...to promote women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport of women's basketball and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as a sport for women and girls
The WBCA provides education for coaches, and promotes the coaching profession with awards for coaches and players. While many of the awards are related to basketball activities, the WBCA recognizes the need for academic as well as athletic excellence and recognizes academic excellence with their Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll.[2]
History
An organizational meeting was held at the Olympic Festival in Syracuse, New York, in 1981. Jill Hutchison was named the first president of the organization, before the organization even had a name. Later that year, Betty Jaynes was named the interim executive director of the organization. Jaynes was the head coach of the James Madison University women's basketball team, but she resigned her position to take on the responsibilities of the WBCA. She served as the chief executive officer until retiring in November 2000, passing over the position to Beth Bass.[1] Bass joined the organization as executive director in 1997, and assumed the role of CEO after the retirement of Jaynes,[1] who continues to serve as a consultant to the WBCA.[3]
Membership
The membership is open to virtually everyone, including institutions. The main membership category is "active" comprising the coaching staff of NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA, USCAA, junior college and community college coaches. In addition, there are membership categories for high school, AAU and recreational league coaches, as well as coaches on professional teams. Institutions are allowed to become members. Finally, there are affiliate categories for "administrators", "industry professionals" (including media), players, and "fans" (including anyone who is a friend of women's basketball). An "international" membership category is available for individuals, regardless of category, living outside the U.S. and its territories. All members are eligible to attend the WBCA's annual convention except for high school and college players.[4]
Coaches at professional teams are ineligible for any level of NABC membership unless they have spent enough years as active members in college basketball to be eligible for "associate" membership.
The "active" NABC membership consists solely of head coaches and full-time assistants at NCAA and NAIA institutions.
Coaches at four-year institutions not affiliated with the NCAA or NAIA are ineligible for NABC membership at any level. By contrast, active WBCA membership is open even to coaches at four-year institutions unaffiliated with any national association.
Men's coaches at two-year schools are in the NABC's third-tier category of "activity" membership. By contrast, women's coaches at the same type of schools are eligible for active WBCA membership.
The NABC only offers fourth-level "affiliate" membership to directors of basketball operations, and only if they work at four-year institutions. The WBCA considers individuals in the same role at women's basketball programs eligible for active membership, and also extends this privilege to those holding the position at two-year institutions.
While certain administrators in men's basketball are eligible for "affiliate" NABC membership, eligibility is far more restrictive than the WBCA "administrator" category.
The NABC does not offer any level of membership to institutions, players, or fans.
Events and initiatives
The WBCA sponsors a variety of events throughout the year. The flagship event is the annual convention, coinciding both in timing and location with the Final Four weekend of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship. Other sponsored events occur throughout the year, some in conjunction with the annual convention, others at different times.
Convention
The primary function of the convention is to facilitate business meetings, such as board of directors meetings, and other administrative meetings.[6] The program also typically includes panel presentations including members and outside speakers, workshops, awards and outside exhibitors.
WBCA High School All-America Game
The WBCA formerly sponsored an All America game, inviting twenty of the nation's top high school female basketball players. Only seniors in high school were eligible. In addition to the twenty players invited to play in the game, an additional twenty players were named as Honorable Mention All-Americans. The invited players were divided into two teams, and played an all star game in the same city as the Final Four (although sometimes at a different venue). The game was typically scheduled for the off day between the semifinals and championship game of the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.[7]
So You Want To Be A Coach
The WBCA sponsors a program aimed at ethnically minority female basketball players who show an interest in becoming coaches.[8] The program is organized in parallel with the annual convention, at the same locations, and includes a "two and a half day crash course in what the coaching profession entails".[9] Supporters of the program include some of the major names in the sport such as Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer[10]
WBCA Pink Zone
The major charitable initiative of the WBCA encourages coaches to raise awareness of breast cancer in various ways. Each year, a number of women's basketball games are designed Pink Zone games. One or both of the teams wear pink uniforms. The event is usually coupled with a money raising effort; the proceeds are dedicated to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation.[11] The NCAA participates with their "Calling for a Cure" campaign. As part of that campaign, the referees in NCAA women's basketball games use pink whistles during the designated Pink Zone dates.[12]
Awards
The WBCA sponsors a number of awards, with the intention to promote the development of the game. Awards are given for overall achievements by players and coaches, as well as broadcasters, administration, and academic results.
Players awards
Player of the Year Awards
Brittney Griner accepting Wade Trophy
The State Farm Wade Trophy is awarded annually to "the best women's college basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) DivisionI".[13][14]
The State Farm/WBCA Players of the Year award is the counterpart to the Wade trophy for the best women's basketball player in:
The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award was awarded to the most outstanding senior Division I female basketball player 5 feet 8inches (1.73 m) or shorter (the maximum height was previously 5 feet 6inches or 1.68 m).[20]
All-America Teams
The WBCA selects the top ten players in each of five divisions:[21]
The NCAA and WBCA jointly award a Coaches trophy, presented to the team that finishes first in the USA TODAY ESPN Division I Top 25 Coaches' Poll.[29]
The WBCA presents the Carol Eckman Award, given annually since 1986, to the women's college basketball active coach who "best demonstrates the character of the late Carol Eckman, the mother of the collegiate women's basketball national championship".[30] The award is named for former women's head coach Carol Eckman, a head coach best known for establishing the first National Invitational Women's Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament in 1969.[31]
In the 2015–16 season, the WBCA announced a new award recognizing the young coaches in the sport. This recognition was created to honor thirty of the up-and-coming women's basketball coaches age 30 and under in the sport at all levels of the game.″[32] In 2016, the WBCA also began awarding an Assistant Coach of the Year award.[33]
Academic Awards
The WBCA recognizes the need for academic as well as athletic excellence, and promotes academic excellence with its Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll, recognizing the top 25 teams, as measured by overall GPA, in each of five divisions:[2]
The WBCA presents an annual scholarship award, The Robin Roberts/WBCA Broadcasting Scholarship, to a female basketball player intending to pursue graduate work and a career in sports journalism.[39] Past recipients include Stacey Dales.
