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For Immediate Release

Monday, May 3, 2010

Contact(s)

David Cooper
602/346-2596
davidc@barclaycomm.com

Bob Williams
NCAA
317/917-6117

Former NCAA All-American, NBA Star and current ESPN/CBS Sports Analyst to Lead 

NCAA and NBA Effort to Improve Youth Basketball

INDIANAPOLIS, May 3, 2010 – Len Elmore, the former University of Maryland and NBA star and current ESPN and CBS Sports announcer has been named chief executive officer of iHoops, the joint youth basketball initiative of the NCAA and NBA, it was announced today by the iHoops board of directors.

Elmore, who starred in the NBA and ABA for 10 seasons, is a longtime advocate for intercollegiate reform and will lead the charge to develop youth basketball in America. Jointly established by the NCAA and NBA in 2009, iHoops is committed to providing a structure and creating programs to improve the quality of youth basketball in the United States to enhance the athletic, educational and social experience for millions of boys and girls, parents, coaches and officials.

“Basketball has played an integral role in my life and I am honored to lead iHoops’ mission to improve youth basketball and provide safe and supportive opportunities for youngsters to play the game they love,” said Elmore. “I look forward to developing partnerships with basketball’s stakeholders, so we can all work together to improve our sport for every player, parent, coach and official in the years ahead.” 

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Elmore was originally appointed to iHoops’ board of directors, helping to steer the initiative’s progress since its inception. He succeeds Kevin Weiberg, who stepped down in March to become deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the Pac-10 Conference.

“Len’s knowledge and passion for the game of basketball and for the values it teaches -- teamwork, dedication, and sportsmanship --  will be invaluable as he works to build on the success that iHoops has achieved,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern.

With Elmore preparing to assume his new and expanded role, iHoops has achieved important milestones in its first year. Nike, adidas and Right Guard have joined iHoops as founding partners; iHoops.com, the premier online resource for youth basketball was launched; grassroots programs, including the iHoops Skills Challenge have been developed to increase participation at the grassroots level; and information has been provided to thousands of student athletes and their families on balancing academics with athletics and navigating the recruiting process and NCAA eligibility rules. Additionally, as part of iHoops’ goal to unify the game’s stakeholders, new partnerships were formed with USA Basketball, the Amateur Athletic Union and the National Federation of State High Schools, among others, to further support educational and basketball programming efforts.

“What Len Elmore brings to youth basketball and iHoops is love for the game, integrity of character and a claim on the absolute necessity to get this right,” said NCAA Interim President Jim Isch.

As the popularity of basketball continues to rise -- it is currently the number one U.S. participatory team sport with 23 million boys and girls playing the game -- iHoops provides a renewed emphasis on the fundamentals of the game and safety and support of its participants.  iHoops’ extensive online community and network of events and programs will play a vital role in the game’s long-term growth.  Elmore will oversee the expansion of original content and special offerings on iHoops.com, which currently provides supporting services and resources for players, parents, coaches, officials, teams and event organizers including skills training, educational programming, events registration, instructional videos, highlights, blogs, social media, and eventually online education courses for coaches and officials.

Elmore will maintain his familiar role as color analyst for men’s college basketball games on ESPN and CBS Sports.  Additionally, Elmore will continue to fulfill his lifelong commitment to education, athletics and public service as a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Reform, the Boys Club of New York Board of Trustees and University of Maryland Foundation Board of Trustees.

Board members of iHoops include Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball and Business Strategies Greg Shaheen, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Adam Silver, NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson, and NBA Executive Vice President of Social Responsibility and Player Programs Kathy Behrens.

About Len Elmore

Len Elmore, 58, is a native of New York City. He starred at Power Memorial Academy, leading his team to a 22-0 record, the 1970 city championship and No. 1 national ranking. Elmore is a 1974 Maryland graduate, where he earned All-American and All-ACC honors and was the school’s citizenship award recipient as a senior. In 2002, the former 6’9” center, and still UM’s all-time leading rebounder, was named one of the ACC’s 50 greatest players of all time.

A first-round draft pick in 1974 in both the NBA (Washington Bullets) and ABA (Indiana Pacers), Elmore played 10 seasons as a pro – two with the ABA’s Pacers from 1975-76, then eight years in the NBA with the Pacers (1977-79), Kansas City Kings (1980), Milwaukee Bucks (1981), New Jersey Nets (1981-83) and New York Knicks (1984). In 2001, Elmore was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

Elmore graduated from Harvard Law School in 1987, and launched his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn before building a private practice. Elmore founded Precept Sports & Entertainment in 1992 and represented NBA, NFL, MLB and Olympic athletes. He also served as president and CEO of Test University, an education technology company serving middle and high school students. A former president of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, Elmore served on the faculty of Columbia University’s graduate program in Sports Management. In 2010, Elmore celebrated his 22nd year as a top college basketball television announcer. He currently provides analysis of men’s regular season and tournament games on ESPN and CBS Sports. He has also covered the NBA for ABC.

Elmore and wife Gail reside in New York. They have two sons, Stephen, a sophomore at Princeton University, and Matthew, a junior at Horace Mann School.

About iHoops

Launched in June 2009, iHoops is the official youth basketball initiative of the NCAA and NBA. Its mission is to provide structure and develop programs to improve the quality of youth basketball in the United States to enhance the athletic, educational and social experience of the participants. iHoops offers several participation programs for players ages 6 to 18, parents, coaches, officials, youth teams and event administrators. Among its offerings is the Skills Challenge, Right Guard Total Defense Challenge and iHoops First Team. Founding partners include Nike, adidas, Right Guard and Spalding; as well as new alliances with USA Basketball, the Amateur Athletic Union, and the National Federation of State High Schools, among other organizations that support youth basketball. For more information on iHoops programs visit www.iHoops.com.