ATLANTA — The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, in partnership with WeCOACH, is pleased to announce the class for the 19th “So You Want To Be A Coach” program. Tennessee graduate forward/center Keyen Green and graduate guard Jordan Walker are among that group.
Each student-athlete will participate in the two-day workshop on March 31 and April 1 during the WBCA Convention in Minneapolis.
The “So” program increases the understanding and application of skills necessary to secure coaching positions in women’s basketball, increases the understanding and awareness of competencies necessary for success in coaching, introduces female basketball players to coaches and administrators, and raises awareness of the existing talent pool of female basketball players who have a passion and interest in coaching the game of women’s basketball.
“The WBCA community of coaches each year invests in young, aspiring coaches through the ‘So You Want To Be A Coach’ program,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “We thank WeCOACH for its partnership, which helps us make this highly successful program even better. We have high expectations for these graduating student-athletes and the future contributions they will make to the game of women’s basketball.”
“The WBCA has continued to make this program an elite experience for women basketball student-athletes aspiring to be coaches,” said Jan Whitbeck, senior director of events & branding for WeCOACH. “Our partnership with the ‘So’ program is critical in helping these young women have an entry point into the coaching profession. We congratulate the 2022 attendees and look forward to welcoming, developing and inspiring these future women coaches.”
Green is a 6-1 graduate transfer who came to UT from Liberty University prior to the 2020-21 season. She started four games last year before a knee injury ended her season. She has returned to the court in 2021-22 and provides the Lady Vols an important boost in the paint off the bench.
The Philadelphia, Pa., native is averaging 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds and is shooting 58 percent from the field. She is coming off a season- and SEC-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting vs. No. 19/20 Kentucky on Sunday, also grabbing seven rebounds and tallying three assists and a block in the 84-58 victory that moved No. 5/6 Tennessee to 17-1 overall and 6-0 in the SEC.
During her injury redshirt season a year ago, Green completed requirements for a master’s in agricultural leadership, education and communication. She then began work on a Ph.D. in leadership studies, becoming one of the very few Division I college student-athletes to tackle that curriculum while actively participating in a sport.
Walker, a 5-8 graduate transfer who also came to UT in 2020-21, played at Western Michigan for two seasons before joining Kellie Harper‘s squad. She started 13 of 25 contests a year ago in year one on Rocky Top and put up 5.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per outing.
This season, the native of Muskegon, Mich., has started all 18 games and is averaging 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists for a Lady Vol squad that is on an eight-game winning streak. She tallied a season-best 17 points and seven rebounds in UT’s road win at Virginia Tech on Dec. 5 and has scored in double figures on seven occasions.
Walker, who technically has one more season of eligibility due to a COVID-19 exception granted following the curtailing of the 2019-20 postseason, is pursuing a master’s in business administration (MBA) at UT with a concentration in entrepreneurship and innovation. She participated in an online internship with PepsiCo during the summer of 2021. Both Green and Walker were members of the 2021 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll.
“So” participants will learn about the administrative side of coaching, recruiting, how to get hired, skill development, the importance of knowing the rules, and how to balance work and life.
Qualified candidates must have exhausted their final year of basketball eligibility at a four-year institution or have graduated within the past year and must be nominated by their WBCA-member head coach. Each participant is selected based on her academics, contributions to women’s basketball on and off the court, professional resume´ and a written recommendation from their head coach.
Visit www.WBCA.org for more information on the “So” program.
About the WBCA
For 40 years the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH has become the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. Previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, the organization reinvigorated its brand in August 2018. By providing a supportive and unified network, educational programs and resources, and access to in-person and digital resources, WeCOACH is changing the landscape for women coaches. Learn more at www.wecoachsports.org.
-UT Athletics
