Cat Flores '09 has been selected to participate in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) "So You Want to be a Coach" program on April 3-7, 2009, in St. Louis, MO. The event runs in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four.
"I can't even begin to describe what this opportunity means to me," Flores said. "Basketball has always been a passion of mine and I've always been told that I have a natural ability to coach. Now that I'll be able to interact with some of the best in the field, I pretty overwhelmed. I must thank Coach (Greg) Williams because I would not have been blessed with this opportunity had it not been for his nomination."
In addition to her classwork, Flores worked in the Houston Comets front office during the WNBA team's 2008 season. As a Basketball Operations intern, Flores worked in areas such as team travel, player accommodations, and game operations.
The "So You Want to be a Coach" program was designed by the WBCA to increase the amount of minorities in the coaching profession, by providing a workshop based on educational and professional principles to help those interested in the field.
For qualification, the potential candidate must have exhausted her final year of basketball eligibility at a four-year institution or have graduated within the past year. In addition, the candidate's head coach has to nominate them and must be an active WBCA member. Each participant is selected based on their academics, contributions to women's basketball on and off the court, professional resume and a written recommendation from their head coach.