Joe Mitch

Full Court Press will educate sports journalism students

By JOE MITCH
USBWA Executive Director
mitch@usbwa.com

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Through the years, the USBWA has been active in educating students about the sports journalism profession. One of the ways the USBWA has done this is to conduct a sportswriting seminar and scholarship competition called "Full Court Press" at the NCAA men's Final Four each year.

This year marks the 17th anniversary of the event. It will be held in Glendale, Ariz., at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Friday, March 31.

The seminar provides opportunities for students interested in a career in sports journalism to meet leaders in the industry and compete for a $1,000 scholarship.

The scholarship is in honor of the late Larry Donald, the only two-time president in USBWA history and longtime publisher and editor of Basketball Times.

The seminar is organized by the Sports Capital Journalism Program at IUPUI in Indianapolis and moderated by its director, Malcolm Moran, a past USBWA president and member of the association's Hall of Fame.

At the center of the seminar is a panel discussion featuring some past and present USBWA officers and Hall of Fame members.

The panel is expected to discuss topics such as the influence of social media, the state of the job market, navigational skills in a 24/7 digital era and survival tactics to deal with increasingly difficult deadlines. A question-and- answer session will follow the panel discussion.

Students electing to participate in the writing contest will receive assignments to cover events surrounding the men's championship, including press conferences and practices.

Students interested in attending the seminar in Phoenix should contact Moran at malcolmmoran1@gmail.com.

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WRITING CONTEST DEADLINE JUNE 16: The USBWA'S annual best writing contest continues to be one of the association's most popular services for members.

Between 150 and 160 entries are typically submitted each year, and the contest has attracted veterans as well as young reporters just entering the profession. There has also been a noticeable increase in the number of women writers submitting stories.

The deadline to submit stories and columns that appeared in print or online during the 2016-17 basketball season is June 16. Entries received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Entries can be submitted in five categories: column writing, moderate-length features, magazine-length features, spot news/game coverage and enterprise/ investigative stories.

Plaques and cash prizes are awarded in each category, with $150 given for first place, $125 for second, $100 for third, $75 for fourth and $50 for fifth.

Only dues-paying members of the USBWA are eligible to enter the writing contest.

Members may enter more than one category, but can submit only one entry per category. A series of articles may be submitted in the enterprise/investigative category.

Entries must include at the top of each story the name of the category, the author or authors of the story, the publication or website in which the article appeared, the date it was published or appeared online and an email address and telephone number for the entry's writer or writers.

Entries must be submitted to contest@usbwa.com in a readable type size.

Any entry submitted in type size so small it cannot be read won't be considered. Send Word or text files only. Do not send links to stories on the Internet and clippings from magazines or newspapers. Also, delete any advertising, photos and captions from the files and any unnecessary carriage returns.

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USBWA SCHOLARSHIP: Applications are now being accepted for the USBWA's college scholarship for the son or daughter of USBWA members. The scholarship is $1,000 annually for four years and is open to students currently in college or planning to attend a junior college or four-year institution in the fall.

To qualify, students must take a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester in college, maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, demonstrate academic excellence and show achievement in citizenship and leadership in a community service. The deadline to apply is June 1.

The application is available on the USBWA website by following this link.

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USBWA SPONSORS: The USBWA wishes to thank the corporate sponsors who have supported the organization through the years.

ESPN has been with the USBWA the longest of any sponsor, since the mid-1980s serving primarily as the main sponsor of the USBWA awards ceremonies at both the men's and women's Final Four. ESPN also sponsors the back cover of the annual membership directory.

Other sponsors include the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, USA Basketball and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Each has a full page ad in the membership directory.

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FINAL FOUR LUNCHEON: This year's USBWA awards luncheon at the Final Four in Phoenix will be held on Monday, April 3, at the Squaw Peak Hilton Hotel in downtown Phoenix, starting at 11:30 a.m. The USBWA will honor at the luncheon Bernie Cafarelli of the American Conference with the Katha Quinn Award; Wisconsin basketball player Bronson Koenig with the Most Courageous Award; David Gardner (SI.com) with the Rising Star Award; and Hall of Fame inductees Steve Carp (Las Vegas Review-Journal), David Teel (Newport News Daily Press), Tom Archdeacon (Dayton Daily News), and Frank Deford (Sports Illustrated).

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LODGE NOTES: Bogaczyk named to Virgina Sports Hall of Fame

Jack Bogaczyk, who spent 28 years in the sports media business in Roanoke, Va., was named to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Bogaczyk spent 27 of those years in the newspaper business, first at The World News and then The Roanoke Times after the merger of the two papers. Bogaczyk was the beat writer covering VMI and Virginia Tech from 1979-88. His award-winning 35-part series on Hokies athletics in 1985 contributed to administrative and cultural changes in the Tech program.