The WBCA presents an annual award to a member of the media who "has best displayed a commitment to women's basketball and to advancing the role of the media in promoting the women's game".[40]
The inaugural award (1991) was presented to Mel Greenberg. In subsequent years, the award was named the Mel Greenberg Media Award.
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur athlete from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-America team for their sport. Some sports will have multiple All-America teams and will list the honorees as members of a first team, second team, or third team. As such, All-America teams are composed of outstanding US amateur players. Individuals falling short of qualifying for the honor may receive All-America honorable mention. The designation is typically used at the collegiate level, although, beginning in 1957, high school athletes in football began being honored with All-American status, which then carried over to other sports like basketball and cross-country running. The selection criteria vary by sport. Athletes at the high school and college level placed on All-America teams are referred to as All-Americans.
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is an Italian-born American college basketball coach and, since 1985, the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. As of 2021, he has led UConn to 17 undefeated conference seasons, of which six were undefeated overall seasons, with 11 NCAA Division I national championships, the most in women's college basketball history, and has won eight national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards. Auriemma was the head coach of the United States women's national basketball team from 2009 through 2016, during which time his teams won the 2010 and 2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, going undefeated in all four tournaments. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Addie Jo "Jody" Conradt is a retired women's basketball coach. She was the head coach for the women's team at University of Texas at Austin (UT). Her coaching career spanned 38 years, with the last 31 years at UT from 1976 to 2007. She also served concurrently as the UT women's athletic director from 1992 to 2001. During her tenure at UT, she achieved several notable personal and team milestones in collegiate basketball. At retirement, she had tallied 900 career victories, second place in all time victories for an NCAA Division I basketball coach. Conradt was inducted in the inaugural class at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Tamika Williams-Jeter is the head women's basketball coach at the University of Dayton. She was a professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx and the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA.
The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coach Lily Margaret Wade. The award debuted in 1978 as the first–ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. State Farm Insurance sponsors the award, and the trophy is presented at the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) National Convention.
Ann "Muffet" McGraw is an American former college basketball coach, who served as the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame from 1987 to 2020, compiling a 848–252 (.771) record over 33 seasons.
Richard Douglas Bruno is the head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons women's basketball team. In 2016, he completed his 30th season as head coach. Under his tenure, the Blue Demons have qualified for post-season competition play in 24 of his 33 completed seasons, including the last 17 seasons.
The Sioux Falls Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Sioux Falls, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) since the 2012–13 academic year. Prior to joining the NCAA, the Cougars previously competed in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2010–11; and in the defunct South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) from 1977–78 to 1999–2000.
The Carol Eckman Award is an award given annually since 1986 to the women's college basketball coach that "best demonstrates the character of the late Carol Eckman, the mother of the collegiate women's basketball national championship". Given by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the award is named for former women's head coach Carol Eckman, best known for establishing in 1969 the first National Invitational Women's Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles women's basketball team is the women's basketball team that represents Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
The 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season began in November and ended with the Final Four in Tampa, Florida, April 5–7. Practices officially began on October 3.
The 2015 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball national championship was held in March at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Missouri. The 24th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured thirty-two teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game was won by Cornerstone University of Grand Rapids, Michigan over Dakota Wesleyan University of Mitchell, South Dakota by a score of 66 to 45.
Barbara Stevens is the former head coach of the Bentley University women's basketball team. Stevens had previously served as head basketball coach for Clark University and Massachusetts. Stevens was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
The United States Marine Corps/WBCA National Coach of the Year is an award given by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to best women's basketball Head Coaches in college and high schools since 1983. From 2014, the award is named "The Pat Summitt Trophy" in honor of the legendary University of Tennessee Lady Vols head coach. The WBCA presents an award to the National Coach of the year in each of six divisions:
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year award is presented annually to the best women's college basketball players in NCAA Division II and Division III as voted by the WBCA membership. From 1983 to 2000, the award was also given to the best player in Division I. The award was first presented in 1983. The award was presented by Champion from 1983 to 1994, by Rawlings from 1995 to 2002, and by State Farm from 2003 to 2015.
Carol Eckman was an American women's basketball coach and was known as the "Mother of the Women’s Collegiate Basketball Championship".
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not compete together as a unit, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who are selected by members of the national media. Walter Camp selected the first All-America team in the early days of American football in 1889. The 2020 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans are honorary lists that include All-American selections from the Associated Press (AP), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Both AP and USBWA choose three teams, while WBCA lists 10 honorees.
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not compete together as a unit, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who are selected by members of the national media. Walter Camp selected the first All-America team in the early days of American football in 1889. The 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans are honorary lists that include All-American selections from the Associated Press (AP), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Both AP and USBWA choose three teams, while WBCA lists 10 honorees.
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not compete together as a unit, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who are selected by members of the national media. Walter Camp selected the first All-America team in the early days of American football in 1889. The 2022 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans are honorary lists that include All-American selections from the Associated Press (AP), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Both AP and USBWA choose three teams, while WBCA lists 10 honorees.
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—which in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not compete as a unit, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who national media members select. Walter Camp selected the first All-America team in the early days of American football in 1889. The 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans are honorary lists that include All-American selections from the Associated Press (AP), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Both AP and USBWA choose three teams, while WBCA lists ten honorees.
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