Dear WBCA Member,

The last two months probably seem like a blur to all of us. As you have gone through practice, film sessions, and the start of your non-conference schedules, so much has transpired in the big picture world of women's basketball.

From the launch of our new podcast, to the momentum of the WBCA's "Think Pink", to the announcement of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, the past two months have been nothing less than miraculous. I feel honored to be a part of three of the most amazing initiatives in the WBCA's history. But, let's start at the beginning.

Sue Donohoe (NCAA Vice President for Division I Women's Basketball) and her talented crew flew in to Atlanta to meet with WBCA staff in preparation for the 2008 NCAA Women's Final Four and the WBCA National Convention. We had great conversation about how the NCAA and WBCA can work together to make Tampa a great atmosphere for our coaches and fans. We are in the beginning stages of the new Fund's Events-in-a-Box that will be provided to all members who are interested in planning an event to raise money for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. One of the Events-in-a-Box will be the 4Kay Run/Walk. The idea for the 4Kay Run/Walk emerged from this meeting, and the NCAA committed to hosting this event on Saturday, April 5, during the Final Four.

Following the NCAA meeting, I headed to Bristol, Connecticut, to meet with Rosa Gatti (Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Outreach, ESPN, Inc.) to discuss the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund and our partnership with The V Foundation. As many of you know, ESPN's sole charitable organization is The V Foundation, which they helped to found. It was reassuring to know that our health initiative would have the support of such a impact player in women's basketball (referring to ESPN).

Kay, Pat & Geno share a laugh during the ESPN promotional spot shoot.

Only Kay Yow (N.C. State Head Coach) could pull off a promotional spot with Geno Auriemma (Connecticut Head Coach and WBCA Vice President) and Pat Summitt (Tennessee Head Coach). Without hesitation, Geno and Pat agreed to appear in the spot, produced by ESPN, to promote the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. This definitely portrayed their love and respect of Kay, and their commitment to the fight against cancer. As good as the promotional spot was, it did not capture the sincerity and the energy in the room that day. It was a humbling experience to be a part of such a special day.

The ESPN shoot was a tough act to follow. I was off to Tampa, Florida, for a site visit where I met with Sherri Coale (Oklahoma Head Coach and WBCA President) and the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Committee. When we have the opportunity to meet, our meetings are always very productive, but what impressed me about Sherri was her ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound just to catch her flight!

Next, I headed back to Atlanta. For those of you who have seen me this past month, you may have noticed a new pep in my step - or perhaps I should say limp in my step. I actually had my knee replaced late-October and became bionic. Swag definitely helped my healing! Of course now that I am able to travel again, I set off the metal detector in every airport.

Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli visit Beth after surgery.

While I was out, my staff held down the fort and launched "Shootaround with Beth & Debbie", our new podcast dedicated to women's basketball. Basketball analysts Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli host the weekly show. If anyone ever doubted their love of this game, you would not if you know of their dedication to this project. If you have not had a chance to listen, you are missing out! Visit www.wbca.org to listen now and get the inside scoop on our game.

Due to my knee surgery, I was unable to fly for a few weeks, but was fortunate to be released to travel just in time to make the trip to St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam. I think St. Thomas would be remarkable therapy for anyone, but it was great to convalesce with such beautiful surroundings. With the likes of Connecticut, Duke, Old Dominion, Purdue, Stanford, Temple, Indiana, Texas A&M, Wake Forest and Wichita State. I undoubtedly saw some impressive women's basketball action.

Nels Hawkinson (BTI) spends some time with Shannon Reynolds (WBCA) and Beth

Next it was back to the homestead to prep for the announcement of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund and to work on the developmental stages of the WBCA leadership institute. Marsha Sharp (former Texas Tech Head Coach) came to Atlanta for a couple of days to work on the curriculum that will be implemented in the near future. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to share mind space with Marsha, a true women's basketball leader and caretaker of our game. This institute will help to grow our game, ensure the future of our sport and motivate our young coaches to embrace a role of leadership.

Marsha Sharp meets with WBCA staff to discuss leadership curriculum

The announcement of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund was held via press conference prior to the Jimmy V Classic where Rutgers faced Maryland. It was incredible to watch all of the pieces of the puzzle come together to make this a special day for Kay and the world of women's basketball. Kay is truly one of the most inspirational people I know and to see her make the trip to Rutgers in the midst of fighting Stage 4 breast cancer and coaching her team was extremely moving. I cannot thank ESPN, Rutgers and my staff enough for the effort they put into this exciting new initiative.

