Press Release :: Women's Basketball Coaches Association

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) is proud to announce the addition of the Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year award and the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year award. 

The Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year award is in honor of the late Maggie Dixon, former Army head coach, whose success during her inaugural year at the Army helm was remarkable.  The Black Knights won the Patriot League title last season and Dixon was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year after leading the Army to the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the NCAA Division I level. Sadly, Coach Dixon passed away on April 6, 2006, just a few weeks following their appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"Maggie Dixon brought passion, enthusiasm, knowledge, kindness and humor to every aspect of her coaching life. Her life became a constant role model for every player and coach that was blessed to be touched by her,” Doug Bruno, WBCA President, said. “I thank God every day for having the privilege to have worked with Maggie and to have witnessed Maggie's magic for six years.  It is truly an honor to be able to name an award for Maggie and ensure that her coaching legacy lives." 

The WBCA Defensive Player of the Year award will go to the most outstanding defensive player. The WBCA wants to emphasize the old adage, "Offense sells tickets, defense wins games." Therefore, the WBCA feels it is important to highlight the defensive side of women's basketball by instituting the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year award.

“The WBCA Defensive Player of the Year has been in the ideation stage for a couple of years and we are ecstatic that these two awards have now come to fruition,” WBCA CEO Beth Bass said.  “We are always looking to be on the cutting edge in honoring our coaches and deserving student-athletes in innovative ways.”

The WBCA plans to begin the Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year award and the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2007, leading up to the WBCA National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.  With the addition of these two awards, the WBCA now tallies 20 awards as part of their prestigious program, including the Kodak/WBCA All-America Team. This marks the 33rd year that Kodak has sponsored the Kodak/WBCA All-America Team and is the longest running sponsorship in women's athletics.  

The criteria, committee and formatting of these awards will be designed according to the process and protocol for all other awards, including the WBCA Board of Directors' approval.  Nominations will open on January 8, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. (ET) along with all other awards, with the exception of the High School All-America game presented by Nike nominations.  More details on the criteria and formatting of this award will be available at that time. 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Betty Jaynes, WBCA Consultant, at 770-279-8027 ext. 101 or by email at Betty_Jaynes@wbca.org.

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.