Women’s Basketball Retained

The University of Oklahoma has reversed its decision and will retain women’s intercollegiate basketball, a state legislator said today.

“They had already decided to do this before the lawyer from Washington came here,” Sen. Gary Gardenhire (R-Norman) said in an interview.

Gardenhire said the decision will be announced later in the day at a news conference in Norman.

Arthur Bryant of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, a Washington-based public interest law firm, said Wednesday that last week’s decision by Oklahoma officials to eliminate the women’s basketball program is in violation of the U.S. Constitution and federal law. He threatened a lawsuit if the university didn’t reinstate the program.

“This decision is blatantly illegal,” he said. “This is a slam-dunk case. It is a winner.”

Gardenhire said Fred Gibson, the university’s general counsel, and President Richard Van Horn had informed him of the decision to reinstate the program.

Bryant said the action at Oklahoma violated the Title IX provision of federal law requiring equal opportunities for women in college athletics.

His comments came at a news conference attended by Sooner players, Oklahoma City attorney James Browne, and Tim Stoner of the Women’s Basketball Assn.