Directors of Basketball Operations Revealed
Survey Shows Budget, Scheduling are Main Priorities

The position of Director of Basketball Operations is a relatively young one in college athletics. Those who hold the position are found primarily in the major, or power, conferences in the country.

There are just about 50 programs that employ someone in this capacity - and in this capacity only. To be sure, each school in the land must take care of the travel, fundraising and scheduling tasks that exist everywhere. However the schools in the power conferences - the ones with the largest budgets - are currently the only ones that can afford to have a position dedicated solely to this purpose. At most other schools, the assistant coaches or other office personnel divide the responsibilities.

In July and August, CWB surveyed its members who are a Director of Basketball Operations at the college level. Of the 26, we received 17 very informative responses. Not only did we classify by age and duration of time they have held their jobs, we learned about their day-to-day duties and, of course, their salaries and benefits.

CWB received responses from Directors of Basketball Operations in the Atlantic Coast, Atlantic Sun, Atlantic 10, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, Big West, Conference-USA, Pac-10, Southeastern and the Western Athletic conferences.

Overwhelmingly, the survey results show that budget planning and scheduling are the two main duties of those responding. The two go hand-in-hand. The definition of scheduling is used in its most broad sense and covers all forms of travel, securing practice and facility times, community outreach, speaking engagements, meals and more. The budget must mesh with scheduling, especially for road trips, as team travel is usually the largest expense a team faces. Each survey, to varying degrees, shows Directors have responsibilities in these areas.

Due to recent NCAA legislation, those serving a program exclusively as a Director of Basketball Operations are not permitted to assist with coaching duties. For example, while Directors of Operations may engage in film exchange, they may not grade, evaluate or use game film to teach players or supply to coaches. Therefore, the survey questions relating to these topics pertain to the parameters of acceptable conduct. While they may not coach their own schools' players, they may plan, manage and operate camps and clinics, which often are big moneymakers. Though they may not break down or analyze film, they may prepare or copy tapes and participate in film exchange.

The following are the results gathered by CWB. Please see our related article ("Operations Sensations: Director of Basketball Operations Emerges at Big Schools") in this issue, to read the thoughts of some of the people currently holding one of these positions. They discuss their backgrounds, how the position fits into their overall career goals and where they see room for growth.

While some Directors agreed to be quoted by name, many indicated that while it was acceptable to print their answers, they be referred to either anonymously or by Conference. All age, salary and benefits figures are kept confidential.

The Task at Hand

Each Director of Basketball Operations surveyed was asked to describe in detail their day-to-day functions and responsibilities. We wanted to know what takes up the majority of their time in and out of season. Directors broke down their responsibilities in percentages and added comments where applicable.

The categories listed in the survey covered planning of travel; game-day duties; equipment and supplies; scheduling practices or officials; any applicable strength and conditioning aspects; on-campus recruiting; film exchange; student-athlete academic enhancement; preparing for or working at teaching clinics or summer camps; and alumni and booster relations, including fundraising or booster trips. The Directors were also asked to tell us about the special projects on which they work.

"You're basically the right-hand person to the head coach," said Jan Bethea, the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas. "You field ideas about team logistics or off-court opportunities and share them with the coach. The coach makes the decision based on what's best for the team."

Team Travel

While in season, ten respondents said they are responsible for arranging travel plans for their team. The percent of time they dedicate to travel planning in season ranges from 15-75%, with six of the ten respondents saying it takes up a full 25-35% of their time. Out of season, just five Directors said they have duties in travel planning. Duties in the off-season take 10% to 30% of their time.

Prior to setting out on a road trip, a Director will develop a travel itinerary, including budget. Team travel responsibilities cover scheduling and confirming airplane reservations, hotels and rooming lists, charter busses or shuttles, practices, pre-game meals and restaurant options, per diem and any activities in which a team may participate.

Georgia State University Director of Basketball Operations Kristie Cowan said, "Upon completion of each trip, I handle all expense forms and reimbursements as mandated by our institution." Amber Stocks of the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, indicated she also handles expense forms, including all university, SEC and NCAA team travel paperwork. For the occasional and special case of an overseas tour, there are the additional tasks of signing contracts and securing passports.

