Kansas Head Coach Bill Self Named to USA Basketball Competition Committee

May 18, 2005

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –

Kansas head basketball coach Bill Self was named to the USA Basketball Competition Committee Wednesday. Self was appointed to the committee by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

With 2005 marking the start of a new USA Basketball quadrennium, USA Basketball announced that its men’s and women’s competition committees and USA Basketball’s Standing Committees for the new 2005-2008 quadrennium have been finalized. Each of the competition committees feature a chair, appointees from applicable USA Basketball active members, and athlete representatives. The Standing Committees also feature athlete representation as well as appointees from each of USA Basketball’s active members.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

The competition committees completed include the women’s Senior National Team Committee, the men’s and women’s Collegiate Committees and the men’s and women’s Junior Development Committees. Standing Committees finalized include the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Committee for the Disabled, Finance Committee, Membership Committee, Officials Committee, and USA Basketball Athletes Council.

<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>USA Basketball Standing Committees

Named as the chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee is Rod Seaford of the AAU, and completing the committee is National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Managing Director Jim Carr, and three-time Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley, who servesas the athlete representative. Todd Hatfield, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s (NWBA) Program Manager, will chair the Committee For The Disabled with one appointee to be named by the USA Deaf Sports Federation and one athlete representative.

The Finance Committee in 2005-2008 will be chaired by the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) Executive Director Bob Kanaby, and also include Jim Delany, Big Ten Conference Commissioner, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Grant Hill as the athlete representative. The USA Basketball Membership Committee will be chaired by Kim Bohuny,NBA Vice President of Basketball Operations-International, with Beth Bass, Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA); Craig Littlepage, University of Virginia’s Director of Athletics; and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird as the athlete representative.

Chair of the Officials Committee is Hank Nichols, the NCAA’s National Coordinator of Men’s Basketball Officiating; rounding out the committee is Stu Jackson, NBA Senior Vice President for Basketball Operations; NCAA appointee Marcy Weston, the NCAA National Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officiating; David Jones, 2000 Olympic referee; Nan Sisk, 2004 Olympic referee; and athlete representatives Ruth Riley, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, and Matt Steigenga,a 1999 USA Pan American Games Team silver medalist.

Elected by USA Basketball’s active athletes to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Athletes Advisory Council was Scott Paddock, a member of the 1995 USA Men’s Pan American Games Team that captured a silver. Staley, a three-time Olympian who also serves as head women’s coach at TempleUniversity (Pa.) and plays for the WNBA Charlotte Sting, was named as USA Basketball’s alternate on the USOC Athletes Advisory Council.

USA Basketball Men’s Committees

The USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee is responsible for the selection of players and coaches who compete in collegiate-aged international competitions including FIBA’s U19 and U21 World Championships, the FIBA Americas U19 and U21 qualifying tournaments, Pan American Games, World University Games, and other assigned events.

The Collegiate Committee features Syracuse University (N.Y.) head coach Jim Boeheim as the chair; appointed to serve on the Committee on behalf of the NCAA were Fran Dunphy,head men’s coach at the University of Pennsylvania; Tom Izzo, the head men’s coach at Michigan State University; Ernie Kent, the head men’s coach at the University of Oregon; and Tubby Smith, the head men’s coach at the University of Kentucky. Appointed by the NAIA was Bob Burchard, head men’s coach at Columbia College (Mo.); the NJCAA assigned Scott Schumacher, the head men’s coach Kilgore College (Texas); and University of Kansas head men’s coach Bill Self was named by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Serving on the committee as the athlete representatives are Steve Wojciechowski, currently an assistant coach at Duke University (N.C.) anda member of the 1995 USA Junior World Championship Team, and A.J. Wynder, the current head men’s coach at Nassau Community College (N.Y.) and a member of the 1995 USA Pan American Games silver medalist squad.

The USA Basketball Men’s Junior Development Committee (formerly known as the Cadet and Youth Committee) is responsible for selection of players and coaches who compete in the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, Nike Hoop Summit, and other assigned competitions.

Don Showalter (NFHS), head coach at Mid-PrairieHigh School (Iowa), chairs the committee. The AAU has appointed William Anderson, William Brown and Rod Seaford; while the National Federation of State High School designees include Todd Butler,head coach at Pacific Grove H.S. (Calif.), and Eric Flannery, head coach at St. Edwards H.S. (Cleveland, Ohio); and the athlete representatives serving on the committee include Kermit Holmes, 1999 Pan American Games silver medalist, and Jimmy Oliver, 1998 World Championship bronze medalist.

USA Basketball Women’s Committees

The USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team Committee is charged with the selection of players and coaches for USA Basketball’s Senior National Teams that compete in the Olympics, FIBA World Championships, Olympic and World Championship qualifying events when required, and other assigned senior level competitions.

