Welcome. I hope everyone had a great summer. I am always excited to start a new season, as I am sure you all are, with the commitment and determination that is needed to pursue excellence.
I am honored that I will get to serve you as the president of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association for the 2018-19 year. This will be my 27th year as a head varsity basketball coach and 33rd year working as a varsity coach in the great basketball state of Indiana. I have seen a lot of changes in our sport – some for the betterment of and some unfortunately not. Still, I truly believe one of our strengths as coaches is learning to adjust and adapt in order for us to give our student-athletes an experience that they will cherish. We have some special members of our organization working hard for the best interests of the game, and I feel privileged to get to work with this outstanding group.
We, as an organization, want to make sure that your voices are heard and we are here to serve each one of you. In stating this, we must represent what is best for basketball in this state as a whole. What this means is that not every decision will meet the needs of an individual or program but hopefully will serve the majority. In order for us to best serve, we must have membership numbers that reflect our strength as an organization. Not only do we need coaches to join but we need to hear your voices and concerns. We need coaches to answer and submit surveys, complete forms on our website and communicate through your district representatives.
Our membership goal is for every head coach in the state (boys and girls) to be a member and then also at least three other coaches on your staff, whether that be at the high school or junior high level. We as an organization will always have more strength and influence if our numbers reflect our unity.
Being a member is important for our sport if it is going to be represented and continue to grow. It is also beneficial to our student-athletes in many ways, including scholarships and statewide recognition.
We have several corporate partners who have supported the IBCA and have made contributions to our student-athletes that are a real benefit to our organization. BSN Sports, Subway Restaurants of Indiana and Best Choice Fieldhouse head this list. Scorebook Live is another partner that allows you to be engaged in any game in the state while you are attending a game at a different venue.
Let me reiterate what an honor it is to serve you. Basketball has given me many great experiences. I hope that it rewards you as much as it has me. I hope that all of you have a successful and rewarding basketball season.
Best of luck in 2018-19,
Craig Teagle
