Big South Commissioner Sherika Montgomery and former Tulane women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton have been appointed to the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament Selection Committee, replacing former Georgia State Senior Associate Athletics Director Kelcey Roegiers and former Texas Tech women's basketball coach Marsha Sharp.Â
Sherika MontgomeryÂ
Montgomery became the Big South's fourth commissioner May 15, 2023. A former women's basketball student-athlete at Gardner-Webb, Montgomery previously was a Big South staff member from 2010 to 2017. Her experience in college athletics includes leadership roles at the Missouri Valley Conference, NCAA, The Summit League and Winthrop University, focusing on organizational leadership, governance, compliance, student-athlete success and diversity initiatives. She has chaired the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and was recognized among the Top 25 Women in Higher Education and Beyond by Diverse Education in 2016.
"It is not hyperbole to say the sport of basketball changed the trajectory of my life and professional journey," Montgomery said. "That's why I'm deeply honored to serve on the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament Selection Committee. I'm elated to contribute to the growth and excellence of the women's basketball community and proudly support the Division I membership."
Stockton retired at the end of the 2023-24 season after serving 30 years as the head coach at Tulane. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native was named one of the 25 most influential women in Louisiana sports history by The Advocate in 2022. In 2020, Silver Waves Media tabbed her as one of the 100 Most Impactful People nationally across the sport of women's college basketball. To that end, she was a member of the NCAA Women's Basketball Issues Committee and was previously on its Academic Subcommittee. Dubbed one of CitiBusiness' 2007 Women of the Year, she has also served on the Women's Basketball Regional Advisory Committee, has had two stints on the Kodak All-American Committee, twice chaired the Conference USA women's basketball coaches and served four terms as the Women's Basketball Coaches Association conference captain.
Lisa StocktonÂ
"I am truly honored to join the WBIT Selection Committee and excited for the opportunity to contribute to the continued growth of this dynamic tournament," Stockton said. "The WBIT has quickly become a meaningful and highly competitive postseason tournament, and I look forward to contributing to its growth."Â
The eight-member WBIT Selection Committee is made up of former women's basketball head coaches and current or former administrators. The other committee members include former head coaches Brian Giorgis (Marist), Sue Guevara (Central Michigan) and Harry Perretta (Villanova). Ceal Barry (Colorado) is a former head coach and administrator. Also on the committee are current administrator Janice Ruggiero (New Mexico) and former administrator Barbara Burke (Iowa), who currently serves as the committee chair. Barry, Burke and Ruggiero are alumni of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee, while Giorgis served on the Women's Basketball Issues Committee.
Minnesota claimed the 2025 WBIT championship by defeating Belmont 75-63 at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler campus in Indianapolis. The 2026 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament semifinals and finals will be played in Koch Arena on the campus of Wichita State in Wichita, Kansas, with the semifinal games March 30 and championship game April 1. The ESPN platforms will once again broadcast all WBIT games, while Westwood One Sports will provide radio coverage of the semifinals and finals to its many affiliate stations across the nation, SiriusXM Satellite Radio and TuneIn.
The 32-team WBIT postseason tournament is owned and funded by the NCAA. Selections, pairings and the bracket for the 2026 WBIT will be announced Sunday, March 15. Preliminary-round games will begin March 19 at the higher seed's home court. For more information on the WBIT, please visit ncaa.com/wbit.
