The Steel City Queens find themselves in an unusual situation this weekend. At an early-season 2-0, the Queens will battle for first place against the 1-0 Richmond Roadrunners in the Women’s American Basketball Association (WABA), in a showdown of undefeated squads.
Owner and head coach Ace Pippen’s team will also move from A Giving Heart Community Center in Allentown to the Sarah Heinz House on the North Side. Game time is 4 p.m.
It’s an opportunity for the Queens (now in their ninth season) to showcase a talented and resilient team. To make things special for the players, there was a red carpet welcoming before tipoff of the home opener. The Queens defeated Hazard, Kentucky’s OnPoint Ballers 77–64.
Last week, St. Louis’ franchise couldn’t make it to Pittsburgh, so the Queens received a forfeit victory.
That leads to this weekend’s matchup. The Roadrunners, now in their fifth season, are always formidable, but this is a new Queens squad. Led by co-captains Arianna Rosemond and Alexiss Griggs, the Queens are a much more cohesive unit. The team recently held a public contract signing, and Pippen has increased the influence of master trainer and Chief Financial Officer Charles Cook. He says the Queens have vastly improved their conditioning and are as fit as they’ve ever been.
The team has been far more active in trying to attract sponsors. There was a guest bartending stint before the season, and the team is successfully selling ticket sponsorships. Pippen said the team is focusing more on business and “doing things the right way.”
In addition to Rosemond and Griggs, teammates Sabrina McLin, Emma Stille, Dasja Anderson, Kennedy Middleton and others are contributing to the success of the team, on and off the court. “It feels like a family,” Rosemond says about this year’s team.
Pittsburgh’s WABA franchise has already tied its winning output from last year. In their first win, Nia Staples led the home team with 24 points, and newcomer Griggs added 19, with all but two points coming in the second half. Ayanna Townsend had 12, Dasja Anderson added 10 points, Emma Stille added nine, and Rosemond posted three.
The Queens have had an early-season injury bug hit the team, but the week off has helped get some of the players back on the hardwood. They will need to be fully staffed, as the Roadrunners were in the playoffs last season.
According to their Facebook page, the Steel City Queens’ mission “goes beyond the game—we aim to empower women, engage our community, and inspire the next generation through the power of sport.”
