When college basketball careers end, the future can be murky, especially for those pursuing professional opportunities. The NCAA's Above the Rim Summit provided clarity about the road ahead to 11 high-level women's basketball players who've exhausted their college eligibility.
Held by the NCAA's leadership development team at the Women's Final Four in Cleveland, the second annual Above the Rim Summit helped attendees understand how to navigate potential professional paths in the WNBA and abroad, life beyond playing the game and various careers in athletics.
The Above the Rim Summit was presented by NCAA corporate partner Invesco QQQ. It marked the first time a leadership development event was presented by a corporate partner.
"I feel like the summit will help me going forward because it is giving me clarity on the next steps I should take, what that looks like," said Sam Brunelle, who finished her college career as a graduate student at Virginia after three seasons at Notre Dame. "There were some great sessions with a lot of great speakers, so I think the summit will help me moving forward because it's brought me a lot of clarity on the different paths that I have to go down in the future."
Throughout the four-day event, attendees engaged with several prominent speakers with experience in the WNBA and Europe as players and in the front office. This included hearing from basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes, the event's keynote speaker. Attendees also heard from representatives of the NCAA and experts in financial management, personal development, branding and sports media.
"I feel like the summit will help me moving forward just with networking and knowing people, plus being able to get my name out there and also learn from others and their experiences," said Faith Dut, who just finished her career at Florida. "Some of the key takeaways that I've learned from this summit are being confident in yourself and being self-aware. Also, never being scared or nervous to ask for help and what you want and what you want to do."
On the basketball side, the players were exposed to a variety of perspectives on how to manage the next few months and years of their careers.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin, manager of player relations and development at the WNBA who played 20 years professionally between European leagues and the WNBA, spoke to the attendees about what professional teams look for in prospective players. Noelle Quinn, head coach for the Seattle Storm, also provided more details about what professional coaches are looking for from players in their transition from college to pros. Chineze Nwagbo, a former Syracuse women's basketball standout who now works for the NFL Players Association, talked to the players about how to handle international basketball opportunities, including the nuanced challenges of taxes and visas. Attendees got an opportunity to attend the Invesco QQQ Tourney Town Experience to get a deeper understanding of money management from industry experts.
"I think these workshops that we've had and all the knowledge that they've given us will help propel us into our future. We'll be able to use all these tools at the next level," Maryland's Brinae Alexander said. "What I've learned is, be true to yourself and don't let anyone tell you who you are. Also, trust the process, and it's going to be a journey. I think as long as you stay a steady track, you don't get too high or too low, that's how you'll be successful."
On the personal and professional development sides, attendees heard from Marie Ferdinand-Harris, a former WNBA player, Olympic gold medalist and LSU alum, on the importance of finding their voice. Ferdinand-Harris, an author and speaker, serves as the director of operations for the #BeLikeCJ Foundation, whose mission is to "inspire children and families nationwide by uniting people of different backgrounds through service and sports programs."
Kalimah Johnson, a sports educator and consultant, held a session on the art of managing change. Lacee' Carmon-Johnson, manager for basketball advancement for the NBA's Toronto Raptors, spoke to the players about how to clearly articulate goals based on their values and strengths.
"I really liked Dr. Lacee's 'Redefining Your Jersey' session. It really got me thinking about what my purpose is in life and what I want to do with that and also my values and strengths and how I want to walk through this life," Alexander said. "That was really impactful."
Brunelle said the most impactful session for her was held by LaChina Robinson, a basketball analyst and reporter for ESPN who played at Wake Forest. Her session aided in cultivating the participants' interview skills, personal storytelling and branding best practices, but also provided some tips to those like Brunelle interested in a career in broadcasting.
"As someone who wants to be a sports broadcaster someday, she provided me a lot of great insight on how the industry works and especially being a woman in a male-dominated industry," Brunelle said. "We had a lot of great sessions with a lot of great speakers over the course of the time here at the summit, and I'm excited for the future."
2024 Above the Rim Summit roster
- Brinae Alexander, Maryland
- Sam Brunelle, Virginia
- Mya Burns, University of Central Florida
- Makayla Daniels, Arkansas
- Faith Dut, Florida
- Angel Jackson, Jackson State
- Kiki Jefferson, Louisville
- Tamari Key, Tennessee
- Leilani McIntosh, California
- Maddie Nolan, Colorado
- Amari Robinson, Clemson
