women's basketball (as a zoned, single-dribble game) at the university of oregon started as a club in 1899, brought to oregon by physical education instructor alice chapman, wife of university president charles chapman. with a women's intercollegiate game emerging at willamette university, oregon agricultural college, pacific university, and elsewhere, an effort was made during the 1902-03 academic year to organize a women's university team. this effort was waylaid by the oregon faculty athletic committee early in january 1903, however, with the committee deeming it "not advisable" for the "young ladies' basketball team" to enter into intercollegiate games. instead, it was hoped that two campus teams could be organized to keep competition on a local level.