Greg Law of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill summed up his travel responsibilities by saying, "I need to make sure we have transportation to a game or tournament, have transportation when we arrive at our destination, have a place to rest our heads, feed us and get us back. If I get all that right and make sure our budget is correct and make sure everyone is dressed properly, then I've done my job."

Game-Day

For the most part on the day of a home game, the Directors double as event managers. They need to keep their head coach on schedule, compile the list of player ticket requests, manage the support staff, including those on the bench each game and ball girls and boys, and make sure equipment is handy.

But before any games are played, they need to be scheduled and contracts need to be signed. Scheduling non-conference games is the primary challenge; league offices usually designate conference schedules.

Sometimes schools host special events, such as an annual tournament. Often times when this is the case, the Director will coordinate, organize and direct the event.

Maintaining Equipment and Supplies

Five Directors said they monitor equipment needs and related supplies. They serve as a liaison with the school's equipment personnel regarding practice and game gear and other needs or orders, primarily with the school's apparel supplier. Additionally, accurate inventory of all equipment must be maintained.

Scheduling Practices and Officials

During the season, the 12 Directors responsible for scheduling practice times for teams that visit their employing institution said this function takes 5-30% of their time. Three-fourths of the 12 respondents said scheduling visitors' practice times occupies 5-10% of their overall time.

Similarly, 12 respondents said they schedule practice times for their own institution when they take road trips. While the range shows 2-30% of time is spent on this area, eight of the answers show just about 5% of their time is spent on this type of scheduling. Georgia State's Cowan says this type of scheduling is "quickly handled with a letter to each school requesting times and then following up as the trip approaches."

Basically, a Director must communicate their team's practice needs, which may include extra baskets, floor time or video needs. They must stay in contact with appropriate athletic department personnel, sometimes their counterpart at the school to which they will travel.

Only two Directors said they spend any time scheduling officials. The range was from under 5% to about 10% of time on this function.

Strength and Conditioning

Just four surveys show Directors have responsibilities in the area of strength and conditioning aspects for their team. One spends roughly 2% of their overall time on this type of scheduling, another two dedicate about 5% and the fourth about 10%.

On-Campus Recruiting

Twelve surveys indicated their job entails on-campus recruiting while in season. Eleven of the 12 surveys show that about 5-10% of time is dedicated to recruiting. The other respondent spends about 20% of time on this function. During the off-season, just eight Directors do on-campus recruiting, with a range of 3-10%. Six Directors say they spend 5% of their time on this area in the off-season.

Film Exchange

During the season, seven Directors answered that film exchange and editing takes anywhere from 5% to 80% of their time. Four of these responses show 20-30% of the time was average. Out of season, just four respondents spend time with film, at 2%, 5%, 25% and 45% of time spent on this function.

Student-Athlete Academic Enhancement

Nine Directors say they spend time on student-athlete academic enhancement. With an in-season range of 5-50% and seven of those bunched between 10% and 40%, it is clear programs are checking on their players. In the off-season, seven surveys show Directors work on student-athlete enhancement. While the range shows 5-50% of time is spent in this area, three Directors concentrate about 40% of their time on this in the off-season.

Directors serve as a liaison between the institution's Women's Basketball office and the compliance office and academic advisors. They report their findings to the entire staff and try to motivate and encourage student-athletes to succeed in the classroom. When necessary, someone from the Women's Basketball staff will meet with players. Other Directors monitor players through academic progress forms completed by professors and through tracking study hall hours and tutoring times. Usually classes are checked at random or when it is appropriate.

Clinics and Summer Camps

Of 14 respondents who say they have responsibilities with teaching clinics and summer camps, 11 say it takes 15-30% of their time. Overall, the range is 1-60%. Camp and clinic duties vary from school to school. Some Directors serve as camp registrar and facility coordinator. They also plan registration and awards ceremonies, coordinate the camp store, brochure production, advertising, promotion, mailings, camp equipment, and camper database files.

