About iHoops

MISSION:

The mission of iHoops is to establish a structure and develop programs to improve the quality of youth basketball in America in order to enhance the athletic, educational, and social experience of the participants.

GOALS:

  1. 1. Provide students and families with more information about the value of education, the collegiate recruiting process and eligibility rules, the values of the game and the importance of good citizenship by operating a robust website, iHoops.com with extensive resource information that covers these topics and by direct outreach to top rated high school players through the iHoops First Team program.

    • Launch iHoops.com by the fall of 2009.
    • Provide additional printed and video resource materials for youth basketball players and parents.
    • Establish an enhanced First Team mentoring and outreach program for elite boys high school-age basketball players.
    • Add a similar program for top girls basketball players.

  2. 2. Contribute to improved coaching of youth basketball players by establishing an on-line education and certification program for non-scholastic coaches for age groups 19 and under.

    • Partner with the National Federation of State High School Associations in the development of the on-line curriculum and complete its development by the summer of 2010.
    • Market the program through national youth organizations.
    • Offer extensive and frequently refreshed coaching assistance tools through iHoops.com.
    • Evaluate the development of off-line coaching clinic opportunities.

  3. 3. Promote continued improvement of travel and club team basketball with an emphasis on ensuring the health and welfare of youth players by establishing and promoting best practices.

    • Develop best practices document with input from individuals and organizations involved in youth basketball.
    • Seek commitment to the best practices from national youth organizations that sponsor the sport as well as athletic shoe and apparel companies and club and travel team operators.

  4. 4. Place a focus on the development of the skills needed to excel in the sport by focusing on it and promoting its importance in both on- and off-line programming.

    • iHoops.com will regularly feature skill instruction and related drills by its launch.
    • Develop a national skills competition for boys and girls ages 9-14.
    • Develop an enhanced basketball component of the First Team program that includes skill development.

  5. 5. Contribute to the improvement and development of youth basketball officiating by offering an on-line program of education and certification.

    • Provide officiating instructional content on iHoops.com.
    • Develop and implement an online officiating certification course by the spring of 2011.
    • Encourage youth organizations to adopt policies that encourage officials to be certified in order to be part of national tournaments.
    • Consider development of off-line officiating clinics.

  6. 6. Establish a more unified set of key youth basketball stakeholders by offering participation and activation opportunities across the range of iHoops programming.

    • Establish a national advisory committee that will provide input on iHoops programming consisting of key stakeholders in the sport.
    • Complete activation agreements with select youth organizations.
    • Seek input on specific program components by staging periodic meetings of select groups.

  7. 7. Promote youth participation in the sport in order to positively impact overall participation numbers through iHoops.com as well as targeted off-line programming.

    • iHoops.com to contain entertaining and encouraging text and video content for players and parents beginning with its launch.
    • Offer participation opportunities in iHoops National Skills competition.
    • Work with national youth organizations to identify methods through which iHoops can contribute to increasing participation opportunities.
    • Promote iHoops.com social networking tools to facilitate parents and players knowledge of participation opportunities.

iHOOPS BOARD MEMBERS

  • Adam Silver – NBA Deputy Commissioner
  • Kathy Behrens – NBA Executive VP of Social Responsibility and Player Programs
  • Stu Jackson – NBA Executive VP of Basketball Operations
  • Greg Shaheen – NCAA Senior VP of Basketball and Business Strategies
  • Len Elmore – Attorney and College Basketball Television Analyst
  • Mike Krzyzewski – Duke University Men's Basketball Coach

iHOOPS STAFF

  • Matt Bortz – Director of Digital Media
  • Neil Dougherty – Director of Athlete & Coach Programs
  • Ronda Hite – Director of Finance & Administration
  • Sheli Kuhl – Assistant Director of Programs
  • Duke Pryor – Assistant Director of Programs
  • Whitney Rietdorf – Sales Activation Manager
  • Jason Singleton – Assistant Director of Programs
  • Greg Turner – Associate Director of Programs
  • Ronnie Zeidel – Vice President, Marketing Partnerships

