April 27, 2012

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech women's basketball coach Sytia Messer is one of eight coaches selected from across the nation to serve as a featured presenter at the annual "A Step Up" professional development symposiums for basketball assistant coaches. The event will take place in Dallas, Texas at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, beginning this weekend with the women’s event being Friday through Sunday. "A Step Up" Dallas 2012 concludes with the men’s symposium May 4-6.

The three-day event, presented by Felicia Hall Allen & Associates, will bring together coaches from all levels of collegiate basketball, as well as Athletic Administrators and Directors of Basketball Operations.

“We are thrilled about bringing our Professional Development Symposium to Dallas the next two weekends, stated Felicia Hall Allen, who along with her husband Johnny Allen, created and facilitates A Step Up. “Typically, coaches motivate and inspire others to achieve maximum results. A Step Up will allow them to encourage and challenge one another to pursue their personal best on and off the basketball court.”

A Step Up: Dallas 2012 will kick-off on Friday with an on-court basketball skills clinic at Southern Methodist University’s Crum Practice Facility at 1:30 p.m. Former Texas A&M University assistant and current Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer will headline the clinic, along with Bob Starkey, who replaced Schaefer at Texas A&M, Carol Owens of the University of Notre Dame, and Al Brown of Duke University.

Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach Jody Conradt (Texas) will deliver the opening keynote Friday night as part of the Legends Series sponsored by the NCAA. Conradt joins legendary coach Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech), the featured speaker of the Legends Breakfast on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m.

Dr. Richard Sander, former Athletics Director at Virginia Commonwealth University and founder of the Villa 7 program, is the featured keynote speaker for the men’s symposium.

Another addition to the 2012 symposium is the inclusion of a Director of Athletics panel. Chris Plonsky, women’s Athletics Director at Texas headlines the women’s panel, while Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt and University of North Texas AD Rick Villarreal will host the men.

Women’s presenters include: Amie Smith Bradley (Texas); Todd Buchanan (University of Houston); Jan Jensen (University of Iowa); Sytia Messer (Tennessee Tech University); Ervin Monier (LaSalle University); Stephanie Norman (Louisville University); Danielle O’Banion (Kent State University) and Daron Park (University of Southern California).

On the men’s side participants will hear from Dave Dickerson (Ohio State University); Joe Dooley (University of Kansas); Mike Dunlap (St. John’s University); Ray Giacoletti (Gonzaga University); Matthew Graves (Butler University); Rob Lanier (Texas); Tony Pujol (University of Alabama); Dwayne Stevens (Michigan State); Jerome Tang (Baylor) and James Whitford (University of Arizona).