Press Release :: Women's Basketball Coaches Association
March 7, 2007
Manager of Communications
770.279.8027 ext. 112
smckesson@wbca.org
The WBCA Announces the 2007 Nike’s
So You Want To Be A Coach Participants
ATLANTA, Ga. - The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) is proud to host the fifth annual Nike’s So You Want To Be A Coach program. This two and a half day workshop will be held in conjunction with the WBCA National Convention on March 30 through April 1 in Cleveland, Ohio. The WBCA is also excited that Nike’s commitment to the WBCA and women’s basketball has extended to our So You Want To Be A Coach program. Nike serves as the title sponsor for this tremendous program.
"Nike is committed to growing women's basketball and supporting those coaches involved in our game," said Jill Pizzotti, Nike's Manager of Women's College Basketball. "We are proud to sponsor the "So You Want To Be A Coach" program, focused on developing and educating these chosen young ladies on the coaching profession."
The WBCA has been a cornerstone in developing an organization that meets the needs of women, while promoting the game of basketball and its development, as well as unifying coaches on every level. The So You Want To Be A Coach Program was designed to increase the amount of minorities in the coaching profession, by providing a workshop based on educational and professional principles to help those interested in the field.
The coaching lessons shared with these participants will assist in identifying, recruiting and retaining minority women in the profession of coaching. At this year’s workshop, the participants will have the opportunity to meet and learn from some high level professionals such as Rutgers Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer, Oregon State University’s Head Coach LaVonda Wagner, St. Louis University Head Coach Shimmy Gray-Miller, Executive Director of the Black Coaches Association Floyd Keith, and many others.
For qualification, the potential candidate must have exhausted her final year of basketball eligibility at a four-year institution OR have graduated within the past year. In addition, the candidate’s head coach has to nominate them and must be an active WBCA member. Each participant is selected based on their academics, contributions to women’s basketball on and off the court, professional resume and a written recommendation from their head coach. The resumes of the participants will be available at the WBCA Career Center at the Cleveland Convention Center Friday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1.
Listed below is the 2007 class of Nike’s So You Want To Be A Coach:
| Participant | Institution |
| Kendra Agee | Wright State University |
| Ashley Awkward | University of Mississippi |
| Kristina Baugh | Providence College |
| Cobie Carlisle | Jacksonville State University |
| Kezia Conyers | Appalachian State University |
| Cheri' Craddock | University of Washington |
| Lesley Dickinson | James Madison University |
| Lani Edmonds | Ashland University |
| Chrissy Givens | Middle Tennessee State University |
| Valonne Givens | Bethune-Cookman College |
| Megan Griffith | Columbia University |
| Erica Hallman | University of Kansas |
| Cameo Hicks | University of Washington |
| Jennifer Hoffman | Siena Heights University |
| Elizabeth Honegger | Bowling Green State University |
| Krystle Horton | Middle Tennessee State University |
| Tanya James | University at Albany |
| Angela Jones | University of Washington |
| Branden Lippy | Millersville University of PA |
| Alexandra Mallen | California Lutheran University |
| Diana Martinez | St. Andrews Presbyterian College |
| Tandem Mays | The University of Tulsa |
| Keunta Miles | University of Central Florida |
| Jada Mincy | University of Mississippi |
| Carrie Moore | Western Michigan University |
| Sequoya Moore | Howard University |
| Tracy Naidas | Lenoir-Rhyne College |
| Krystion Obie | University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Jessica Oram | Oberlin College |
| Karita Overstreet | Mississippi Valley State University |
| Armintie Price | University of Mississippi |
| Joya Puryear | Oakland University |
| Stephanie Raymond | Northern Illionois University |
| Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen | Georgia State University |
| Courtney Smiley | Howard University |
| Alexandra Street | Chowan University |
| Brittany Sumpter | Johnson C. Smith University |
| Destanie Sykes | Oklahoma State University |
| Krystal Taylor | Valparaiso University |
| Shamarah Thomas | Wilberforce University |
| Catherria Turner | Oklahoma State University |
| Jennifer Villarin | Martin Methodist College |
| Alexandra Webster | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay |
| Christen West | Mississippi Valley State University |
| Vemitra White | University of West Georgia |
| Crystal Wiley | Central Michigan University |
| Chasity Williams | Lincoln Memorial University |
| Ikea Witt | University of Hartford |
About Nike
If you have a body, you are an athlete. Bill Bowerman said this a couple of decades ago. The guy was right. It defines how he viewed the world, and it defines how Nike pursues its destiny. Nike is a language of sports, a universally understood lexicon of passion and competition. What started with a handshake between two running geeks in sleepy Eugene, Oregon, is now the world's most competitive sports and fitness company. The world headquarters is in Beaverton, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is Nike's hometown, but like so many ambitious souls, they have expanded their horizons to every corner of the world. Nike employs approximately 25,000 people, and every one of them is significant to their mission of bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. As small as they feel, the Nike family is a fairly vast enterprise. They operate on six continents. Their suppliers, shippers, retailers and service providers employ close to 1 million people. The diversity inherent in such size is helping Nike evolve its role as a global company. If you have a body, you are an athlete. And as long as there are athletes, there will be Nike.
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 in all of its aspects as a sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.
--WBCA--