iHOOPS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

  • Beth Bass – Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Executive Director
  • Reneé Brown – WNBA, Vice President of Basketball Operations & Player Relations
  • Bobby Dodd – Amateur Athletic Union, President
  • Sue Donohoe – NCAA, Vice President of Division I Women's Basketball
  • Michael Goldberg – National Basketball Coaches Association, Executive Director
  • Jim Hart – Albany City Rocks, Director
  • Bob Kanaby – National Federation of High School Associations, Executive Director
  • Bob Lanier – Special Assistant to the Commissioner / NBA Global Ambassador
  • Reggie Minton – National Association of Basketball Coaches, Deputy Executive Director
  • Dave Odom – NCAA, Retired Head Men's Basketball Coach, South Carolina and Wake Forest
  • Jill Pizzotti – Nike, Manager / Women's College Basketball
  • Jim Tooley – USA Basketball, Executive Director
  • Layney McGinn – YMCA of the USA, Corporate Relations Manager
  • Frank Sanchez – Boys & Girls Club of America, Vice President of Corporate & Partner Relationships
  • Boo Williams – Boo Williams Summer League, President

FOUNDING PARTNERS

  • adidas
  • Nike
  • Right Guard

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.

About the NBA

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2008-09 season, NBA games reached 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The league's worldwide reach was also reflected in the 77 international players from 33 countries and territories on NBA rosters. NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than five million daily visits, with more than 50 percent of the site's visitors from outside of North America. Through NBA Cares, the league, its teams and players have donated more than $105 million to charity, provided more than 950,000 hours of hands-on service to communities around the world and created more than 415 places where kids and families can live, learn or play.

About adidas

The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around three core segments: adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas. adidas has been providing innovative products for the world's best athletes for more than 50 years, from past legends to today's superstars, such as Dwight Howard, Candace Parker, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. On April 11, 2006 adidas and the National Basketball Association signed an 11-year global merchandising partnership making the adidas brand the official uniform and apparel provider for the NBA, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the NBA Development League (D-League) beginning with the 2006-07 NBA season.

About NIKE, Inc.

NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com.

About Right Guard®

Right Guard®, the official deodorant of the NBA and Founding Partner of ihoops, has been a top antiperspirant deodorant brand for sports-minded males since the launch of the first aerosol deodorant in the early 1960's. Today, Right Guard® stands for high performance and odor wetness protection with available forms in sticks, gels and aerosals. The portfolio is highlighted by Right Guard® Sport, Right Guard® Xtreme, Right Guard® Clinical and new Right Guard® Fast Break™. Henkel of North America purchased the brand in 2006, in continuing its 130-year tradition of quality, high performance products. Henkel operates in three business areas -- Home Care, Personal Care, and Adhesives Technologies -- and ranks among the Fortune Global 500 companies with 53,000 employees worldwide.

MARKETING PARTNER

About Spalding

Spalding is in the game for keeps. Dedicated to the sport-to the pure passion of it-nothing but our total commitment ever hits the courts and fields of play. No compromises. No flash. No hype. Just honest passion for pure play. Serious athletes know that nobody else is inside their game, or changing it with the newest technology available.  Nobody but Spalding.  That's exactly why the world's premier leagues and teams entrust Spalding with their equipment.  Spalding "True to the Game"

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  • "Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals." - Dr. James Naismith, the father of basketballposted on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:29:13
  • What songs motivate you before games? See what basketball players in our iHoops Community are saying: http://bit.ly/a8l33Qposted on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:12:27
  • McDonald's All-American Basketball Game Touts Top 24 Girls Players: http://bit.ly/bcLzGWposted on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:12:43
  • The two McDonald's All-American rosters will feature 7 players from the iHoops First Team Program: http://bit.ly/d530fx - Congrats!posted on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:12:35
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