NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference has moved its annual Freshmen Fundamentals and Transition Game programs to a virtual format this year, as men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes from across all 11 BIG EAST schools will log on for interactive sessions on Saturday, Sept. 19.
 
For men’s basketball, Freshmen Fundamentals assists with making the jump from high school to college and the elite level of BIG EAST basketball. All scholarship and walk-on men’s basketball freshmen from the league’s 11 schools are invited. For women’s basketball, Transition Game aims to assist in the shift from college player to emerging professional, both on and off the court. Upperclassmen are selected at the institutions discretion. A total of 36 men’s basketball and 36 women’s basketball student-athletes will participate in this year’s programs.
 
“Freshmen Fundamentals and Transition Game have become widely anticipated personal development events that our conference is proud to host every year,” said Val Ackerman, BIG EAST Commissioner. “With the unprecedented circumstances now facing college sports, we have endeavored to create a format and content that will engage, inform and inspire our basketball student-athletes as they look to maximize their opportunities on and off the court. We are especially grateful to the BIG EAST alums who will be returning virtually to share their perspectives and journeys." 
 
Freshman Fundamentals will be hosted by Stu Jackson, BIG EAST Executive Associate Commissioner for Men’s Basketball, while Transition Game will be hosted by Tracy Ellis-Ward, BIG EAST Associate Commissioner for Women’s Basketball. The day will be divided into two, two-hour segments via Zoom.
 
Following an opening address from Ackerman, participants of the sixth annual Freshmen Fundamentals and fifth annual Transition Game will both hear from mental health expert, renowned researcher, consultant and author Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble; and professionals on social activism, Dr. Andrew Mac Intosh and Scott Koenning. Both programs will hear from former player panels, featuring notable alumni of BIG EAST schools, including Connecticut’s Caron Butler, St. John’s Tarik Turner, Villanova’s Josh Hart and Marquette’s Markus Howard for men’s basketball, and Creighton’s Sara Roberge, Georgetown’s Monica McNutt, Marquette’s Kareeda Chones Aguam and Villanova’s Briana Weiss for women’s basketball. Additionally UConn’s Renee Montgomery will participate in the Transition Game discussion on civic engagement and activism.
 
Unique to Freshman Fundamentals, Kalimah Johnson will host a segment on relationship management and safety; specific to Transition Game, Sharod Tomlinson will take the student-athletes through a Strength Finders exercise. For more on all speakers and panelists of both programs, click HERE.
 
The BIG EAST: The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 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 4,100 student-athletes on over 200 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 eight of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, 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