Kay Yow watches the Rutgers' game after the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund announcement

I hope that each of you are excited about this Fund and encourage you to support it in any way possible. What can you do to make a difference? Some suggestions are provide a link on your site to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund's site, plan an event to raise money (Events-in-a-Box will be provided during the 2008 WBCA National Convention) or simply make your tax deductible donation. For more information, visit www.wbca.org/kayyowwbcacancerfund.asp. Thank you to everyone who has already donated to the cause. We will make a difference!

Following the announcement of the Fund, I was off to Manhattan where the WBCA hosted a shareholders' meeting. I wish everyone had the opportunity to spend time with these individuals who represent the different facets of our game.

Finally, it was back to the office to tidy up loose ends before the holidays and to discuss next steps for engaging our membership in many of these exciting new initiatives.

WBCA staff holiday party

Don't forget that Awards Nominations go online on January 7 and the WBCA High School All-America Game Nomination deadline is January 16! Also, Nikes' So You Want To Be A Coach application deadline is January 18.

As many of you know, the WBCA's "Think Pink" initiative for 2008 is off to a great start with over 600 schools already committed to the cause. For anyone else who would like to jump on board, visit www.wbca.org/thinkpink.asp for more information!

Good luck as you all head into your conference schedules. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Until next time…
Your ho ho ho CEO,

Beth Bass

Registration for the WBCA's 2008 National Convention in Tampa is now open.
Click here to register now!

Attention! Check out the WBCA bookstore where you'll find the new release Coaching Basketball Technical and Tactical Skills, plus other must-have basketball resources from the American Sport Education Program and Human Kinetics. Click here to visit the WBCA bookstore.

Click here!

Still seeking an assistant coach? Make your first stop the WBCA Career Center. Remember to go to WBCA.org to see new job listings everyday and to post your resume, open dates and camps.

Be a part of the solution! Join in the fight against cancer by supporting the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. Click here for more information.

Make your tax deductible donation now!

Staley To Be Inducted Into Virginia Sports Hall Of Fame
Dawn Staley, one of the most decorated and accomplished players in the history of women's basketball, is among seven people who have been selected to the Class of 2008 for the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Established in 1972, the Virginia Hall of Fame and museum honors the state's contributions to the world of sports.

Dawley earns 200th career victory
Four days after taking a beating to Louisville, the University of Vermont women's basketball team handed one out at Patrick Gynasium. The Catamounts pulled away for an 84-60 win over Harvard, wrapping up Sharon Dawley's 200th career coaching victory with one of their best performances of the season.

Blood clot will sideline Warlick from road trip
Holly Warlick will get an unexpected taste of a fan's perspective for Tennessee's women's basketball games at UCLA and Stanford. The Lady Vols' associate head coach will not make the West Coast trip because of a blood clot in her right calf muscle. She suffered a broken right ankle during a workout on Dec. 7. "It's strictly a health issue, Warlick said. "It's not my decision but I have to do what the doctor says. Warlick said that she felt a knot in her leg on Friday. The clot was detected by ultrasound examination.

ECU honors Yow
As basketball resumes go, Kay Yow's is pretty untouchable. In her 33rd year as the head coach at N.C. State, Yow has seen and done just about everything there is to do on a basketball court. Her off the court life has been remarkable too. She fought for women's rights through Title IX. And currently Yow is at the forefront in the race to find a cure for breast cancer, a disease she is battling for the third time since 1987. And it all started after stepping off the podium, English degree in hand, from East Carolina back in 1964. Prior to tipoff of Sunday's 89-82 East Carolina victory over her Wolfpack, Yow was honored with the presentation of a medal saluting her as one of the "100 Incredible Women of ECU."

Disney Win No. 500 For Bellarmine's Smith
Bellarmine women's basketball coach David Smith was not fond of talking about collecting career win No. 500. Now, he no longer has to answer the question of when it will happen. Junior small forward Taylor Kopple and senior guard Angela Smith combined for 42 points Friday, November 2 to help the coach become just the seventh active NCAA, Division II women's coach to collect 500 victories as Bellarmine pushed past Limestone, 80-69.

LFC coach to step down
Lake Forest women's coach Jackie Slaats has announced to her team that this will be her last season as head coach. Slaats will continue as the athletic director and assume new responsibilities as senior advisor to the president while conducting a national search for her replacement.

