UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's basketball graduate student Kelly Jekot has been named one of 32 student-athletes nation wide to be selected for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's 2021 "So You Want To Be A Coach" program, the WBCA announced Monday morning.
The objectives of the program are to increase the understanding and application of skills necessary to secure coaching positions in women's basketball, increase the understanding and awareness of competencies necessary for success in coaching, introduce female basketball players to coaches and administrators, and raise awareness of the existing talent pool of female basketball players who have a passion and interest in coaching the game of women's basketball.
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. In addition, the candidate's head coach has to nominate them and must be an active WBCA member. 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.
Jekot was putting together an All-Big Ten caliber campaign before suffering a season-ending injury in mid-January. Jekot was the team's leading scorer with 15.9 points per game at the time of her injury, led the team in minutes played and ranked second in rebounding with 6.8 boards per contest.
Jekot was relied upon as a key veteran leader for a youthful Penn State squad that ranks as the youngest team in the Big Ten and ninth youngest in the country. She chose to continue being a key leader on the team following her injury, sticking around to provide support and leadership to her teammates in games and practices. The Enola, Pa. native was named Penn State's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award at the conclusion of the regular season.