Alumni or Booster Relations and Fundraising

Twelve Directors said they work on alumni and booster relations, fundraising or take booster trips during the season. While this function can take anywhere from 3% to 40% of their schedule, seven said it takes 5-15% of budgeted time. In the off-season, the seven Directors who say they spend time on alumni relations say it takes 3-30% of their time. Four of these surveys indicate they spend about 10% of their time on alumni relations and events.

UNLV's Bethea, a former WBCA employee, said all of her efforts in this respect are carried out within Las Vegas. While some Directors travel outside of their institution's city limits for these duties, they may do so because they do not work in a destination city like Bethea does. Who does not like Las Vegas? She conducts an annual Thanksgiving tournament and a Meet the Lady Rebels Night, where the school auctions off items. UNLV also holds a postseason party at the local Planet Hollywood.

Special Projects: The "Catch-All"

While in season, 14 Directors work on special projects. Out of season, nine work on special projects. The in-season range of time spent on special projects is 5-30%, with 11 Directors between 10% and 25%. The range is 5-75% in the off-season, with six respondents at 10-25%.

The wide range of responsibility is directly related to the wide range of tasks they are asked to carry out. Scheduling player housing and other needs, training team managers, maintaining a pleasant atmosphere in the team locker room, special events and off-campus community relations name just a few of these duties.

Some Directors serve as the liaison for returning players moving into on-campus housing. They are available to meet incoming players and their families as they arrive on campus and move into residence halls. Some freshmen undergo an orientation program for athletics in addition to the one for the general student population.

Five Directors indicated they monitor team managers during practices, games, road trips and camps. The goal is to help them understand all practice drills and equipment needed to maintain the smooth flow of practice, camp and game operations.

Four Directors are responsible for team room and locker room organization. They update individual nameplates on lockers and annually maintain the board displaying the team's goals. Some coordinate locker room memorabilia, including banners, plaques, poster-sized photos, rings and awards.

In order to maintain contact with former players an institution has had in its program, some respondents said they compile addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of their alumnae and communicate with them regularly, sometimes by helping plan alumnae events.

A couple of programs hold team banquets annually. These schools utilize the Director for planning, coordination, and ordering of awards.

Some Directors act as campus liaison. UNLV's Bethea says that during the season, she serves as a liaison to students, alumni, and many other organizations on campus. In the off-season, UNLV Head Coach Regina Miller becomes the main liaison.

When schools host honorary or guest coaches on their bench, the Director will sometimes help with coordination of logistics. They will compile an invitation list, mailings, and responses, then sit with the guest on bench for the game they are honored.

The Directors at most of the schools for which responses were received also have responsibilities working with fan clubs, community service, miscellaneous team requests, including speaking engagements), public and media relations and marketing.

For the community, Directors serve as a liaison for requests for team's time at clinics or autograph sessions, for example. Many of them will coordinate gatherings or communication with the Women's Basketball fan club, including events and newsletters and general web site maintenance.

Some Directors help develop a positive relationship with the media and assist in the promotion and sale of season tickets for the team. Others create and distribute newsletters to high school coaches about the program. Still others assist the athletic marketing department with game promotions and kids club initiatives.

Georgia State's Cowan, who has a background in media and public relations, said she focuses a great deal of energy upon building a fan base for the downtown Atlanta school that competes for the local sports dollar with numerous other professional and intercollegiate athletics programs. "I do this through consistent mailings, invitations and newsletters, getting the word out about our program and our student-athletes and as a means of highlighting our recent successes," said Cowan. "I have also hosted post-game banquets, half-time receptions, etc., as a means of allowing our fans a chance to get to know the members of our staff and team in a more personal setting."

"I try to create as many opportunities as possible for our athletes to act as ambassadors for not only our program, but also for our institution as a whole, whether they participate in pep rallies for fall and spring sports, attend a breast cancer awareness event at a softball game, or contribute community service hours at a kitchen providing meals to home-bound AIDS patients."

Finally, there is the ubiquitous "other duties as assigned" tag that nearly everyone has attached to his or her job description. This open-ended clause keeps Directors on their toes for any such calling. "An institution with a Director of Operations has the opportunity to bring events to its campus without taxing the coaching staff that is in the middle of a season and should be focusing on the team's success," added Cowan.

