HAMPTON, VA (WTKR)- The inaugural Women's Professional Basketball Invitational Tournament is shaping up to have plenty of star power.
The tournament, which will be held at Hampton's Boo Williams Sportsplex, will feature 48 of the top college women's basketball players, as well as a military all-star team, hitting the court in front of professional scouts, similar to how the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament serves men's prospects.
Organizers have brought in some big names to back the first edition of the WPBIT, the latest being three-time NBA champion and former NBA Coach of the Year Byron Scott.
"The main factor was Nancy (Lieberman)," Scott told News 3 as to why he got involved. "I've known Nancy for a long time and remember her when she came on the scene as a basketball player and how beautifully she played the game and just how great she was at that point guard position."
Scott put together a 14-year NBA career that featured three NBA titles with the Lakers. He would serve as an NBA head coach from 2000-2016, earning Coach of the Year honors at the head of the New Orleans Hornets in 2008. Scott ended his playing career with more than 15,000 career points and nearly 3,000 rebounds.
He pointed out that an event like the WPBIT can benefit women's basketball.
"It's just elevating the women's game even more so," Scott noted. "Obviously over the last few years the game has been elevated to a different level. Caitlin Clark has a lot to do with that, coming from Iowa and jumping to the WNBA. All of a sudden, ticket prices go up, revenue sharing goes up, salaries go up, everything. The more we continue to focus on the women's game, the better it is for women's basketball."
Scott will come to Hampton to lead one of the college teams. He'll guide Lieberman's "Lady Magic" squad when they hit the court to showcase their skills. The longtime NBA player and coach says his approach and style will not change.
"They're basketball players," Scott said of the college prospects. "I think that's the one thing they want to be treated as- basketball players. They don't want to be treated as women's basketball players. They are athletes, they are basketball players, so my philosophies of just going in and telling them the way I see the game being played I think will fit well with what they do."
The former Lakers star joins a list of famous faces involved that includes Tamecka Dixon, Cynthia Cooper and Lieberman. It's no surprise Scott is looking forward to seeing the up and coming stars perform on the court.
"Women are just extremely athletic now," noted Scott. "They're extremely experienced in the game of basketball, their skill level has gotten unbelievable in the last 10 years, so my approach is just to go in there and teach them or really show them the things that I would like them to do on the basketball court. I love their IQ. They're very smart, intelligent basketball players so I think this is going to be a lot of fun for me."
The WPBIT runs from April 6-9, 2027.
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