Rita Gail Easterling (born July 26, 1955) is an American former basketball player. Called 'Queen of the Floor Burns', she played college basketball for Mississippi College where she was named Kodak All-American in 1977.[1] She later played professionally for the Chicago Hustle in the Women's Professional Basketball League from 1978 to 1981 and was named the leagues MVP and All-Star MVP in 1979.[2]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | July 26, 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Morton (Morton, Mississippi) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Mississippi College (1974–1977) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| WBL draft | 1978: 1st round | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Chicago Hustle | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1981 | Chicago Hustle | ||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | Mississippi College (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1983 | Mississippi College (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1990 | Mississippi College | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
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Medals
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Prior to college, Easterling played basketball at Morton High School and in 1973 she was named Mississippi Miss Basketball.[3]
In 2011, Easterling was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.[4]
Coaching career edit
Easterling served as an assistant coach with the Mississippi College women's basketball team after graduation. Following her professional career, she returned to Mississippi, first as an assistant coach but took over as head coach in 1983.[5]
References edit
- ^ "Rita Easterling named as Kodak All-American". Scott County Times. 30 March 1977. p. 9A. Retrieved 20 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Verenda Smith (23 December 1979). "Scrapper". Clarion-Ledger. p. D2. Retrieved 20 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Program friday to honor Rita". Scott County Times. 13 August 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 20 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rick Cleveland (28 July 2011). "Former MC hoops star was ahead of her time". Hattiesburg American. p. 1B, 5B. Retrieved 20 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lee Baker (9 April 1983). "Easterling is selected MC coach". Clarion-Ledger. p. 3C. Retrieved 20 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
External links edit
- WBL statistics at StatsCrew.com
- Profile at Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame