It’s that time of year again. A new and exciting basketball season is upon us. By now every head coach should have received a membership mailing or you can go online to join your professional organization. We encourage each member head coach to make sure that all his high school assistants, junior high and elementary coaches also become members of the IBCA. The success of any organization is due to the support of its members. The IBCA appreciates the support of all member coaches.
Please pay attention to the IBCA calendar of events. Be watching for an important January mailing that includes nomination and election information. Please note the deadlines for nominating players for honor teams, scholarships, showcase as well as ballots for District Representatives and Coaches of the Year. Don’t hurt deserving a candidate’s chances of receiving recognition because you forgot to join the IBCA or missed the deadline.
Check out our new updated website. A new website feature, sponsored by the National High School Basketball Coaches Association in conjunction with Winning Hoops, is the “Play of the Day.” Each member coach can go to our website each day and get the play of the day. Bi-monthly coaches’ in-service articles will continue beginning in October and run through April.
The IBCA was excited to take over management of the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Series this past summer. Right at 6,000 people were in attendance and $33,000 was raised for various charities, including the Indiana National Guard. We are fortunate and appreciate Best Choice Home Health for coming on board as the presenting sponsor of this event for the next few years.
A special thanks to the All-Star Games Director Charlie Hall and special projects cocoordinator Pat McKee for their efforts. This successful transition could not have been possible without the many IBCA Board Members who volunteered their time to help where ever needed. A Junior All-Star game vs. Kentucky has been added to the tradition of this event.
This summer will be the Diamond Anniversary, 75 years, (1939-2013) that an Indiana All-Star team has been selected. The first game vs. Kentucky began in 1940. Watch for future information about a special Diamond Anniversary celebration.
This past spring because of pressure from the state legislature, the IHSAA conducted various town hall meetings to allow the public to express their view about single-class vs. multiple-class basketball. The majority of the people in attendance at the town hall meetings supported single-class basketball. In an IHSAA survey after the town hall meetings concluded, a majority of the players, principals and ADs supported the present four-class system. The coaches’ vote was a near 50/50 split on the issue. The IHSAA has gone on record that the only way change can take place is if the IBCA makes a proposal for change.
The IBCA’s position is that this issue does not have to be an “either/or” scenario (single class vs. multiple class), but that there are some interesting compromise ideas out there that need to be investigated.
The IBCA is creating a committee to study these compromise ideas. The committee will identify two or three of the best compromises, and all member coaches will get an opportunity to express their viewpoint in a survey.
Keep in mind, we probably need at least 70 percent support for a compromise idea before the IHSAA will seriously consider a change. Similar support from the principals and ADs is necessary before any change is possible. The IBCA goal is to get this survey out to all coaches by mid-October. This is your chance for input. Please complete this survey in a timely fashion, so your voice can be heard.
January again will be Coaches vs. Cancer month for High School Basketball in Indiana. High School Coaches in Indiana have stepped up and embraced this program, raising more than $500,000 for cancer research in the past five years. Thanks for being a great role model for your team and community by helping fight this deadly disease.
We all belong to a great profession. Coaches have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of the young people we serve even well beyond the field of competition. Regardless of the criticism we sometimes receive or the support we receive or don’t receive from parents, administration and community, young people always will need coaches. Good luck this season.
Steve Witty - Executive Director
