The BIG EAST Basketball Roundtable Will Be Held Friday at the Westin Grand Central Hotel
BIG EAST To Host Fifth Annual Basketball Roundtable
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference has invited sports leaders and former men’s basketball student-athletes to discuss current issues in college athletics at the fifth annual Basketball Roundtable on Friday, March 9, from 1-3 p.m., at the Westin Grand Central Hotel in New York City, Commissioner Val Ackerman announced today. The BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals will be played that evening at Madison Square Garden.
The three-panel event, to be held in the Grand Central Ballroom at the Westin Grand Central, will discuss the opportunities, challenges and pressures faced daily by basketball student-athletes and their transitions from high school to college and beyond the game. The panels will include perspectives from BIG EAST Presidents, nationally respected amateur basketball coaches, a parent of a current basketball student-athlete and former student-athletes who took advantage of opportunities to advance in their professional careers.
The Roundtable will air live on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FOX Sports Go. Attendance will be open to media, New York area students studying sports management and/or law, league sponsors, sports industry professionals and invited guests.
“The annual BIG EAST Roundtable is a forum to discuss topics of current interest in higher education, intercollegiate athletics and men’s basketball,” said Commissioner Val Ackerman. “This year, our fifth, we are excited to once again present BIG EAST Presidential perspectives on the current landscape and to explore the journey of basketball players as they move from the youth level, to travel teams and high school programs, to college, and then to the NBA and beyond."
The roundtable will commence with the “View From the Top,” a conversation with two BIG EAST Presidents who will discuss the role of athletics in higher education, how institutions can best serve the welfare of their student-athletes, and the importance of basketball to BIG EAST schools. The panelists are: Dr. Michael R. Lovell, Marquette University President, and Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, Villanova University President. The moderator of the panel is Jack Ford, Emmy Award-winning journalist.
The second panel, entitled “Mentoring the Student-Athlete,” will explore the navigation of the recruiting process, academics, and skill development prior to college. The mentoring roles of AAU coaches, high school coaches and parents will be discussed. The panelists are: Boo Williams, National Basketball Chairman for Boys & Girls AAU Basketball; Chris Chavannes, Head Coach, The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J.; Shevena Cale , mother of Seton Hall freshman Myles Cale and a school principal in Delaware. The moderator will be Dave Popkin, Seton Hall radio analyst.
The third discussion, “Preparing to be a Professional,” will focus on opportunities seized by former BIG EAST student-athletes that helped lead to success in professional life: The panelists are: Nate Lubick, a former Georgetown player who works in finance in New York City; Tony Chennault, a former Villanova player who operates his own film production company and Arturas Karnisovas, a former Seton Hall player who is currently the general manager of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. Dave Popkin also will moderate this panel.
BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Roundtable
Date: Friday, March 9, 2018
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Location: Westin Grand Central Hotel, New York City
Panel No. 1: “View From The Top”
Participants: Dr. Michael R. Lovell, President of Marquette University;
Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD; Villanova University President; Moderator, Jack Ford
Panel 2: “Mentoring the Student-Athlete”
Participants: Boo Williams, National Basketball Chairman for Boys & Girls AAU Basketball; Shevena Cale, mother of Seton Hall freshman Myles Cale and a school principal in Delaware; Chris Chavannes, Head Coach, The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J. Moderator: Dave Popkin
Panel No. 3: ”Preparing to be a Professional”
Participants: Nate Lubick, former Georgetown player (2010-14); Tony Chennault, former Villanova player (2012-14); Arturas Karnisovas, former Seton Hall player (1991-94); Moderator: Dave Popkin
Media inquiries about the round table can be made through John Paquette: jpaquette@bigeast.com and Kristin Quinn kquinn@bigeast.com.
About the BIG EAST
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of ten nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments. The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,727 student-athletes on over 180 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports. Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in seven of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.