IBCA E-Newsletter

From the Executive Director

I would hope by now that everyone has gotten the school year off to a good start and is busy preparing for the upcoming season.

Every head coach will be receiving IBCA membership information. It is the head coach’s responsibility to also make sure that all Assistant Coaches, Middle School coaches and Elementary coaches have the opportunity to join as well.

We have upgraded our website to make it possible to join the IBCA online, to register for the annual IBCA Clinic online and to pay by credit card. Special thanks to Renee and Pete Turpa for their work in making this possible. Your support of our professional organization is much appreciated.

I would like to thank Indiana All-Star Games Director Charlie Hall, IBCA Director of Special Projects Pat McKee and IBCA Assistant Director Mike Broughton for coordinating another successful Indiana All-Star experience for our state’s top seniors and top juniors. Together, the Junior-Senior exhibitions and the All-Star Games against Kentucky raised approximately $30,000 for various charities, including the Indiana National Guard, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the IBCA Scholarship Fund.

Also, special thanks to Marty Johnson, Kathie Layden, Renee Turpa, Pete Smith and all the coaches who worked the Boys’ and Girls’ Showcase events. Collectively, efforts from all these people have made the Showcases very successful.

Brent Chitty, Ryan Bales and Brad Dickey did a great job coaching our Indiana Junior Boys in the inaugural Rising Senior Academy conducted by the National High School Basketball Coaches Association. The event was a huge success. The speakers were awesome. The games were competitive and well played. Overall, the event was a valuable experience for the players from all six states.

Please be aware of the IBCA Calendar of Events (Item 28 in this newsletter). Please pay particular attention to January mailing that includes nominations and election info. Please also note deadline dates to nominate players for honor teams, scholarships and showcases as well as ballots for District Reps and Coaches of the Year. Don’t hurt deserving candidates’ chances of receiving recognition because you forgot to join the IBCA or missed a deadline.

January again will be “Coaches vs. Cancer” month for high school basketball in Indiana. High school players and coaches have stepped up and embraced this program, raising nearly $600,000 for cancer research the past six years. Thanks for being outstanding role models for your school and community by helping fight this deadly disease.

The IBCA works hard for high school basketball in Indiana. Chris Benedict, Tom Beach and Marty Johnson have done an excellent job of leading a committee of coaches from across the state in an effort to study ways to improve our state tournament. The committee worked diligently, and by now the results of the study has been forwarded to all head coaches. Any coach who has questions or concerns about the committee’s recommended proposal is encouraged to contact members of the committee for clarification.

In October, all head coaches will be surveyed to determine the amount of support for the committee recommendations. If the survey results are favorable, the IBCA will make a formal proposal to the IIAAA and the IHSAA in the spring of 2014 to adopt the tournament changes.

It is my pleasure to continue to serve as Executive Director of your professional organization. On behalf of the IBCA, good luck this season as you maintain high expectations for your players, don’t sacrifice principles for victories and may the best teams win.

-- Steve Witty