Press Release :: Women's Basketball Coaches Association

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that the WBCA All-Star Challenge game will be suspended for a one-year period of review. The WBCA and its affiliates are assessing the aptness of the game and are committed to making the best possible recommendations and decisions for the WBCA membership.

"The good news is that the NCAA Women's Final Four® and the WBCA National Convention continue to be the premier events for collegiate women's basketball," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "Our efforts are always directed at what is best for our membership at all levels as well as for the NCAAWomen's Final Four, our convention, the marketplace and the growth of our association and the game of women's basketball. Our intention is to explore opportunities at the highest level to ensure that we are in line with what the stakeholders of women's basketball want to accomplish in each Women's Final Four city and that our decisions reflect the growth of our game."

During the NCAA Women's Final Four championship week, many of the WBCA partners host anciallary events in conjunction with the national semifinal games, national championship game and the WBCA National Convention. These events are all factors that the WBCA will take into consideration and these key influencers will be consulted in the evaluation process. The WBCA will collaborate with the NCAA, WNBA, USA Basketball and other affiliates in comprising a plan for the future of the WBCA All-Star Challenge game.

In the past, the WBCA All-Star Challenge game has been the second game of a doubleheader event commonly known as the "WBCA Night of All-Stars", held each year in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four. The WBCA All-Star Challenge game has showcased the top 20 senior collegiate players in women's basketball, not playing in the NCAA Women's Final Four. Seventeen of the student-athletes have been selected from NCAA Division I institutions and the NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA top senior vote-getters have completed the roster.

The WBCA's High School All-America Game presented by Nike will be a highlight of the 2007 WBCA National Convention. The High School All-America game presented by Nike was first played in 1992 and is the longest running high school all-America game in the sport of women's basketball. Annually, the game features 20 of the nation's top high school seniors in women's basketball. The WBCA thanks Nike for their continued support of the High School All-America Game.

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.