(ATLANTA, GA) The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced the 2019 class for the 17th annual ‘So You Want To Be A Coach’ Program on Wednesday, and Arizona senior forward Destiny Graham was named as one of the members. Each member will participate in the three-day workshop with speakers provided by WeCOACH on April 3-5 in conjunction with the WBCA Convention in Tampa Bay, Fla.
The objectives of the “So” program are to increase the understanding and application of skills necessary to secure coaching positions in women’s basketball, increase the understanding and awareness of competencies necessary for success in coaching, introduce female basketball players to coaches and administrators, and raise awareness of the existing talent pool of female basketball players who have a passion and interest in coaching the game of women’s basketball.
Here are the members of the 2019 “So You Want To Be A Coach” program class:
Name Institution
Erica Balman Monmouth University
Ali Bettencourt Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside
Briana Betz-White Loyola University
Morgan Birmelin DeSales University
Rachel Blackburn Univ. of Nebraska
Anna Lee Bollinger Brevard College
Megan Brown Univ. of Southern Mississippi
Taje Burston Coppin State University
Chrijaun Carter McPherson College
Princess Davis Texas A&M Univ.- Commerce
Tania Davis Univ. of Iowa
Danielle Edwards Clemson University
Christina Ekhomu Northern Illinois University
Mekaela Fithian-Giantonio Nichols College
Sierra Gerald University of Bridgeport
Destiny Graham University of Arizona
Kelly Guarino NJ Institute of Technology
Meredith Hamlet Valparaiso University
Catherine Harrison Middlebury College
Felecity Haven University of Mount Olive
Kaity Healy Seton Hall
Jace Henderson University of Montana
Kaitlin Hogan Birmingham Southern College
Rosemary Ilang Longwood University
Hannah Johnson University of Washington
Tessa Johnston Emory & Henry College
Becca Jonas Drake University
Paris Jones Univ. of California- Santa Barbara
Cy Lippold Dartmouth College
Mikayla Lopez Augustana College
Olivia Luu William Jessup University
Darby Maggard Belmont University
Ariel Massengale University of Mississippi
Shannon Mathis University of Texas at Dallas
MacKenzi Matthews Baldwin Wallace University
Aryn McClure Quinnipiac University
Bailey McDevitt Linfield College
Francesca Minali Georgia State University
Maci Morris University of Kentucky
Abby Nakfoor Ferris State University
Kacie O’Connor Wayne State College
Amy Okonkwo Texas Christian University
Julie Raeder Cardinal Stritch University
Khadaizha Sanders Rutgers University
Laramie Schwenke Idaho State University
Shandricka Sessom University of Mississippi
Harper Sheets Hastings College
Madeline Simon University of Nebraska
Jasmine Sina St. John’s University
Kennedi Thompson Binghamton University
Ali Trani Univ. of North Carolina at Asheville
Alexis Uffman Columbia College (MD)
Taylor Vasa Briar Cliff University
Emily Vogelpohl Wright State University
Destinee Walker Radford University
Jasmyn Walker Western Michigan University
Makayla Waterman Ohio State University
Harlyn Wyatt Tulane University
Isis Young Syracuse University
Emily Ziese Peru State College
“So” participants will learn about the administrative side of coaching, recruiting, how to get hired, skill development, the importance of knowing the rules, and how to balance work and life.
Qualified candidates must have exhausted their 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 her academics, contributions to women’s basketball on and
off the court, professional resume and a written recommendation from their head coach.
The WBCA “So” program has graduated 874 participants in its 16-year history.
Courtesy of Arizona Communication Services