Summons Becomes First Community College to be Honored in Top 100
Susan Summons is the first community college sports educator to be honored in the Top 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America. She has served as Head Coach of Women's Basketball and has been an associate professor at Miami Dade College for 22 years. Under her leadership, the MDC Lady Sharks team has made 17 trips to the Florida Community College Athletic Association State Championships and holds one of the highest student graduation and placement rates in the nation - an impressive 93 percent.

Curry collects win No. 200
Tim Curry collected his 200th career coaching victory Tuesday as Union College needed overtime to pull out the 94-91 decision over visiting Pikeville (Ky.) College. In his 13th year as a head coach, Curry is 200-211. He ranks second in wins at Union with a 108-99 mark, and he went 92-112 during his six seasons at Bluefield (Va.) College. Union is now 8-4 overall, while Pikeville dropped to 1-10 on the season.

Coach Lord Wins 300th
"Skip" Lord, head coach of the Houghton College women's basketball team, was honored recently for the 300th victory of his college basketball coaching career. In a short ceremony before the women's home opener, the college presented him with a ceremonial game ball in recognition of the milestone.

Xavier Women Win 73-42 to Give Browder His 200th Victory
Erica Turnbull scored 17 points, and Patrice Hawkins had career highs of 11 points and 12 rebounds to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 73-42 women's basketball victory over the College of the Bahamas at The Barn and give Bo Browder his 200th coaching victory at Xavier. Browder, in his ninth season as the Gold Nuggets' head coach, is 200-75 at Xavier and the school's winningest women's coach. He is the 10th Louisiana women's coach to reach 200 victories.

Fles Wins No. 200 as Head Coach of Cornerstone (Mich.)
Cornerstone (Mich.) University head women's basketball coach Carla Fles won her 200th career game (Dec. 1) as the Golden Eagles defeated Grace (Ind.) 59-45 to win the Santa Lucia Tournament at Trinity International (Ill). Coach Fles is in her ninth season at Cornerstone and has a record of 200-76 (.724 winning percentage) during her collegiate coaching career.

Dunn named Fever coach
The Indiana Fever didn't have far to look to find the fourth coach in their eight-year WNBA history. Lin Dunn, a former coach at nearby Purdue and an assistant on Brian Winters' staff with the Fever the past four years, was hired and promised a smooth transition into a higher-scoring team. "One of the first things we're going to focus on is scoring more points," Dunn said. "We know that we have had a really outstanding defensive team the last two or three years. We know we need to score more points, at least seven or eight more points a game.

Atlanta names Meadors as coach, GM for inaugural 2008 season
The new WNBA franchise in Atlanta doesn't have a team name, colors or players, but it now has an experienced leader for its inaugural 2008 season. Marynell Meadors, one of the league's eight original coaches, was introduced as Atlanta's first coach and general manager. Meadors, a native of Nashville, Tenn., called herself a "hillbilly at heart" and said she is happy to be returning to the South.

Presidential Group to Examine Use of Student-Athlete Likeness
The NCAA announced the formation of a Division I presidential task force to examine limitations on the future use of student-athlete names, images and likenesses in college sports promotions. NCAA Division I members are currently reviewing a package containing three proposals generated by an external study group. This group included marketing and compliance experts from NCAA member institutions and members of the NCAA Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet's agents and amateurism subcommittee.

December 31, 2007
Deadline to Make your Tax-Deductible Contribution to the BFJ Internship Program

Monday, January 7, 2008
All Award nomination forms online at Noon (ET)

January 16, 2008
WBCA High School All-America Game nomination deadline at 5:00pm ET

January 18, 2008
Nike's So You Want To Be A Coach Application Deadline

February 8 - 17, 2008
WBCA's "Think Pink" Week

Friday, February 15, 2008
Award nominations due by 5:00 p.m. (ET) EXCEPT NCAA Division I State Farm Coaches' All-America Team and NCAA Division I RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coach of the Year

February 29, 2008
WBCA National Convention Pre-Registration Deadline

Attention! The WBCA has two full-time opportunities at this time!

• Manager of Legislation and Research
• Manager of Marketing, Sales & Activation

Click here for updates on all WBCA career openings.

For information regarding these dates, the WBCA, or any of the WBCA programs,
please contact:
WBCA
4646 Lawrenceville Highway
Lilburn, GA 30047
(770) 279-8027 :: Office
(770) 279-8473 :: Fax
wbca@wbca.org