Coach John Wooden and his UCLA Bruins controlled most of the 1970s on the men’s side with 5 NCAA titles and a 3rd place finish during a 6-year span from 1970-1975. The women’s game was just beginning to get off the ground back then and the 2 early powers were Immaculata (who won 3 straight AIAW titles from 1972-1974) and Delta State (who won 3 straight AIAW titles from 1975-1977). The success of the Lady Statesmen was a total team effort but it helped to have 3 future Hall of Famers: Coach Margaret Wade went 465-85, Lusia Harris was a 3-time All-American, and now Debbie Brock joins them in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The 4’11” PG was a 2-time All-American who went 120-9 during her illustrious career. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Debbie about winning 3 straight titles and being elected to the Hall of Fame.
Your father JN Brock was a high school basketball coach: what impact did he have on you either on or off the court? When you are exposed to basketball at such an early age, going to games with your dad in the gym, you want to be good at. He encouraged me all the way. It did not matter whether he personally coached me: it gave me the mindset to do my best and not show fear.
You grew up in Mississippi: what made you choose Delta State? They wanted me! Back then there were only 3 schools in the state that had a women’s basketball team. Coach Margaret Wade called me to take a visit and I never looked back: It was a great 4 years.
What made Coach Wade such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from her? Her humility. She had won so many games yet was always humble/kind. Before my dad passed away he asked me if I ever recalled Coach Wade raising her voice and I told him that I never did: her assistants did though! She taught me a lot of things that had nothing to do with basketball: pride, spirit, etc.
You were a 4’11” PG: did you view your size as an advantage or a disadvantage on the court? I did not think about it too much until I got to college where the players were so much taller. It was a little hard for opponents to take the ball from me because I kept my dribble low.
You had 17 PTS/5 STL in a 1-PT win over Wayland Baptist in the 1976 AIAW tourney: how were you able to overcome a 13-PT deficit? It was a close game and we got behind but I think that we just played a little better defense toward the end and got a few layups/FTs down the stretch. It was a great game: it was a bit scary afterward to think that we might have lost but during the game we did not think about it.
You won 3 straight AIAW national titles from 1975-1977: what did it mean to you to win a trio of titles? It was great! At the time you do not realize how special it is. To win 3 in a row is nice but to do it with the same 5 starters set us apart. We were at the beginning of the sport along with Immaculata and just look where it is now.
You were named the team’s Best Defensive Player during each of your years on campus: what is the secret to being a great defender? I loved playing defense even back in high school. To take the ball from someone while they are dribbling is an art. I was closer to the floor as a 4’11” player so I just took the ball before it bounced back up to my taller opponents.
You remain top-10 in school history with 474 career AST: what is the key to being a great PG? Just handling the ball and being able to dribble through a full-court press. As part of a team you cannot do everything by yourself: we were a puzzle and that was my piece.
You went 120-9 during your career: how were you able to be so dominant throughout your college career? I do not know: it is 1 of the amazing parts of my career. You would think that after winning 1 or 2 titles our opponents would figure out how to stop us because we just did the same thing every single year but they did not. It was amazing to me that we had so much success.
Earlier this week you were elected to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That is at the top. It is such an honor. I am humbled/grateful just to be mentioned with the Class of 2020.