Advancement of Blacks In Sports Announces 2023 Coaches Watchlist

The annual list includes NCAA’s most talented black head and assistant coaches as voted by their peers

BALDWIN, N.Y. , March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Advancement of Blacks In Sports (ABIS), a non-profit organization with a mission to boldly advocate for a culture of equity and inclusion for Blacks in sports, announced the 2023 ABIS Black Coaches Watchlist. The list, which includes the NCAA’s top Black men’s and women’s head and assistant coaches from across the country, features 26 head coaches and 40 rising assistant coaches from mid level and major NCAA programs as recognized by their peers.

“As part of our mission to help advance Blacks in sports, it is important to recognize some of the best in the business as voted by their peers,” said ABIS founder Gary Charles. “Congratulations to all of the coaches who were selected to our 2022-2023 Basketball Watchlist.”

This ABIS Black Coaches Watchlist is shared annually with athletic administrators and executive search firms in efforts to highlight their contributions as the hiring cycle for men’s and women’s basketball begins. Those nominated are considered to be the year’s most deserving, qualified, and prepared Black coaches in the NCAA to elevate their careers to the next level.

This ABIS list was created in response to Dr. Richard Lapchick’s TIDES 2021 Racial & Gender Report Card (RGRC) in college sports. The 2021 report revealed that college sports received a C for gender hiring and C+ for racial hiring. According to the RGRC, there was a slight increase in the number of men’s and women’s basketball Black head coach hires from 2019-2020, but there’s still a lot of ground to cover. 

“College sports have historically not done well at increasing opportunities for women and people of color,” said Lapchick, director of TIDES and the primary author of the RGRC. “Excluding HBCU institutions, the representation of women and people of color in key decision-making roles within collegiate athletics has been weak.”

The 2023 watchlist showcases the amount of representation of black head coaches that exist nationally. Considering the number of Black student-athletes participating in NCAA Division I college basketball, the representation of Black men and women head coaches still reveals a large gap and is a major concern. A full list of all nominated coaches can be found here.

ABOUT ABIS
Advancement of Blacks in Sports, Inc. (ABIS) is a non-profit organization with a mission to boldly advocate for a culture of equity and inclusion that results in the advancement of racial, economic, and social justice for Blacks in sports. ABIS was founded in September 2022 by Gary Charles, New York’s Godfather of Grassroots Basketball. Mr. Charles fostered a partnership with notable African Americans and social justice activists and allies to launch ABIS. ABIS members include coaches, administrators, and athletes at all levels of sports, academicians, civil rights attorneys, social justice influencers, diversity, equity, and inclusion allies and advocates. To learn more, visit www.weareabis.org.

SOURCE Advancement of Blacks In Sports