REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – The West Coast Conference held its annual summer Executive Council and Presidents' Council meetings this week at the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach & Marina Hotel. For the first time, the WCC head men's and women's basketball coaches also met adjacent to the Council meetings, with both head coaches groups spending time with the Athletic Directors.
The men's basketball head coaches meeting was highlighted by a session with ESPN "bracketologist" Joe Lunardi, who presented to the coaches on scheduling strategies. The group engaged in a strategic planning session on improving the West Coast Conference's chances to earn multiple at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament as well as higher seeds.
The women's basketball head coaches meeting included a session with NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee chair Rhonda Bennett, discussing scheduling strategies to strengthen the Conference's RPI and opportunities for postseason play.
Both the Executive Council and Presidents' Council heard strategic recommendations with regards to a brand assessment conducted during the 2016-17 school year. That applied analysis will now move to the WCC's External Affairs Cabinet who will make recommendations to the EC for future consideration and action.
The Presidents' and Executive Councils discussed the changing national landscape and other national issues with Jenn Fraser, NCAA Director of Division I. Results of each pillar in the 2014-17 WCC Strategic Plan were reviewed while priorities and objectives for the 2017-20 Strategic Plan – which is under development – were also discussed. Amy Wilson, NCAA Director of Inclusion, facilitated a discussion about the NCAA's Common Ground program – a forum to identify strategies to further open communication and understanding between LGBTQ and athletics populations.
The meetings were highlighted by the eighth annual West Coast Conference Honors Dinner - which included the presentation of student-athlete academic awards, individual sportsmanship awards, and a new community service award. The event culminated with the presentation of the Commissioner's Cup to Brigham Young University for the fifth consecutive year. The Honors Dinner was streamed live on the conference's digital platform, TheW.tv.
The joint session of the Executive Council and Presidents' Council spent a portion of the meeting engaging in a direct dialogue with student-athletes. Student-athlete participants included Emily Carman (Loyola Marymount, Soccer), Jimmy Gehrels (Pepperdine, Volleyball), Cameron Neubauer (San Diego, Basketball), and Emma Wolfram (Gonzaga, Basketball). The Presidents' Council also met directly with the student-athletes for the third straight year. The student-athlete identified topics included cross-campus engagement, managing time demands and services supporting the student-athlete experience.