Renee’ Brown, the WNBA’s Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations who served as chair of the USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team Committee for 2001-04 quad, will again chair the Senior National Team Committee for 2005-2008. Reappointed by the WNBA from the 2001-2004 Senior Committee were Carol Blazejowski, New York Liberty senior vice president and general manager and 1980 Olympian; Kelly Krauskopf, Indiana Fever senior vice president and chief operating officer; Seth Sulka, Phoenix Mercury vice president and general manager; and Penny Toler, Los Angeles Sparks General manager. Also tagged for the senior committee by the WNBA were Van Chancellor, Houston Comets head coach and head coach of the 2004 USA Olympic and 2002 USA World Championship teams that captured gold; and Roger Griffith, Minnesota Lynx chief operating officer. The NCAA assigned University of Tennessee and 1984 U.S. Olympic Team gold medalist head coach Pat Summitt, and rounding out the 10-member committee are athlete representatives Jennifer Azzi, a 1996 Olympic gold medalist, and five-time Olympian and four-time Olympic gold medalist Teresa Edwards.

The USA Basketball Women’s Collegiate Committee is responsible for the selection of players and coaches who compete in collegiate-aged international competitions including FIBA’s U19 and U21 World Championships, FIBA Americas’ U19 and U21 qualifying tournaments, Pan American Games, World University Games, and other assigned events.

The 2005-2008 Collegiate Committee is chaired by Sue Donohoe, the NCAA’s Vice President for Division I Women’s Basketball. Appointed to the committee by the NCAA were Sherri Coale, head women’s coach at the University of Oklahoma; Jim Foster, head women’s coach at Ohio State University; Trina Patterson, head women’s coach at the University of Albany (N.Y.); and Stanford University (Calif.) head women’s coach Tara VanDerveer, who served as head coach of the historic 1995-96 USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team and the 1996 USA Olympic gold medalist team. Named to the committee by the NAIA was Julie Van Beek, head women’s coach at TreveccaNazareneUniversity (Nashville, Tenn.), appointed by the NJCAA selected Mary “Roonie” Scovel, head women’s coach at GulfCoastCommunity College (Panama City, Fla.), and the WBCA named Wendy Larry, head women’s coach at OldDominionUniversity (Va.). The athlete representatives for the Women’s Collegiate Committee include Beth Cunningham, a member of the 1999 USA Pan American Games bronze medalist team,and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Carla McGhee.

The USA Basketball Women’s Junior Development Committee (formerly known as the Cadet and Youth Committee) is responsible for selection of players and coaches who compete in the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival and other assigned competitions.

Jill Meerman, former head girls coach and current Athletic Director at DecaturCentralHigh School (Indianapolis, Ind.), was named by the NFSH and will serve as chair of the USA Basketball Women’s Junior Development Committee. She is joined by AAU appointees Rachelle Baker, Kathy Campbell, and Matthew Williams. The NFHS appointed Rhonda Farney, head girls coach at GeorgetownHigh School (Georgetown, Texas) and Gretchen Seeley, head girls coach at Eastside College Prep (East Palo Alto, Calif.). 1988 Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Gillom and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Katy Steding are serving as the committee’s athlete representatives.

USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the national governing body for men’s and women’s basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.

USA Basketball is an organization made up of associations. Current USA Basketball active members include the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU); Continental Basketball Association (CBA); National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); National Basketball Association (NBA); National Basketball Development League (NBDL); National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS); National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA); National Pro-Am City League Association (NPACLA); National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA); United States Armed Forces; USA Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF); Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA); and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). These 15 member organizations have representation on USA Basketball’s Board of Directors and various committees, and ultimately determine how USA Basketball operates.

USA Basketball is governed by a 10-member Executive Committee and 25-member Board of Directors, who are appointed and elected by active members. Val Ackerman, founding President of the WNBA, serves as President of USA Basketball for the 2005-2008 term. Vice President is James Delany, Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference; Vice President for Senior Men is Stu Jackson, NBA Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations; Vice President for Senior Women is Reneé Brown, WNBA Senior Vice President, Player Personnel; Vice President For Men is Reggie Minton, 1993 USA World University Games head coach and Associate Executive Director of the NABC, and Vice President For Women is Chris Plonsky, University of Texas Women’s Athletics Director and Director of Men’s/Women’s Athletics External Services. Robert Kanaby, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Terry Holland, current East Carolina University Athletics Director and former chair of 2000-2004 USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee, serve as Treasurer and Secretary, respectively, while 1995 Pan American Games team member Scott Paddock and three-time Olympic gold medalist (1996, 2000, 2004) Dawn Staley, are the athlete representatives.

Serving since January 2001 as USA Basketball’s Executive Director is Jim Tooley. Tooley, who has been with USA Basketball since 1993, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization’s day-to-day operations and business operations.

During the 2001-2004 quadrennium, over 925 men and women players and 125 coaches participated in USA Basketball, including the now annual USA Basketball men’s and women’s Youth Development Festivals, USA Basketball trials, and USA Basketball teams. USA Basketball team between 2001-2004 competed in 22 major international events and won medals an astounding 19 times, including gold or top finishes 14 times, silver once and bronze medals four times. All told, during the 2001-2004 quadrennium, USA Basketball teams compiled a 163-22 win-loss record for an 88.1 winning percentage.

The competitions in which USA teams regularly compete include the Olympics, FIBA World Championships, Pan American Games, World University Games, FIBA U19 and FIBA U21 World Championships, the Hoop Summit and Youth Development Festivals.

USA Basketball also sanctions U.S. basketball team tours of foreign countries and foreign basketball team tours of the U.S., as well as oversees the certification of FIBA and USA Basketball officials and the assignment of those officials to international competitions.