Dear WBCA Member,

For all of us in the women's basketball realm, there just never seems to be an offseason. The summer is actually the time of year when I am able to push many behind-the-scenes women's basketball initiatives to the forefront and begin activation. As I am out and about, it is nice to get some one-on-one time with our coaches as they are prepping for camps, recruiting and preseason in the fall.

Tipping-off my summer activities, I was invited to participate on the Executive Golf Summit Advisory by Mimi Griffin (MSG Promotions) and Jeannie Taylor (MSG Promotions), who are hosting the 2009 Women's U.S. Golf Open at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Lehigh Valley of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It is a very impressive group - I figured I was selected because they needed a court jester. It is great to break out of my comfort zone and look big picture with the promotion of women's athletics.

Beth tees off with (L-R) Judy Bell, Betsy Rawls and Carolyn Schlie-Femovich of the 2009 U.S. Women's Open Executive Council.

Back in Atlanta, my staff and I had a stimulating brain-drain meeting with Rick Jones (Fishbait Marketing) and Brittany Harmon (Fishbait Marketing) where we recapped our corporate sponsorship activation in Cleveland and prepared to strike while the iron is hot with new possibilities with these sponsorships for 2008 in Tampa.

Then I travelled as a rookie to my first Naismith Board of Trustees meeting. I shared a cab ride with one of basketball's premiere sport agents, Lon Babby, who represents several men and women's basketball professional athletes. It was refreshing to get his viewpoint on the growth of the sport. I also had the privilege to chit chat briefly with Val Ackerman (USA Basketball) and get her global perspective of women's basketball from her rich expertise.

Beth, Betty along with friends and family enjoy Betty's induction festivities.

Then I snuck away for a week to Cabo, Mexico, with my usual cronies. I had a terrific time and was able to fly back in to help get Betty Jaynes (WBCA consultant) into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. I think she is up to double-digits in the hall of fame arena. Betty has been honored so many times across this country, but being inducted into your home state's hall of fame meant a lot and was extremely special. Macon, Georgia, did an outstanding job with the event. My 80-year-old mother was my date to the induction where Betty's family, friends and supporters rallied to celebrate her success.

Next, I was off to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention. Serving on the Executive Committee, this strategic conversation and networking opportunity is great for our sport. My background is not from a campus setting, so I cannot spend enough time hearing the perspective of these decision makers.

Beth spends some time with Joan Cronan (Tennessee) and Jeff Hathaway (Connecticut) at the NACDA Convention.

I headed straight from Orlando, to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame induction, one of women's basketball's best kept secrets. It was Mel Greenberg's (Philadelphia Inquirer) wedding, and Andy Landers (Georgia) was his best man. (Certainly our thoughts and prayers are with Andy Landers and his son Drew in hopes of a speedy recovery). I am glad that Mel let the others into the Hall of Fame this year!

The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2007

The highlight of the induction for me was when George Raveling (Nike's Global Basketball Sports Marketing Director) told the story that he has the authentic "I Have a Dream" speech from Dr. Martin Luther King. By positive happenstance, George, a college student at the time, was on the stage at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. for security purposes. After Dr. King completed the speech, he went and asked him if he minded if he had his manuscript. Dr. King signed it and gave it to him. I love history and I still have chills thinking about this moment.

George Raveling spends some quality time with Beth, Jody Conradt (formerly at Texas) and Carol Callan (USA Basketball) at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame induction.

After all of the festivities, I rolled up my sleeves and headed to the Women's Basketball Issues Committee meeting for two days. This committee is our major access to the NCAA governance structure and is critical to the growth of our sport. Chris Plonsky (Texas) and I stayed up late having our own breakout session solving the issues of women's basketball.

I have always been accused of having a good time at a funeral. My good friend Patti Phillips' (WIN for KC) mother passed away and I attended the celebration service. Afterwards, Kathleen Kunkler (AVCA) became Lola from Copacabana days and took over the band at the reception. The musicians, who were a bit older, started out playing Glen Miller's "In the Mood" and ended up with "Proud Mary". The musicians might have gotten the most tips ever, but they also might have to take the next two weeks off! Under the gorgeous backdrop at Lake Winnebago, we were all dancing with Patti's dad and passing him around. It was a wonderful celebration of her mom's life.

(L-R) Ann St. Peter, Kathleen Kunkler, Patti Phillips, Beth and Kristy Guffey share some laughs at Lake Winnebago.

As you receive this, I am returning from the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Committee meeting and will give you an update in your next installment of Net.News.

Don't forget that Academic Top 25 Nominations are due by 5:00 pm ET this Friday, June 29. Click here to nominate your team now!

Continue to have a great summer as you are working camps, recruiting and hopefully enjoying a much-needed vacation. The season is right around the corner! See you on the road.

Until next time…

Your CEO,

Beth Bass

Registration and housing opens for the 2008 WBCA National Convention in Tampa Bay, FL on Tuesday, September 4 at Noon (ET).

Look for your annual WBCA Calendar in late August.

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.

