Willoughby Appointed to NCAA Women's Basketball Oversight Committee
Aug. 18, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s basketball sophomore Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) has been appointed as a non-voting, student-athlete member of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee.
“I am extremely honored and grateful for having been appointed the non-voting student athlete member of the Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee,” Willoughby said. “It was a pretty competitive selection process. Sarah Holsinger (associate athletics director for basketball operations) brought the opportunity to my attention. I did some research to get a better understanding of the Committee’s mission and came away feeling like it was the perfect opportunity for me. I felt that their goals aligned with my own goals and what I try to emulate as a well-rounded student-athlete and women’s basketball player.”
Willoughby joins the 15-member committee through June 2020. The goals of the committee are to advance the game and perception of women’s basketball, improve the student-athlete experience and put an emphasis on the personal growth of student athletes.
Along with the goals, it will also work to supervise qualifications and/or selection procedures for the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and provide direction to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Rules Committee regarding playing rules.
“I truly value the opportunity to be the voice of student athletes–particularly women’s basketball players,” Willoughby said. “It’s incredible to think that I get to provide a perspective to the committee that will influence long-term decisions, the direction in which the game progresses, and hopefully have a positive impact on the growth of the game and improvement of the student-athlete’s collegiate experience. I am looking forward to taking on this role, in addition to the opportunity to meet, work with, and network with the other members on the committee.”
An All-ACC Freshman Team and All ACC-Academic Team selection, Willoughby was second among conference freshmen in rebounding (6.2 per game) and scoring (9.8 points per game), while leading the rookies in steals per game (1.7 per game).