Meeting report from Dec. 15 Youth Working Group

Meeting Minutes
Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)
Board of Directors’ Working Group for Youth Development
Youth Basketball Teleconference
Sunday, January 11, 2015
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET
Co-Chairs:
Tricia Cullop, Head Coach, University of Toledo
Carol Callan, Women’s National Team Director, USA Basketball
1. Welcome and introductions.
Sue Semrau (WBCA President and Head Coach of Florida State University) opened the call and welcomed participants.
She spoke to the importance of having the input of this group in making decisions on the direction the sport is headed,
the threats the game faces, and the opportunities available to advance the game. The WBCA is dedicated to being a
vital piece of the puzzle and working to unify all levels of the sport, while serving one another and the game.
Danielle Donehew (WBCA Executive Director) welcomed participants. She spoke to the concern for the youth space
which surfaced during her 100 Day listening tour. Donehew and the WBCA Board of Directors view youth basketball
as one of the association’s immediate member issues. Donehew is excited for the continued good work of this youth
basketball focus group and the leadership provided by Tricia Cullop and Carol Callan.
The WBCA website will serve as a valuable resource as these monthly calls continue. Agendas, minutes, and
supporting materials can be found on our Youth Development Working Group page on the association website,
wbca.org.
You may access the Youth Development web page by navigating WBCA.org using either of the following two methods:
 WBCA.org: Find Quick Links section on right side of page. Select: “WBCA Youth Working Group page.”
 WBCA.org: In the header section you will find and select “Inside WBCA.” Select: “Committees, Councils, &
Working Groups.” Select: “Youth Basketball.”
Donehew introduced Tricia Cullop (Member of the WBCA Board of Directors and Head Coach of the University of
Toledo) and Carol Callan (Member of the WBCA Board of Directors and Women’s National Team Director for USA
Basketball), who co-chair the WBCA’s Working Group for Youth Development and will guide the call and provide
leadership in this space.
2. Opening remarks.
Cullop discussed the collaborative efforts that are needed in finding solutions to improve our game. The purpose of
these youth calls is to generate wise thoughtful dialog that can be beneficial as we advance the game. Only when we
have heard from the groups and individuals who live in this youth space every day, can we find solutions that benefit
everyone. We have an opportunity to be a part of the first ever collaboration, across all levels, to improve our game.
Callan described the importance of having a strong pipeline of talent for continued growth of this sport and further
development of the USA Basketball national team program. Women’s basketball cannot have a great elite level of
players at the top of our sport without a strong, solid base.
USA Basketball, under their new Youth Division, has put together a program that will be unveiled in February. This
progressive program, which is strongly backed by the NBA and NCAA, has an emphasis on making the game of
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women’s basketball stronger at all levels. USA Basketball wants to serve the kids who are just starting out playing the
game, their parents who might be volunteer coaches, as well as professional coaches.
3. Threats to the game & opportunities to advance the game:
Cullop reviewed the items discussed on the December 15th call starting with threats to the game and opportunities to
advance the game.
a. Coach education/ skill development
* Lack of a unified approach to teach skills at all levels of the game
* Certification and education of coaches. Currently no certification requirement or tiered system to advance
through the coaching ranks
* Creation of a learning plan for skill development
* Creation of a certification process for coaches
* Increased access to camps with focus on skill development and training
* Utilize USA Basketball/WNBA partnership and resources to conduct regional clinics and skills camps for youth,
HS, CYO coaches and kids
* Creation of a skill development challenge similar to the “punt, pass, kick” concept that would include passing and
shooting drills and be standardized across the nation
* Use of volunteer college coaches to work at skills camps and clinics for non-recruitable kids
Cullop opened up the call to discussion of any additional threats and opportunities that are not listed above. The
following are issues regarding coach education participants felt need to be addressed:
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The need for a unified methodology/ buy in across organizations such as AAU, YMCA, etc. on the certification,
education and training of coaches, with strong emphasis on the development of non-professional coaches
The need to require coaches of the 10 year old and under level through the high school level to earn an
organizational certification
Cullop provided an overview of the current generation of athletes and reviewed the below issues generated through
discussion on the last call.