Richard cancer-free, back to coaching
Former San Jose State women's basketball coach Janice Richard has beaten breast cancer, and now she's heading home to resume her career. Richard, whose contract wasn't extended by SJSU in April, is the new head coach at Louisiana College - her alma mater. The Division III school, located about 10 miles from Richard's hometown of Alexandria, La., is where she was a two-time All-American in the mid-1980s.

Conradt to be recognized w/ Giant Steps Award
Former University of Texas women's basketball coach and Naismith Hall of Famer Jody Conradt will be honored in early 2008 as one of six recipients of a 2007 "Giant Steps Award", given by the National Consortium for Academics & Sports (NCAS). The Giant Steps Award is presented to individuals who have achieved excellence in academics and athletics while having made significant contributions to the community.

Prognosis for Landers' son improving
Georgia women's basketball coach Andy Landers and his wife Pam remained hunkered down at Grady Memorial Memorial Hospital Monday evening with their son, Drew, who appears to be recovering from head and lung injuries suffered in a Sunday evening car crash in Alabama. "Drew sustained a head injury in the collision as well as a bruised lung. Other than that, there does not appear to be any additional injuries of consequence," Andy Landers said in a statement issued through the athletics association. "There has been no surgery and none scheduled at this point. The doctors and medical personnel at Grady Health System have been outstanding and from conversations with them we are very optimistic about his prognosis for recovery."

Energized Yow feels better
Kay Yow will be back at Reynolds Coliseum today, talking to her summer basketball campers about the attitudes that build winners. It's a lecture the N.C. State women's basketball coach could not have envisioned delivering several months ago when she was so worn down from chemotherapy and the Wolfpack's run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women's tournament. Since switching to a new hormonal treatment program, however, Yow said she feels re-energized. "It feels so good to have a lot of energy back," Yow said Monday. "Every day that I'm away from chemo, it seems I have more and more energy. It just feels so good to be able to do some things and not just be short of breath and really tired. ... It's a wonderful feeling."

Washburn Takes Women's Attendance Title
Rivals Washburn and Emporia State were the top two teams in the nation in attendance at NCAA, Division II women's basketball games in 2006-07 according to data released recently by the NCAA. Washburn attracted 35,875 fans to 14 home games, an average of 2,563 per game.

HPU nab crowd crown
The Howard Payne women were Division III basketball's attendance leaders in 2006-07, according to figures released by the NCAA. Howard Payne, which had two of the three largest crowds in Division III history, finished with an average attendance of 1,490 over 17 regular season home dates.

Lighthouse Christian hires Gordon as coach
Two weeks after getting a heroine's welcome back to Knoxville, Tenn., as an inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Bridgette Gordon still is flushed from that experience. But she is on to another small step in her storied career. Gordon has accepted the girls' basketball coaching job at Lighthouse Christian, a small private high school in her hometown of DeLand.

Sparks' Leslie gives birth to daughter
The Los Angeles Sparks center and three-time WNBA MVP gave birth to her first child. Lauren Jolie Lockwood weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces when she was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Leslie is married to pilot Michael Lockwood.

Women's Basketball HOF Inducts Six
Andy Landers has had great success since being hired as women's basketball coach at Georgia in 1979. He still has at least one item left on his to do list. "We've done everything there is to do in women's basketball with the exception of one thing and that's win the national championship," Landers said after touring the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, where he is a new inductee. Landers headlines the six inductees, joining Texas player Andrea Lloyd Curry, Louisiana Tech player Pamela Kelly-Flowers, Tennessee teammates Daedra Charles-Furlow and Bridgette Gordon and veteran Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mel Greenberg.

Title IX marks 35th anniversary
June 23 marked the 35th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the first comprehensive federal law requiring gender equity for students and employees of educational institutions receiving federal funds. Title IX requires educational institutions to maintain policies, practices and programs that do not discriminate on the basis of gender. Title IX in no way requires reductions in opportunities for male student-athletes. In fact, the goal is to achieve equity for both genders in terms of academic and athletic opportunities.

For a complete list of head coaching changes, click here.

June 24-29, 2007
NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Summer Meeting

June 29, 2007
Deadline for WBCA Academic top 25 Nominations

June 30 - July 8, 2007
AAU 12U Girls' Nationals (Rochester, Minn.)

June 30 - July 3, 2007
CoSIDA Workshop (San Diego, Calif.)

July 4, 2007
Independence Day

July 4-10, 2007
AAU Junior Girls' Nationals (Disney, Fla.)

July 13-19, 2007
AAU Senior Girls' Nationals (Disney, Fla.)

July 20-27, 2007
AAU 15U Girls' Nationals (Nashville, Tenn.)

July 21-28, 2007
AAU 14U Girls' Nationals (Salem-Roanoke Valley, Va.)

July 26 - August 2, 2007
Junior Olympics (Knoxville, Tenn.)

July 31 - August 2, 2007
WBCA Executive Committee and Board of Directors Meeting (Atlanta, Ga.)

Attention! So are you looking for your next assistant coach? If you have a coaching vacancy, Nike’s So You Want To Be A Coach participants are the best place to start. For participants’ contact information, please contact Stephanie Baron.

The WBCA will be posting several job opportunities over the next few weeks!

• Manager of Multimedia
• Manager of Marketing, Sales and 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