Our members
The WBCA’s membership is composed of professional, collegiate, high school, junior high school, club, youth, international and Olympic coaches. Other members include administrators, former players, sports information directors, officials, members of the media and supporters of the sport.
The association is committed to serving its members and helping to grow women’s and girls’ basketball by providing educational programming, networking opportunities, information and news, legislative and rules updates, and acting as the collective voice of the membership to the NCAA and other governing bodies of the sport.
Our history
It is unlikely the WBCA would exist today if not for a group of women’s coaches who met at the 1981 Olympic Festival in Syracuse, New York, to discuss the formation of a coaches association. Among those attending that meeting were Jill Hutchison of Illinois State, who was elected the first president of the organization; 1984 Olympic coach Pat Summitt of Tennessee; 1992 Olympic coach Theresa Grentz of Illinois, Rutgers and St. Josephs; C. Vivian Stringer of Cheyney State, Iowa and Rutgers; and Colleen Matsuhara of Nebraska and UC-Irvine.
The group met again on Sept. 1, in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and named James Madison head coach Betty Jaynes as interim executive director. Jaynes officially resigned her position as James Madison head coach following the 1981-82 season and operated the WBCA office with an intern in Wayne. Bill Orr of Tel-Ra Productions provided the office facilities rent free. Jaynes hired Regina Sullivan as the organization’s first assistant executive director in 1985. She subsequently moved the WBCA office to Atlanta.
Jaynes retired as chief executive officer in 2001 and was succeeded by Beth Bass, who served as CEO until April 2014. Danielle M. Donehew was named the association’s third executive director on July 2, 2014.
Our rules
Bylaws
The WBCA is a non-profit association that governs its affairs according to its bylaws. These rules establish the categories of and qualifications for membership in the Association; the composition and authority of the organization’s officers, board of directors and other standing committees; and provides a means for the membership to amend them. The membership adopted a comprehensive revision to the document in 2015, which is now in effect.
(PDF; updated Aug. 1, 2019)
Code of Ethics
The WBCA Code of Ethics provides a framework of principles and behaviors within which coaches of women’s basketball should comport themselves. The success of this code rests upon coaches’ abilities to embrace and endorse ethical behavior that prioritizes the education and well-being of the student-athletes they serve, and demonstrate honesty and respect toward colleagues.
Due Process
The WBCA is committed to ensuring that all members are treated fairly if they are alleged to have violated WBCA bylaws, policies or the code of ethics. The WBCA Policy on Discipline of a Member guarantees each member the right to notice, the right to be heard, and the right to appeal if the executive committee determines disciplinary action is necessary.
(PDF, adopted July 26, 2019)
Our organization
The WBCA is a membership-driven organization, which encompasses more than 3,000 coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of the sport – from scholastic and non-scholastic youth to collegiate to the WNBA. The association accomplishes its aims and serves its members through the following administrative structure:
- A 31-member board of directors determines WBCA policy, provides guidelines for the entire program sponsored by the WBCA, and employs an executive director and staff to administer the programs of the WBCA. It is composed of member coaches elected by their peers from each of the six membership divisions, athletic administrators supportive of women’s basketball, and professionals from the public sector who lend their expertise in areas such as finance and law. The board meets in person twice annually – once during the summer and once in conjunction with the WBCA Convention.
- An eight-member executive committee composed of the association’s officers and three at-large members of the board of directors acts with the full authority of the full board between board meetings. The executive committee reviews, amends and presents to the full board the proposed annual operating budget prepared by the executive director, and also annually evaluates on behalf of the board the performance of the executive director.
- An 18-member assistant coaches committee composed of three assistant coaches from each of the six membership divisions provides input into association matters from an assistant coach’s perspective, helps plan programming for assistant coaches at the annual WBCA Convention, and selects from those individuals nominated each year the six WBCA Assistant Coaches of the Year.
- Conference captains in NCAA Divisions I, III and NAIA serve as conduits by which the WBCA distributes information to and solicits feedback from member coaches in those respective divisions on a variety of issues from playing rules to NCAA legislative proposals to WBCA initiatives. One head coach in each conference in each division is selected by their conference office or peers to serve in this capacity.
- Working groups composed of board members and non-board members study matters of importance to the association, such as professional development, playing rules and officiating, recruiting, youth development, etc., and recommend policies and positions to the board of directors.
- The executive director, the association’s chief executive officer, oversees the daily operations of the WBCA, serves as its representative to a variety of affiliated organizations, and supervises the association’s staff, which administers all WBCA programs.
Our service
The WBCA is an organization created to serve its member coaches. The WBCA’s list of services has grown considerably in its 40 year history and includes:
Leadership – The WBCA advocates on behalf of member coaches collectively to the various governing bodies of the sport. The WBCA Board of Directors, drawing on its expertise as well as input from various working groups and the membership as a whole, takes positions on behalf of members on a variety of issues that help shape how coaches work together and how the game is played.
Communication – The WBCA maintains a clear channel of communication with its members through “WBCA.org,” the association’s official website; “Quick Hits,” a monthly e-bulletin that is emailed to all members; numerous email reminders on a variety of matters throughout the year; and posts on its various social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
Awards Programs – The WBCA administers an extensive awards program through which member coaches, players, teams and contributors to the sport of women’s basketball are annually recognized.