b. Current generation of athlete
* Loss of athletes to other sports and reasons why:
* Increased physicality of the game is a deterrent to participation
* Monetary issues including travel expenses for teams and participants
* The schedule of July tournaments, which clash with family vacation or parent work schedules
* Lack of women coaches in youth basketball
* The creation of a strongly competitive atmosphere/environment at a very early level
* The pressure put on 11 year olds to play in national tournaments, instead of focusing on local play and skill
development
* Parental pressure put on kids to participate at an elite level at a very young age
* Commercialization of the sport
* Entitlement vs. work
* The increased involvement of parents in the sport creating an atmosphere that makes coaching undesirable
Cullop surveyed the group on the current atmosphere of the sport for an athlete. Additional areas of concern include:
 Physicality of the game and the difficulty to learn the game
 Lack of required continuing education and understanding on how to teach skill development
 Difficulty obtaining/scheduling gym space leading to a lack of girls recreation leagues and the decrease in
participation in the sport
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Bigger disparity of the skill level at younger age leading to a loss of confidence and desire to play the game
Lack of parental knowledge on the different atmospheres and competitive levels of play (travel ball, church
leagues, school ball)
Development of skill sets should be the main focus for coaches, before physical maturity develops.
Overemphasis on more complicated parts of the game despite the lack of physical development of athletes at
early ages (example of pressing full court).
Perception of game
Lack of knowledge on or communication of the return on investment (ROI) and the amount of scholarship
dollars available in women’s basketball.
c. Ethical issues in youth space
* The cost to participate in the sport
* The creation of a strongly competitive atmosphere/environment at a very early level
* Ego is an issue for some coaches who want to control recruiting and make money for themselves
Callan asked the group to expand on their experiences from an ethical standpoint on the recruitment of athletes/
poaching of athletes from different clubs and programs. It was the consensus that this is a prevalent issue in the youth
space and creates an atmosphere in which coaches are afraid to let their athletes talk to other coaches/clubs. The
junior Olympic volleyball model was presented as an effective protocol in eliminating these concerns. After a try out and
the extension of an offer, J.O. volleyball athletes have a 10 day window to sign a one year contract with a club. A
similar model from Belgium was shared with a 30 day window to sign a one year contract with a youth club. Youth
basketball is the only level in which there are no restrictions on kids/athletes transferring clubs or programs.
The adjoining state rule at the club level was discussed. While participants on the call understood the reasoning behind
the rule, they noted the lack of opportunity for access to skill development in certain communities and how this rule can
hamper the opportunity for some individuals.
d. The game itself
* Lack of a collaborative/unified approach to solve the issues facing women’s and girls’ basketball
* Better collaboration between the organizations overseeing the sport and sanctioned events
* Need for increased bidirectional communication between college and high school coaches year round, including
discussion of the recruiting process
* Require more defined rules/parameters on how tournaments are run, how many tournaments a team can
participate in, and a mandate on practice requirements
* Create a communication process between all levels to solve problems
Additional areas that currently affect the game of women’s and girls’ basketball were voiced:
 Lack of knowledge of the college recruiting process by both parents and high school coaches
 Lack of voice in rule making for those individuals who are actively engaged in/ are ambassadors of the game
at the youth level on a daily basis.
 Lack of an overall governing body for the youth space.
Donehew reiterated that purpose of this call is to give a voice to the youth space and those individuals who shepherd
the youth space. From a WBCA perspective, we hope through these calls and future work that we can create a system
to engage our youth coaches and create lines of communication, which would facilitate reporting channels to not only
the WBCA’s Board of Directors, but USA Basketball and other entities. From a WBCA Board of Directors’ perspective,
we are excited to hear the voices of the youth space and make sure we can move forward collectively together. The
WBCA hopes to be part of the solution. One step towards this solution is creating a great partnership with USA
Basketball at the high school level.
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4. How can the WBCA be valuable to you?
Donehew expressed the WBCA’s desire to create a system in engaging youth coaches that are guiding the space. If
you have other recommendations, please share them with us via email. We welcome all comments to take under
consideration as we move forward on creating solutions for the youth space. The WBCA is very thankful for your time
and we are committed to being a part of the solution and the betterment of the youth space.
Please feel free to email any feedback/recommendations to us:
 Danielle Donehew – [email protected] or [email protected]
 Tricia Cullop – [email protected]
 Carol Call – [email protected]
5. Action Items.
Cullop informed the group that information generated from the first two calls will be utilized in creating action steps to
pursue as we move forward with these calls. Please pass along this information and invite others to participate. Your
participation is vital.
6. Future Meetings.
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Sunday, February 8, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
7:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM CST / 5:00 PM MST / 4:00 PM PST
7:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM CST / 5:00 PM MST / 4:00 PM PST
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