Althea Gwyn
American basketball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Althea Regina Gwyn[1] (May 19, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who was one of the first players in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL).[2][3]
(Long Island, New York)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 19, 1956 |
| Nationality | American |
| Career information | |
| High school | Amityville Memorial High School (Long Island, New York) |
| College | Queens College |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life and education
Gwyn started her basketball career at Amityville Memorial High School on Long Island.[2][4] She went on to play at Queens College, playing on February 22, 1975, in the first women's college basketball game to ever be held at Madison Square Garden.[2][3][5] She achieved All-American status in 1978 and was a leading rebounder while at Queens College.[2][3]
Gwyn played for the USA Women's Team in the 1977 World University Games, under her Queens College coach Lucille Kyvallos.[6]
Career
After a brief stint playing amateur basketball in Belgium, Gwyn returned to the United States to play for the New York Stars, a team in the WBL.[3][4] She chose the WBL over the chance to play for the 1980 Olympic Team.[2][4] Gwyn later played for the league's New England Gulls.[2]
Gwyn went on to be inducted into the Queens College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, and was named a Trailblazer of basketball by the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.[3]
After retiring from professional sports, Gwyn worked for the fire department of Fayetteville, North Carolina.[7]