Sheryl Swoopes was initially recruited by the University of Texas to play basketball but transferred shortly after to play at South Plains College (TX) near her hometown of Brownfield. Swoopes was a two-time NJCAA All-American and All-Region selection for South Plains during her two years on the women's basketball team. Swoopes finished with a career 1,381 points (25.6 ppg), and still holds 11 school records.  

During the 1989-1990 season, the Texas native led South Plains to a 27-9 record and a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Following a historical stint with the Lady Texans, Swoopes continued to succeed academically and athletically at Texas Tech University, earning multiple player of the year awards and All-American recognition on her way to winning the 1993 NCAA women's basketball championship. 

As a professional player, Swoopes' career garnered many accolades including four WNBA championships, three WNBA Most Valuable Player honors, six WNBA All-Star appearances, and the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All-Time in 2011.  Swoopes is the second player in WNBA history to win both the regular-season MVP award and the All-Star Game MVP award in the same season. Swoopes is also the first player in WNBA history to record a triple-double in both the regular season and the playoffs. In 2016, Swoopes was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after a rich basketball career.