(Photo by: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
In a press release which dropped on Thursday afternoon, HBO Sports announced that the documentary film Women of Troy, following the historic Cheryl Miller-led USC Trojans, will air on HBO in March just in time for March Madness. Women of Troy will highlight the school’s 1980’s women’s basketball team, whose historic rise came at a time when Title IX’s impact on women’s sports was first emerging.
The documentary film will be highlighted by interviews with USC greats like Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper, ESPN broadcaster Doris Burke, Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, iconic players such as Candace Parker and Rebecca Lobo, and Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Ann Meyers and Reggie Miller.
Per the press release, the film will follow the “Women of Troy” and their “remarkable skills, fierce competitiveness and ability to overcome adversity both on and off the court” that led them to two national titles and “a visit to Ronald Reagan’s White House – the first collegiate women’s team to ever do so.”
Directed by acclaimed feature-
film director Alison Ellwood (“History of the Eagles,” “American Jihad”) and produced by Gary Cohen of Triple Threat TV, the film explores how the Cheryl Miller-led Trojans changed women’s basketball forever with their up-tempo style and superior athleticism en route to winning consecutive national championships, and ultimately influencing the establishment of the WNBA.
“Women’s basketball has evolved from a sport to a movement over the past few decades,” said Peter Nelson, executive vice president of HBO Sports. “Cheryl Miller and her team at USC played a significant role in the rise of women’s basketball, and their landmark contribution merits recognition and deeper reflection. We are excited that filmmaker Alison Elwood chose to direct this illuminating film.”
Women of Troy director Alison Ellwood stated, “These women were trailblazers whose talent and charisma created new possibilities for women in basketball and in countless other pursuits. Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper and their teammates left the game of the past behind and created the game we know and love today.”
In the press release, HBO emphasized the impact that the Women of Troy had during a time when women’s sports were just starting to get their footing.
At a time when Title IX’s impact on women’s sports was first emerging, the Women of Troy arrived at USC. Their remarkable skills, fierce competitiveness and ability to overcome adversity both on and off the court led them to national prominence, two national titles and a
visit to Ronald Reagan’s White House – the first collegiate women’s team to ever do so. Cheryl Miller, Pam McGee, Paula McGee, Cynthia Cooper, Juliette Robinson, and Rhonda Windham, along with head coach Linda Sharp, took to the court with a level of skill and confidence that brought their sport into the mainstream and the eventual development of the WNBA.
Miller’s legacy as one of the all time greatest players in the history of women’s basketball will be firmly cemented by HBO’s telling of her story that involves two NCAA championship titles, an Olympic gold medal, a broadcasting career at Turner Sports, and head coaching stints at her alma mater and the Phoenix Mercury.
“I’m always drawn to stories about pioneers and this is a quintessential example,” says Bill Simmons, founder of Ringer Films. “The impact of Cheryl’s USC teams was on par with what Julius Erving did with the ABA – they took a sport that wasn’t on the map, reinvented it and paved the way for all the successes that women’s college basketball is enjoying now. And Cheryl was just iconic. I’m so excited that she finally gets her just due in this film.”Through first-person interviews and archival film footage and photographs, the special pivots on the 1983 championship showdown between the upstart Trojans against then-reigning champion Louisiana Tech, and explores how this transformative moment in sports history has forever impacted the lives of
the participants and shaped generations to come. More than thirty years later, the Women of Troy, some as professional basketball players in the WNBA, reflect on their remarkable accomplishments and the magical journey each of them took.
Women of Troy debuts Tuesday March 10 (9:00-10 p.m. ET), exclusively on HBO and will also be available on HBO On Demand, HBO NOW, HBO GO and partners’ streaming platforms.