Or, as another Director put it, "I can have a plan of what I need to get done and that plan get thrown out the window because of last minute things that are asked to be done."

Never Too Far Away

The Directors do not stray too far from their teams. They are, after all, an extension of the head coach and must see to it that the details of things such as travel seem effortless, which helps keep the team's focus on winning games.

Ten of the 17 surveys indicate the Directors attend practices regularly. While the other seven occasionally attend practices, they mentioned attendance is not required.

Sixteen of 17 Directors travel with their teams on road trips. The other, an Atlantic Sun Conference Director, travels sometimes.

Similarly, 16 of 17 Directors sit with their team on the bench during games. They have the bench covered, too. While most occupy the seats between the last player on the bench and the very last seat on the bench - you know, the one by the water cooler - one Pac-10 Director sits right up by the coaches.

But Georgia State's Cowan, the former PR pro, said that while at home games, she is cultivating the team's fan base. "At home, I sit in the stands as any other fan. … I have the opportunity to meet and greet the fans that have come to the game, to give them a chance to have a personal attachment to our program and to build repeat business."

Classifications

So what is all of this budgeting, scheduling and administration worth to a school? Well, it depends on whom you ask and on who is paying the bills.

All of the Directors surveyed were asked some classification questions about their position. They were asked to divulge age, salary and the number of years they have been a Director at their particular institution. While they were permitted to be specific about these details, they were also allowed to check the category range that best answered the question. For this reason, salary and age figures are approximations.

The Directors who replied range in age from 23 to their early 50s, while 11 respondents are aged 25-34. Overall, the age of respondents is just over 32 years.

They have been in their positions for an average of two-and-one-third years, with a low of one month and a high of more than seven years. Ten respondents had been in their positions for just one to two years.

Sixteen of the 17 respondents are employed on a full-time basis by their institution. The part-time employee is a graduate student.

Salaries for the 16 full-time Directors range from $22,000 to more than $70,000 annually. Ten of those respondents earn $30,000-49,999 per year. Directors earn an average of about $34,666.67 annually. This figure is $4,163.58, or about 11%, less than the average salary for all Directors at ACC institutions. An ACC-specific salary survey was conducted earlier this year and shows the average for ACC Directors is $38,831.25. The ACC figure encompasses the entire conference, regardless of WBCA membership.

There are 11 Directors who may receive a bonus at the end of a season. These bonuses range from one month's salary for an NCAA berth, to bonuses for conference championships or working camps. In one case, the bonus structure was at the discretion of the head coach.

Five Directors either received a car, an allowance option or an allotment for a car as part of their job. None of the respondents had housing worked into their deal.

Fifteen of the 16 full-time respondents to our survey receive medical and dental coverage through their institutions. Thirteen of the 16 full-time Directors receive vision coverage as well. In the case of all 17 Directors, WBCA membership fees and National Convention costs are covered.

Many of the Directors receive different forms of benefits as well. Three revealed they receive retirement planning, some because they are employees of state institutions, where it is mandatory. Two respondents said they receive a clothing allotment or other gear from the apparel or sneaker company that sponsors the program. Other perqs include: cell phone, meals at the training table during the school year, tuition for immediate family members attending the same institution, reimbursement for one class per semester and complementary tickets to school contests.

One Big Ten Director has a package that includes professional development training or seminars, membership fees to all organizations, subscriptions to multiple periodicals, season tickets to football and men's basketball games, a cell phone and laptop computer.

Conclusion

While heavily administrative in nature, a Director of Basketball Operations is more than a secretary or travel agent. Those employed in these positions must be able to multi-task and change hats on a moment's notice.

Not everyone is cut out for the position. The time demands, both internally and externally, are tremendous. While some find the position to be their Shangri-La, others are using it as a stepping-stone to other things, while staying close to the game they love. Over time, as the position becomes more commonplace in Women's Basketball programs, perhaps the responses from today's Directors will help shape the future and growth of the position.

Copyright © 2000 WBCA