Tiffany Gooden was a professional basketball player in the ABL

American Basketball League (1996-1998)

The American Basketball League, often abbreviated to the ABL of 1996 was an independent professional basketball league for women in the United States. At the same time the ABL was being formed, the National Basketball Association was creating the Women's National Basketball Association...

. When her pro career ended, Gooden embarked on a new career as an attorney. Gooden currently practices law as a partner in the firm of Hall & Gooden LLP in her hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her efforts played a key role in bringing the Indiana high school girl's basketball championships to Fort Wayne after the 2009 season.

Gooden's relative athletic greatness has been recognized by both of her hometown newspapers. The News-Sentinel

The News-Sentinel

The News-Sentinel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The afternoon News-Sentinel is politically independent.-Early history:...

 recently named Gooden 41st among the Top 50 athletes of northeast Indiana. The Journal Gazette presents the Tiffany Gooden award annually to the most outstanding high school basketball player in Fort Wayne's Summit Athletic Conference

Summit Athletic Conference (IHSAA)

The SAC is a high school athletic conference consisting of the eight high schools located area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Three of the schools are private, one being a Lutheran academy, and the other two being Catholic preparatories. The rest are public schools, being part of Fort Wayne Community...

.

Early life

Even as a young woman, the basketball prospects of Tiffany Gooden were apparent to those who knew her. As middle-schooler and into her high school years, Gooden was named an AAU

Amateur Athletic Union

The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 All-American five consecutive years. During her AAU career, Gooden played for four teams that won national titles.

High school career

Gooden attended R. Nelson Snider High School

R. Nelson Snider High School

R. Nelson Snider High School is a secondary school in the Fort Wayne Community Schools system, serving the north central and northeast neighborhoods of Fort Wayne, Indiana.- History :...

 in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...

.

Gooden was a prolific scorer throughout her high school career. She is still ranked 13th best all-time among all Indiana high school girls basketball players with 2,198 points scored.

As a sophomore, Gooden finished 8th in the state in scoring points per game. As a junior, she improved to 4th in the state, averaging 29.9 points per game. She also finished 4th in her senior year, averaging an identical 29.9 points per game.

In tribute to her great impact on the basketball floor, Gooden received several postseason awards at the end of her senior year. The ultimate recognition came when it was announced that Gooden was winner of the 1994 Naismith Award, a prestigious honor given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the high school girls basketball player of the year. Gooden was also named to the 1994 Parade All-American

Parade (magazine)

Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...

 team as the National Player of the Year.

After graduating, Gooden wore the #1 jersey as recipient of the 1994 Indiana Miss Basketball award

Indiana Miss Basketball award

Each year the Indiana Miss Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school girls basketball player in the U.S. state of Indiana.-Award winners:-Schools with multiple winners:-References:...

. She led the Indiana All-stars in a pair of games against cross-border rivals from Kentucky. Gooden played a significant role in the Indiana sweep of the two game series. In the process, she scored 31 points as Indiana won the first game in Kentucky, and she scored 24 points in the following victory in Indianapolis. Her two game total of 55 points still stands as the best two-game efforts in the history of the series.

In 2000, it was announced that Gooden was one of 12 players named to the IHSAA's

Indiana High School Athletic Association

The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as...

 "First Silver Era" team, celebrating the first 25 years of Indiana high school girls basketball.

Awards and Accomplishments

• Career Accomplishments
  • currently 13th best all-time leading scorer, Indiana girls basketball
  • member, IHSAA's
    Indiana High School Athletic Association
    The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as...
    
     "The First Silver Era" team, celebrating the first 25 years of Indiana high school girls basketball
  • 1st best all-time scoring (55 pts), Indiana/Kentucky All-star series
  • participant, 1995 National Olympic Festival
• 1993/94 - Senior
  • 1994 winner, Naismith Award
    Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award
    The Naismith Prep Player of the Year award, named for Canadian basketball inventor James Naismith, is given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to high school basketball's top male and female player...
    
     - honoring the nation's high school basketball player of the year
  • 1st team and National Player of the Year, Parade All-American
    Parade (magazine)
    Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
    
    
  • 1994 Indiana Miss Basketball
    Indiana Miss Basketball award
    Each year the Indiana Miss Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school girls basketball player in the U.S. state of Indiana.-Award winners:-Schools with multiple winners:-References:...
    
    
  • 1994 Outstanding Senior, Indiana AAU
  • 4th in state in scoring average (29.9 ppg)

• 1992/93 - Junior
  • 4th in state in scoring average (29.9 ppg)

• 1991/92 - Sophomore
  • 8th in state in scoring average

College career

As a freshman, Gooden was named the 1995 Big Ten Freshman Player of the Year. Her sophomore season, Gooden made the All Big-10 Team as a 2nd team selection. But injuries slowed Gooden's progress in college, and she finished her career with 1,024 points.

Awards and Accomplishments

• 1997/98 - Senior
  • Academic All Big-10 team

• 1996/97 - Junior
  • Academic All Big-10 team

• 1995/96 - Sophomore
  • All Big-10, 2nd team
  • Academic All Big-10 team
  • Led Iowa in scoring, with 481 points (14.1 ppg)
  • Led Iowa in 3-point field goal percentage (24-66, .364)

• 1994/95 - Freshman
  • Big-10 Freshman Player of the Year
  • Led Iowa in 3-point field goal percentage (27-87, .310)

Professional career

After her college career, Gooden participated in the 1998 ABL Draft. She was selected in the 2nd round, the 18th pick overall, by the Colorado Xplosion

Colorado Xplosion

The Colorado Xplosion was the first women's professional basketball franchise in Colorado, an American Basketball League team based in Denver. Playing from 1996 through 1998, the team produced many memorable moments for Colorado sports fans and followers of women's professional basketball in...

