‘I might be 63, but I feel younger | Granny Basketball takes over Central Texas

KILLEEN, Texas — They may be called grannies, but don’t let their age fool you! Granny Basketball is dominating Central Texas. 

The league is for women 50 and up. With each dribble, shoot and pass, they are bringing a twist to the game, and showing why age is age is just number.

“We just kind of started,” said The Texas Old Glories Granny Basketball team captain Pert Garraway. “We just thought it was a little plaything. We did not realize how competitive it was going to be.”

The Texas Old Glories out of Harker Heights formed in 2014. The age of their players ranges from 50 to 83. While practicing at the Harker Heights Recreation Center, the team wore the league uniforms that consist of black bloomers, a white blouse with a sailor collar, a number, and knee-high socks. 

Charlotte Maindelle doesn’t know where she would be without them.

“I would probably be sitting in my sewing room or watching television or YouTube videos or whatever,” Maindelle said. “Or maybe playing more pickle ball. It does interfere with pickleball sometimes.”

The Granny Basketball League started in Iowa in 2005 and now has 43 teams in 10 states. They use game rules from 1920. There is no jumping. No running, but hurrying is allowed, as well as only two dribbles per possession. Three points are scored for a granny underhand shot; One point for free throws. It is a form of 6-on-6 basketball played by high school girls many years ago.

Although Granny Basketball is a milder form of the sport, the goal for the women is to exercise, stay active and engaged in life. They are also proving that age is just a number when it comes to the love of the game.

“I might be 63, but I feel a lot younger than I did two years ago,” said Killeen G-Force Rebel Leann Scudder. “So it’s been a lot of help to me.”

“There’s a lot of things I used to do that I can’t do, so that was hard,” said Killeen G-Force Rebel Kathy Diaz.

The Killeen G-force Rebels have their practice at the Killeen Family Recreation Center. They are a newer 50 and up group who started their team in 2022. Their first year started at a relatively slow place, playing only four games as there was a learning curve for the new ladies to learn the rules and effectively apply them during the game. They won three of their four games setting their record at 75 percent.

Both the Texas Old Glories and the Killeen G-force Rebels teams are looking for new members if anyone 50 and older is interested.

In April, the the Killeen G-force Rebels will host a tri-state tournament in Killeen, which will include granny basketball teams from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Louisiana.

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