By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
People who know basketball paid her the ultimate compliment. They said she played like a boy.
Her name was Tiffany Longworth, and she was the poster child of the greatest dynasty in Indiana girls high school basketball history — the Kokomo Lady Wildkats of the early 1990s.
Kokomo charged to state championships in 1992 (when Tiffany scored 40 points in Kokomoâ??s two state finals games, including a 70-60 finals win over McCutcheon) and 1993 (when Kokomo put up a single-class semifinal record for points vs. Charlestown and Miss Basketball Abby Conklin, including the second half of a 88-58 victory in which the Lady Kats outscored their opponent 54-28; the 54 points are the most ever scored in a state championship half) with a style of play typified by the relentless aggression of this Indiana All-Star.
It was common in those days to hear coaches speak of how Tiffany simply played the game at a faster pace than any female player before her in the Hoosier state.
Longworth was recruited heavily by nearly every Big Ten school, but she surprised many in Indiana when she committed to play her college ball at Penn State. The Nittany Lions were just entering their first season in the Big Ten.
â??I just wanted to get away from Kokomo and see the world a little bit,â? said Longworth. â??I knew Penn State was where I wanted to go the minute Coach Portland came and made a home visit. It just clicked.â?
Indeed it did. Tiffany was a four-year starter for the Lions during an era when the team spent several stints as the nationâ??s top ranked team. When she graduated in 1998, Longworth had earned a spot as one of Penn Stateâ??s all-time greatest players.
Professional basketball options beckoned, but this Hoosier legend had little interest.
â??I really never considered playing professionally,â? Longworth said. â??I donâ??t know if it was burnout or what, but I just felt it was time to end that part of my life and move on.â?
Moving on meant moving back for Tiffany. She returned to Kokomo, and has stayed ever since.
Roughly a year after her return, Tiffany ran into a former schoolmate named Rich Boruff. The two later married, and Tiffany began her second career — that of wife and mother. She has two children: daughter Taylor, 4, and son Cole, who is 1. They are the joy of her life, as she always knew they would be.
â??I always knew I wanted to have children, even when I was playing ball,â? Longworth said. â??I canâ??t think of any greater satisfaction than being a parent.â?
Nonetheless, the lure of the game she loved so much is once again calling. Tiffany recently received her certification as a teacher, and, as you might guess, coaching is very likely in her future.
â??Iâ??d love to get into coaching some day — I love kids, and I love the game,â? Longworth said. â??It is kind of a natural.â?
We at HoosierAuthority.com hope Tiffany does enter the coaching ranks, but we issue a warning: If she can inspire others to play the game like she did, her teams might have a hard time scheduling games.
Thatâ??s because playing against one Tiffany Longworth was a nightmare. Playing against five of them could be a short route to retirement.
Tiffany Longworth Boruff, perhaps the greatest Wildkat of them all â?¦
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