Delta State University student filmmakers and siblings Matteo Zengaro and Elisabetta Zengaro will premiere “Coach Wade,” their documentary about the legendary Delta State women’s basketball coach, Margaret Wade, at the Oxford (Miss.) Film Festival in February 2019.
Considered the mother of modern women’s college basketball, Wade led Delta State to three consecutive AIAW National Championships (1975-77). That triumphant stretch also included a 51-game winning streak. Guiding the Lady Statesmen from 1973 to 1979, Wade piloted her teams to a 157-23 record (.872 winning percentage). The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association created and named its player of the year award after her in 1978.
“During the 1970s, there really weren’t a lot of women’s sports programs and Margaret Wade brought distinction to Delta State and women’s sports in general,” said Matteo Zengaro, a senior psychology major. “In the years after her career as a coach was over, she continued to inspire others and helped to strengthen women’s college sports across the country.”
Elisabetta Zengaro, who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2015 and a master’s degree in sport and human performance in 2018, added, “Coach Wade is considered an icon because she brought national distinction to Delta State and women’s basketball at a time when women still had few opportunities to participate in competitive sports. Through her success and character, she inspired many people to achieve their goals.”
Delta State University student filmmakers and siblings Elisabetta Zengaro and Matteo Zengaro.
Wade (1912-1995) started fulfilling her hoop dreams early. She starred as a forward at Cleveland (Miss.) High School and then at Delta State—until her senior year in 1932, when the university disbanded the program as too tough for young women. After graduating from Delta State, Wade coached high school girls’ basketball for 25 years—including at Cleveland High from 1940 to 1959—amassing a 465-85 record and more than a dozen state championships. When Delta State resurrected women’s basketball in 1973, Wade, age 60, a longtime physical education instructor at the campus, was selected to take charge of it.
“Margaret Wade is a seminal figure within the sport of basketball. During a time when women were fighting for their place within the greater sports landscape, Coach Wade was in the process of building a dynasty here at Delta State University,” said Matt Jones ’03, senior associate director of athletics for Delta State. “Coach Wade’s impact on the sport is immeasurable and her life stands as a testimony to future generations of women who want to pursue a career in coaching.”
In 1985, she became the first woman named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Wade, who earned a postgraduate degree from The University of Alabama and further studied at Duke University and Columbia University, also was inducted into the Delta State University Sports Hall of Fame (1972), Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (1974), and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (1999). Delta State dedicated a statue of her in the West Plaza of Kent Wyatt Hall in 2014.
The 33-minute documentary features interviews with former Wade players such as pioneering center Lusia Harris-Stewart, who earned a B.S. in health, physical education, and recreation in 1977 and a master’s degree in education in 1984 as well as an honorary doctorate in 2014 from Delta State—in addition to many basketball honors. Old Dominion standout Nancy Lieberman, the first two-time winner of the Wade Trophy, calls Wade a “mythical figure.” Craig Roden, Delta State head women’s basketball coach, says Wade “laid the foundation” for the sport. And Delta State President William N. LaForge remembers attending “exciting games” with “standing-room only” houses for Wade’s squads.
The filmmakers enjoyed diving deep into Wade the coach, athlete, teacher, and person. “During filming, I got to interview two former Olympic athletes, and we had the opportunity to film at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame,” said Matteo Zengaro.
“I enjoyed reviewing the old photographs, video highlights, and newspaper articles about Coach Wade and the Lady Statesmen because it felt like taking a step back in time,” said Elisabetta Zengaro.
The filmmakers’ parents, both Delta State professors, are proud of their children for telling significant stories—this is their second documentary—and for collaborating well on them. “I am most proud of their creative abilities to work on producing works that are of applied importance to the community. I am also proud of their initiative and imagination,” said Franco Zengaro, assistant professor of health, physical education, and recreation.
Sally Zengaro, associate professor of psychology, agreed. “I am proud that they have the initiative to undertake unique projects and the perseverance to see them through to completion.”
“Coach Wade” will debut at 2:30 PM on Friday, Feb. 8 in the juried competition at the Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Miss. For tickets and information, go online to oxfordfilmfest.com.
Here are some additional photos of Wade.
Wade with Nancy Lieberman, the first two-time winner of the Wade Trophy.
