Granny Basketball League comes to Waco

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - For many people, sports can be a lifelong passion, and the group of women on the Waco Six Shooters are no exception.

The Waco Six Shooters is part of the Granny Basketball League, which is basketball for women who are at least 50 years old.

The team in Waco was formed several months ago by Kay Wilson, who first started playing with a high school teammate on the Harker Heights Old Glories.

Wilson said she had a blast, which led her to create a team in Waco. She said the name is a nod to the city’s past.

“Waco, in the old days, was called Six Shooter Junction back in the old-west days when it was kind of a rowdy town I hear,” Wilson said. “I thought the six shooters would be a good play on words with the shooting basketballs.”

Wilson said the team started out with five women, but it’s grown to 14, including Linda Gilliam, who is coaching the team, along with playing.

Gilliam played basketball in high school for Robinson and played in college for Baylor University. She said this is the first she’s played since her last year at Baylor, so she’s been excited about the chance to get back on the court.

“Playing offense, playing defense, being able to shoot again,” Gilliam said. “Thinking basketball, that’s just... when you love the game, it’s just great being a part of it.”

While it’s different than traditional basketball—you can’t run, jump or dribble more than twice—the women on the team say it’s a great way to stay active and to get back into their love of sports and competition.

Team member Karen Szabo played basketball in high school and volleyball in college.

“When you’ve done that your whole life and you kind of have a competitive nature, and then you haven’t been able to do that in a long time,” Szabo said. “So it’s fun to be able to get out there and it’s still fun, but you still can have that competitiveness.”

The team is preparing for their first regular game of the season on Friday against the Harker Heights Old Glories.

Copyright 2022 KWTX. All rights reserved.