ITEM 2:
Welcome from president –
Welcome. I hope everyone had a great and productive summer. As always, I am excited to start with the planning, preparing and piecing together all the parts necessary to have an exciting and successful season in 2019-2020.
I am humbled that I get to serve all of you as president of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Basketball has allowed me so many opportuntities that I would not have had if it weren’t for the game and the relationships that I have built over the past 34 years. I cannot believe that I have been coaching for so long.
It seems like just a few years ago that I was in my first teaching position at North Judson-San Pierre High School, assisting Dave McCollough in boys basketball (five years) and baseball. What a great experience. It was a special place with a lot of special people who really helped shape my career.
Make sure all of you savor every experience, whether good or bad, because each will help define who you are and contribute to your growth as a coach and person.
The scholastic exposure events that the IBCA were involved with the past summer had tremendous support and participation. Both the IBCA/IHSAA Underclass Showcase and the IBCA/IHSAA Team Showcase (in memory of Charlie Hughes) were outstanding opportunities for our student-athletes to showcase their great attitudes, work ethic and skills. College coaches from around the nation complimented both events and were impressed by how well both events were executed. We received an outpouring of positive comments from coaches, players and fans.
I have been able to attend several basketball clinics through the spring, summer and fall. Several coaches have expressed concern over a number of issues. Please continue to communicate with me or with IBCA district representatives, and we will listen intently. When we meet as a board, we will discuss concerns or ideas that we have heard from our coaches. We have many of the same concerns, and we will try to determine solutions that may resolve these issues.
In saying this, our strength is in numbers and teamwork. We need to have an organization that reflects our resolve by coming together in full support of those issues that will make our game better. This is done through membership numbers and through 100% response to IBCA surveys. This allows the directors to present our ideas and concerns at the next level. This also increases our chances of these ideas being acted on.
We want to thank our corporate partners for their support of the IBCA. At the top of the list are BSN Sports and Subway Restaurants of Indiana. Their contributions are a real benefit to our organization. In addition, these partnerships continue to help make high school basketball a great experience for our student-athletes.
Let me again remind you that I am humbled by having the opportunity to serve you. I am just an e-mail or phone call away from helping you or your program in any way that I can.
Have a great season.
-- Craig Teagle
