Toler finding home in WNBA

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 18, 1999 | 11:09 a.m.

Penny Toler admits that like most people, she wasn't sure professional women's basketball would catch on in the United States.

So when the then-newly created American Basketball League called Toler in 1996, the former Long Beach State standout opted to continue playing in Israel, rather than return home.

That decision proved to be a wise one, as Toler remained overseas until the formation of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) the following year. Now, Toler is a mainstay on the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, while the ABL is out of business.

"I lucked out," Toler said. "It was fun to play overseas, and I was grateful, as a woman, because that helped us survive. But there's no place like home."

For Toler, home for the better part of the last decade has been Las Vegas, where the 32-year-old spends her off-seasons. On Sunday, she gave a free clinic for local youths at Palo Verde High School.

"My thing is to get involved in the Las Vegas community," Toler said. "If one thing makes me happy, it's to make someone else smile. That's what's important in life."

Toler certainly has had a storied career from which to draw experience for her clinics.

In college, she set Long Beach State records for career assists (513) and free throw percentage (.795) en route to All-American and Big West Co-Player of the Year honors.

Without a top-notch American league to play in, Toler opted for a job with the Italian League, followed by stints in Greece and Israel.

Then, in 1997, she got the call that brought her home. Not only did the WNBA want Toler, the new league offered her the chance to be one of 16 designated "franchise" players.

Along with former Southern California star Lisa Leslie, Toler was assigned to play for the Sparks, a move that paid immediate dividends when she scored the first basket in WNBA history on August 21, 1997.