Vince Gennaro first crossed paths with the Women’s Professional Basketball League through Glenda Holleyman, a key figure in the Houston Angels, a team that had just posted a 13‑1 record as the league prepared for its inaugural season.
The league’s early games impressed Gennaro, particularly the chemistry he observed between the Chicago Hustle and a growing fan base. Alongside league colleague Larry Gillman, he helped assemble a St. Louis franchise, naming it the St. Louis Streak for its rhythmic alliteration and sense of forward motion.
The roster featured Debra Waddy‑Rossow and Elizabeth Galloway McQuitter as founding supporters, while local coaches such as Jackie Joyner and former college standouts like Coretta Daniels and Lisa Brewer joined the outreach effort.
On the court, guard Liz Silcott quickly became the face of the franchise, exploding for 50 points against the Minnesota Fillies and drawing crowds that filled the arena with enthusiastic youngsters.
The Streak’s community program invited high school teams to play before each game, a strategy championed by Terry Kunze and Lisa Brewer, who helped bridge the gap between the league and its grassroots.
A legacy that outlived the league
The team’s momentum faltered when Silcott was traded to San Francisco in February, a move that destabilized both the player’s career and the Streak’s performance. Around the same time, league administrator Larry Gillman announced the folding of five franchises, including Houston and the New York Stars, leaving the Streak to navigate a shrinking ecosystem.
Although the WBL dissolved after the 1980‑81 season, Gennaro never abandoned the sport. He later joined PepsiCo, where he applied his analytical background to sports metrics and became involved with the Society for American Baseball Research, bringing a data‑driven perspective to baseball analytics while maintaining ties to women’s basketball.
In 2024, Pearl Moore resurfaced in the national conversation as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark chased the NCAA Division I scoring record, a development that many observers linked back to the pioneering efforts of the Streak and its players.