Remembering Jessie Banks
Legendary coach and women’s basketball trailblazer Jessie Banks passed away on February 20, 2026, at the age of 90. Banks, who was inducted into the…
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West Chester University: The First College Women’s Basketball National Tournament Champion
In honor of Black History Month, we want to celebrate Marian E. Washington and Patricia Ferguson, two of the stars on the first college national…
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Archbishop O’Hara High School Film Shoot
In April, the If Not For Them film crew visited Kansas City’s Archbishop O’Hara High School, where we filmed some special scenes for the docuseries….
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MOKAN Interviews
In November 2023, Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the If Not for Them crew welcomed several highly decorated guests to the beautiful MOKAN Basketball facility…
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Dana & Parks: “If Not For Them”
Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen was interviewed on the KMBZ afternoon show Dana and Parks about the state of women’s basketball and the progress of the…
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Talk of Iowa: The history of collegiate women’s basketball
Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen joined Iowa Public Radio’s Talk of Iowa podcast this week to discuss the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four and…
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Documentary series aims to give credit where credit is due
Women’s sports journalist Jane Burns interviewed Executive Director Brenda VanLengen about the inspiration for and process of creating the upcoming 10-part docuseries If Not For…
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AIAW | In the News | NCAA
Lynette Woodard welcoming of Caitlin Clark breaking her scoring mark
During the ESPN2 broadcast of Sunday’s game between Kansas and Kansas State, If Not For Them Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen spoke with Lynette Woodard about…
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Black History Month Spotlight
Since the time basketball was first adopted by women, it has created opportunities for women of color. In turn, Black and African American women have…
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Speak With Presence: Don’t Miss Your Opportunity
Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen joined the Speak with Presence podcast for a recent episode to discuss If Not For Them. The Speak with Presence podcast…
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Sunflower Smack Show
Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen joined the Sunflower Smack Show for a recent episode to discuss If Not For Them. The Sunflower Smack Show typically focuses…
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KCTV5 – Docuseries “If Not For Them” paying homage to history of women’s basketball
My KC Live anchors Jillian Carroll and Marleah Campbell featured Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the If Not For Them docuseries in this recent KCTV5 segment. “It’s…
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1976 Olympic Women’s Basketball Team to be Inducted into Naismith Hall of Fame
Nearly 50 years after representing its country, the 1976 U.S.A. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame…
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NEWS: If Not For Them Receives Generous Donation From Longtime UCLA Women’s Basketball Supporters
OLATHE, Kan., July 13, 2023 – Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen announced that “If Not For Them” and Do Good Productions have received a generous donation…
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Locked On Women’s Basketball: If Not For Them docuseries shines a light on decades of history
Natalie Heavren of The Next interviewed Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen for the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to discuss the sneak preview in Dallas. The…
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The Next – If Not For Them showcases decades of women’s basketball history
Natalie Heavren attended our sneak preview event in Dallas and wrote about the experience for The Next. She also interviewed Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen for…
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New Opportunities to Join The Team
After a successful Sneak Preview event at the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four in Dallas, Texas, Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen has been hard at…
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NEWS: If Not For Them Hosts a Sneak Preview at 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Dallas
DALLAS – Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen hosted an “If Not For Them” Sneak Preview event in connection with the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four…
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KSHB – Kansas City-area broadcaster shares history, struggle, triumph of women’s basketball in docuseries
Kansas City sports anchor Dia Wall profiled Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the If Not For Them docuseries in this recent segment for KSHB 41….
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Celebrating Bessie Stockard
Bessie Stockard is turning 90 this weekend and we thought it was the perfect time to tell a little bit more of her incredible story….
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Remembering Billie Moore
Photo courtesy of Darlene J. Allen Hall of Fame coach and pioneer of the game, Billie Moore, Wednesday, December 14, 2022, after a long and…
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Marian Washington Legacy Reunion
The University of Kansas took time this weekend to honor legendary coach Marian Washington and her impact on the Jayhawks that can still be felt…
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Atlantic Coast/Southeast Trip Day Three
Belmont University was the host for Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the Real Media crew during a day of interviews for subjects from around Nashville…
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Atlantic Coast/Southeast Trip Day Two
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame was the perfect site for Executive Producer, Brenda VanLengen, and the Real Media crew to interview several people with…
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Atlantic Coast/Southeast Trip Day One
When Patsy Neal was a senior in high school in Georgia, she saw a line in the local newspaper that changed her life forever. “Wayland…
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SoCal Day Two
On Day One in Southern California, we collected stories about the Japanese League in Sacramento, the high school programs in the urban core of LA…
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SoCal Day One
In this docuseries, we are working to preserve the stories of those that built the foundation of college women’s basketball throughout the United States. Our…
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NEWS: If Not For Them Docuseries Receives Generous Matching Donation From Former Women’s Basketball Coach
OLATHE, Kan. – Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen announced that “If Not For Them” and Do Good Productions have received a generous matching donation of $55,000…
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Joan and Dixie
Joan Crawford and Dixie Woodall were teammates for two years for the vaunted Nashville Business College program 60 years ago, but they are friends for…
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Lady Techsters
We spent the day in Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Louisiana Tech, the site of many victories for the Lady Techsters in the early…
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LSU and NBC
Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the Real Media crew made the first stop of the Louisiana road trip in Baton Rouge on the campus of…
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Overland Park Interviews
On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to welcome three women who were very involved with the history of women’s basketball into the Real Media studio….
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Ms. Magazine – ‘If Not for Them’: Brenda VanLengen’s Journey to Document Women’s Basketball
Susan Shaw interviewed Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and wrote about the If Not For Them docuseries in a Ms. Magazine feature. You can read the…
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Celebrating Title IX with a Legendary Leader
Celebrating Title IX with a Legendary Leader While the sports world celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX on Thursday, Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen spent…
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Interviews in the Prairie State
On Wednesday, Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen took a pause before walking into Horton Field House at Illinois State University. This storied venue hosted the first…
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Remembering a Century of Basketball in Iowa
Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the Real Media team are back on the road! This trip started in Iowa where the history of high school…
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FOX4 – Documentary series to detail forgotten women who changed sports
Harold Kuntz of FOX4 Kansas City interviewed Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and featured the If Not For Them docuseries in a recent segment. You can…
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Alice “Cookie” Barron is a Hall of Famer
On Thursday, Alice “Cookie” Barron of the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. The…
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Catching up with Donna Lopiano
On the final day of our Northeast Trip, Donna Lopiano was gracious enough to host Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the Real Media crew in…
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Lucille Kyvallos and Queens College
Editor’s Note: Longtime Queens College coach Lucille Kyvallos was named to the 2025 class of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She will be honored…
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Walking in West Chester
Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the Real Media crew spent Day 3 of the Northeast Trip diving deeper with Yolanda Laney, meeting her high school…
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Immaculata and the Mighty Macs
Day 2 of our Northeast Trip is in the books. Executive Producer Brenda VanLengen and the Real Media Crew spent the day on the campus…
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An Afternoon at Cheyney State
Day 1 of our trip to the Northeast is complete and we spent it at Cheyney State – Now Cheyney University – in Cheyney, Penn….
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A Birthday Celebration for Jody Conradt
As we celebrated Jody Condradt’s birthday on May 16, it seemed like a prime time to share a few of our favorite moments from her…
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If Not For Them Hits the Road
Between the Final Four and recent road trips, the If Not For Them team has been busy soaking up the excitement around women’s basketball this…