. Gooden's career lasted 13 games before the team and league folded and ceased playing games.

Post-Playing Career

Gooden's success continued after her playing days were over. In addition to her selection to the Big 10 athletic teams, Gooden was a 3-time member of the Academic All Big-10 team, being named in 1996, 1997, and again in 1998. Gooden completed her undergraduate studies with a degree in Communication Studies. In 1998, she was one of the recipients of a NCAA Post-Graduate scholarship, which she applied toward her enrollment in Iowa's law school

University of Iowa College of Law

The University of Iowa College of Law is one of the eleven professional graduate schools at the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest law school in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River. The law school was ranked as the 27th best law school...

. She graduated from law school and returned to her home town to become a practicing attorney.

Tiffany Gooden Award

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to her community both on and off the basketball court, Gooden was honored by a local newspaper. Each year, The Journal Gazette awards the Tiffany Gooden Award to the most outstanding basketball player in the SAC

Summit Athletic Conference (IHSAA)

The SAC is a high school athletic conference consisting of the eight high schools located area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Three of the schools are private, one being a Lutheran academy, and the other two being Catholic preparatories. The rest are public schools, being part of Fort Wayne Community...

. The award has been given since 1994, when Gooden was named the first award winner.

Tiffany Gooden Award Winners

Year	Award Winner	School
1994	Tiffany Gooden	Snider R. Nelson Snider High School R. Nelson Snider High School is a secondary school in the Fort Wayne Community Schools system, serving the north central and northeast neighborhoods of Fort Wayne, Indiana.- History :...
1995
1996	Cameron Stephens	South Side South Side High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana) South Side High School is a Fort Wayne Community Schools high school situated in south-central Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana.-History:On September 11, 1922, South Side High School opened its doors to students for the first time...
1997
1998
1999
2000	Rachel King	Bishop Luers Bishop Luers High School Bishop Luers High School is a Catholic high school located on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bishop Luers is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The school was founded in 1958 by the Franciscan Fathers of the Saint John the Baptist Province in...
2001	Rachel King	Bishop Luers Bishop Luers High School Bishop Luers High School is a Catholic high school located on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bishop Luers is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The school was founded in 1958 by the Franciscan Fathers of the Saint John the Baptist Province in...
2002
2003	James Hardy James Hardy (American football) James W. Hardy, III is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played college football at Indiana University.-High School career:...	Elmhurst Elmhurst High School Elmhurst High School was a public high school with a comprehensive intake and over 1,000 students. Elmhurst High School was part of the Fort Wayne Community Schools school district, serving those living in the Waynedale area of Fort Wayne...
2004	James Hardy James Hardy (American football) James W. Hardy, III is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played college football at Indiana University.-High School career:...	Elmhurst Elmhurst High School Elmhurst High School was a public high school with a comprehensive intake and over 1,000 students. Elmhurst High School was part of the Fort Wayne Community Schools school district, serving those living in the Waynedale area of Fort Wayne...
2005
2006	Marques Johnson	Snider R. Nelson Snider High School R. Nelson Snider High School is a secondary school in the Fort Wayne Community Schools system, serving the north central and northeast neighborhoods of Fort Wayne, Indiana.- History :...
2007
2008	Deshaun Thomas Deshaun Thomas Deshaun Thomas graduated high school as a highly-regarded five-star player who verbally committed to play basketball in college for the Ohio State University Buckeyes when he was still a high school freshman. Thomas was also recruited by in-state powers Indiana University and Purdue University...	Bishop Luers Bishop Luers High School Bishop Luers High School is a Catholic high school located on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bishop Luers is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The school was founded in 1958 by the Franciscan Fathers of the Saint John the Baptist Province in...
2009	Deshaun Thomas Deshaun Thomas Deshaun Thomas graduated high school as a highly-regarded five-star player who verbally committed to play basketball in college for the Ohio State University Buckeyes when he was still a high school freshman. Thomas was also recruited by in-state powers Indiana University and Purdue University...	Bishop Luers Bishop Luers High School Bishop Luers High School is a Catholic high school located on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bishop Luers is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The school was founded in 1958 by the Franciscan Fathers of the Saint John the Baptist Province in...
2010	Deshaun Thomas Deshaun Thomas Deshaun Thomas graduated high school as a highly-regarded five-star player who verbally committed to play basketball in college for the Ohio State University Buckeyes when he was still a high school freshman. Thomas was also recruited by in-state powers Indiana University and Purdue University...	Bishop Luers Bishop Luers High School Bishop Luers High School is a Catholic high school located on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bishop Luers is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The school was founded in 1958 by the Franciscan Fathers of the Saint John the Baptist Province in...
2011	Brierra Young	Bishop Luers Bishop Luers High School Bishop Luers High School is a Catholic high school located on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bishop Luers is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The school was founded in 1958 by the Franciscan Fathers of the Saint John the Baptist Province in...