WICHITA – Lynette Woodard, whose legendary basketball career began with two state championships in the 1970s at Wichita North High School, was honored by her alma mater Friday with the naming of the school's varsity gymnasium court in her honor.
 
Lynette Woodard Court, North's basketball home since the 2013-14 season, is down the hall and around the corner from the venerable confines erected in 1928 where Woodard starred and propelled North to a Class 5-4A girls title in 1975 and a 5A championship during her senior season in 1977. The tradition-rich school celebrated the 62-year-old Woodard during a pep assembly and dedication ceremony that culminated with the unveiling of her signature on opposite corners of the floor.

 
"I told one of the teams they dedicated the court to me, but the court is yours," said Woodard, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medalist and the first female Harlem Globetrotter. "You've got to go out there with pride, determination and let nobody come up in your house and disrespect you. This is your house and we expect victory."
 
Woodard's own determination steered a young girl who fell in love with basketball during a time of limited opportunities in the sport for women all the way to stardom. She was introduced to the sport by her older brother, Darrell, who sat by her during Friday's ceremony.
 
Born and raised in Wichita, Woodard went on to become a four-time All-American at the University of Kansas, winning the prestigious Wade Trophy in 1981. She finished her career with 3,649 points, setting a record for major college women's basketball.
 
Woodard also played professionally in Europe and Japan, and retired from basketball in 1999 after playing two seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association. On Friday, she reflected on her early days playing for Dwayne Schmidt at North.
 
"I loved practice more than anything," Woodard said. "Coach Schmidt was a lot of fun. He would get out and he would work out with us. He loved the fast break. I didn't know what it was then and that it was a big deal in the game, but I loved running the ball.
 
"He was creative as well. He would watch the game, and if we would do something well, he would create a play from it, and so we always got a thrill out of that."
 
Woodard, who scored 1,678 points and grabbed 1,030 rebounds in 62 career high school games, led North past Greater Wichita Athletic League rival South for the state title as a sophomore. That season, North also captured the Grand State championship, a Kansas State High School Activities Association-sanctioned tournament for all state classification winners that had a two-year run for girls in 1975 and 1976.
 
After missing the state final her junior year, Woodard and her North teammates claimed the 5A title her senior year with a 54-53 victory over Hutchinson.
 
"We put it all on the line and we battled to the end," Woodard said. "Thank God it went in our favor. To regain something that we let go, there's no sweeter revenge."
 
Woodard, who was enshrined in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, coached Winthrop's women for three seasons before stepping down in 2020. She recently started working as a realtor in Lawrence, and has also assisted students at North and other Wichita public schools through the Homework Assistance Program, a virtual tutoring option offered through Upward Bound Wichita Prep.
 
"She helps guide them and collect them and convince them you need an education, and you need to do your schoolwork, and here's why," North athletic director Tony Douglas said. "To have, in my opinion, the greatest female basketball player of all time do that in your hallways, why would you not listen? That's the impact she has."
 
That combination prompted Douglas to seek permission from Wichita's USD 259 to name North's court in her honor. Douglas kept the energy high during the all-school assembly, which featured the introductions of sports teams, North's drumline, dance team and the long-standing War Cry, one of the school's traditions.
 
"This one is different because I'm not playing the game," Woodard said of the court that now bears her name. "You play the game and people see you, and then they recognize you. But to be remembered, that's the best thing ever.
 
"There's been a lot of years between that time – over 40 years – so to my school I will always be grateful."