Contact: Summer McKesson
Director of Communications
770.279.8027 ext. 112
smckesson@wbca.org

Nike's So You Want To Be A Coach Class of '08 Announced

"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 Penn State Head Coach Coquese Washington, Old Dominion Assistant Coach Nikita Dawkins, Black Coaches & Administrators Executive Director 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. 

Candidate	School
Janese Banks	Wisconsin
Monique Bassett	Bethune-Cookman
Chante Bowman	Kentucky
Jennifer Brown	James Madison
Psyche Butler	Robert Morris
Shannon Carlisle	Howard
Latoya Carter	Gardner-Webb
Alexis Castro	American International
Taushauna Churchwell	Grand Valley State
Monique Dawson	Western Carolina
Karmeshia Easly	West Florida
Ledella English	New Orleans
Ashley Ford	Nebraska
Leah Foster	Texas State
Adrienne Gilmore	Furman
Rita Grayson	Francis Marion
Reyna Gross	Howard
C’Vette Henson	George Mason
Jill Ingram	Georgia Tech
Amanda Jackson	Miami (Ohio)
Imesia Jackson	Mississippi State
Andrea Johnson	Tusculum College
Ciara Johnson	DePaul
Maripier Malo	Saint Bonaventure
Dominee Matthews	Xavier (La.)
Tristan McCray	Bethune-Cookman
Katherine Menendez	North Central College

Amber Metoyer	Louisiana Tech
Daphne Mitchell	Georgia Tech
Janie Mitchell	Georgia Tech
Melissa Mitidiero	DePaul
Denasha Mondy	Bellarmine
Ashleigh Newman	Maryland
Chioma Nnamaka	Georgia Tech
Morgan Patrick	Stony Brook
Ashley Pellom	Western Carolina
Moesheda Pettus	Alabama-Huntsville
Renee Polk	West Florida
Nathalie Reshard	Alabama
Jade Robinson	Kennesaw State
Asha Santee	Howard
Linsdey Shiomi	University of La Verne
Courtney Simmons	Louisville
Tiowana Spann	WVU Tech
Ashli Summerville	College of Charleston
Lori Tanaka	University of Chicago
Alisha Tatham	Massachusetts
Terese Thorton	Howard
Brittney Vaughn	Arkansas
Cecilia Ware	Coastal Carolina
Andrea Williams	New Orleans
Ketrina Wilson	Georgia Tech
Sharnee Zoll	Virginia

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.

--WBCA--