FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — The number of nonwhite coaches hired in women’s college basketball has declined, according to the latest assessment from the Black Coaches and Administrators group.
The fourth BCA report found that five nonwhite coaches were among the 18 people hired from 2009-11. That’s down from the record nine who were hired when 16 openings were filled in 2007-08, the last time the assessment was done.
Eleven of the 18 schools identified in Friday’s report received A’s for their hiring processes. Six didn’t hire nonwhite candidates, but got credit for diverse candidate pools and search committees.
“I think the report shows steady progress, particularly over the last three years,” BCA executive director Floyd Keith said. “Having five out of 18 appointments, while not like the watershed year (of 2007-08), is still pretty impressive.”
The BCA has also graded college football since 2004.
Grades are calculated by adding points from four categories, including communication, the hiring/search committee, candidates interviewed and timeframe of the search.
For example, if a school contacts the BCA twice, conducts 30 percent of its on-campus interviews with nonwhite candidates and has a search committee in which 30 percent of the members are minorities, the school would receive an A, or five points, in each category. Schools that hire nonwhite candidates also receive 2.5 bonus points.
San Jose State, Houston and Virginia received A’s in each category. Air Force, UCLA, Clemson, LSU, Missouri, New Mexico, New Mexico State and Wisconsin were the other schools given overall A’s.
California (Berkeley), Colorado, North Texas and Northern Illinois each received B’s. All four received F’s in the candidate category for not interviewing a diverse group of candidates, the BCA said.
Tulsa and Washington were given C’s overall, each failing when it came to having diverse search committees. Virginia Tech was the only school to receive an F for declining to participate.
Fourteen of 16 schools (88 percent) received A’s in 2007-08. That percentage dipped to 61 percent in the latest report, but Keith was still pleased.
Fourteen nonwhite coaches have been hired during the last three years and there are now 23 nonwhite women’s college basketball coaches at Football Bowl Subdivision schools, he said.
“I like A’s and B’s,” Keith said. “By in large, all but three schools are above average. We’re making progress, seeing communication improve and seeing the numbers of representation on the search committees improve. So, the elements that we’re measuring are improving and I’m good with that.”
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Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.