," Stewart said. "But they really get me through the rough spots."

For more information, contact Gracie Morlino at Living Independence For Everyone, 453-9940.

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Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā

[RedEqualsLuck]

clay - i love the thought behind the post, but you know as well as we do: NEVER copy and paste an entire article. Their site (and anything about wbball players - ESPECIALLY to do with history and their current struggles) needs the hits.

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When Jefferson wrote: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," he didn't include the word "except."