Heroes of the Tournament

It was January 4, 2021, when the NCAA announced that all 67 games in the 2021 men’s basketball tournament would be played entirely in one state, Indiana, with the majority of the 67 games in the city of Indianapolis .

With the regular basketball season schedules often fractured during the COVID-19 pandemic, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt and Managing Director of Men’s Basketball JoAn Scot eschewed the theory of thinking out of the box and instead thought more about building a box-like, controlled environment, aka BUBBLE .

What better place than Indianapolis, home of the NCAA headquarters and a very central location in America to have 68 teams come together .

One of the many tasks for Scot and her team was the need for team hosts or ambassadors to help provide services for the participating teams .

At every tournament venue, college conferences and the NCAA utilize team hosts, usually local volunteers, to assist the teams which may include everything from making dinner reservations, to transportation issues and various other needs .

The traditional plan of using local volunteers was problematic due to the pandemic so Scot reached out to NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson for some assistance .

“I called Craig I to see if he might help in securing team managers for the positions and he suggested that we use the McLendon Minority Leaders to fill this gap while also providing a great opportunity for these young people,” said Scot .

The McLendon Minority Leadership program was the brainchild of Kentucky head coach and NABC board member John Calipari . The initiative, named in honor of Hall of Fame coach John McLendon, was created to provide young minority candidates with opportunities to have internships in various collegiate athletic administrative positions . With assistance from Harvard coach Tommy Amaker and Frank Martin, head coach at South Carolina, college coaches in many sports across the country funded some 30 positions for these leaders in its first year.

It proved to be a solid fit for this year’s tournament with the plan to have one ambassador for every four teams in the 68-team field. The ambassador would assist with movement throughout the bubble to meeting rooms, practice facilities, meals and everything needed in a very controlled environment .

Scot then reached out to a pair of longtime athletic administrators, former Big 12 Associate Commissioner Tim Allen and Steve Pyne, former Director of Events and Facility Management at the University of Utah, to manage the ambassadors . “Steve and I served as directors for the ambassadors and we had a lieutenant at each hotel . These were people we were familiar with who had experience with conference tournaments and NCAA events,“ said Allen . “We met from January to March, usually 14 hours per week with NCAA officials on calls to discuss all the details for the tournament . ”

It was Pyne who developed the ambassadors program with all of the documentation, creating checklists and one-pagers with tasks for the McLendon Leaders in the morning, midday and night . There were different styles for everyone with all making contributions .

“Each ambassador was assigned to two teams and worked closely with the team administrators and directors of operations (DOBOS) to accommodate the needs of the group,” Pyne said .

On each floor of the hotels – there was an essential closet for the teams and that was the responsibility of the ambassadors because the hotel personnel did not meet the protocols in place . Items in the closet included towels, bedding, water, trash bags, shampoo and other bathroom products as the team members were confined to their floor and rooms.

“The ambassadors were in key roles here and sometimes they just had to figure out where to go and they became very resourceful .,” said Allen . “Everyone came together and had a daily checklist to follow . ”

“Learning about the importance of attention to details was a key and the ambassadors were unified during the tournament, helping and covering for each other each other when needed,” said Pyne . “Each night at our meetings, there were some teaching moments on how to handle certain situations and the ambassadors also learned to network during the time in the bubble . ”

Allen and Pyne agreed that hosting the tournament in the bubble was more than they could have imagined .

“Using the McLendon Leaders turned out to be the greatest thing as the coaches, staffs and teams had only great things to say about them . All the comments we had were extremely positive and some of the leaders were even offered positions coming from the experience,” said Scot .

“I think that they will appreciate the opportunity they experienced more in 10-15 years when they have a better understanding of the depth of networking . The leaders learned the importance of working hard and being responsible as they supported the everyday needs of the teams they were working with . ”

“They turned out to be the heroes of the tournament . ”

Veronne Clark

The McClendon Leadership Initiative has been life changing . It is incredible to see the growth of the organization and the countless opportunities the cohort was able to experience . As a McClendon Leader, I served in the Social Responsibility and Engagement Department at The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) . It was my duty to develop and create community engagements and diversity, equity, and inclusion partnerships and initiatives . Along with those key components were to lead the charge on branding, marketing and social media strategy . Being here helped me understand the politics and structure of collegiate athletics . There were so many moments that shaped my professional growth, from internal team meetings to coaches’ meetings, to staying up late to pack food boxes for the community . As I continued to work in social impact, I grew a life passion for the work . Since the pandemic, the two words I stuck by were execution and discipline . I am proud to have built several community initiatives that have helped transform the community . The impact and the lifelong relationships fostered by the MLI will live on forever .

Lexi Mallory

Being a MLI future leader this past year has been an absolute blessing . Not only did it give me something to do during my “covid year,” but it allowed me to gain a unique experience . I had the opportunity to intern with Harvard Athletics and work with seven different departments within athletics (Compliance, Communications, Events/Operations, Facilities, Multimedia, Marketing, and Rec Sports) . This broadened my spectrum and allowed me to gain experience that I wouldn’t have gained working with only one department . I was able to form relationships and build a network . The MLI offered us the opportunity to work the NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament, an experience I will never forget . It was a perfect opportunity to make connections with many college coaches and staff members . Not only did I make professional connections, I was also able to meet some of our cohort in person for the first time. I’m so grateful for everything Harvard and the MLI has done for me this year, and I look forward to staying connected and helping the MLI family grow!

Orianna Shillow

The opportunity to become a member of the John McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative has allowed me, during my last year of graduate school at the University of Memphis, to help pave a new way for my professional aspirations . Each month the McLendon Foundation hosts professional development opportunities by introducing us to the best leaders within their profession . In March, we were given an amazing, hands-on experience as Team Ambassadors at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament . Our hard work was displayed in front of teams, coaches, administrators and NCAA staff members . My time in “the bubble” is one that has changed my professional career forever . The McLendon Initiative continues to prepare us for future leadership roles . In addition, the opportunities that the McLendon Initiative offers goes beyond monthly education sessions and career opportunities, while also giving us a cohort of friends, professionals and life-long mentors who care about our holistic well-being . The McLendon Initiative works diligently to provide opportunities to young, minority future leaders such as myself . There are truly not enough words to express how thankful I am to be a part of something so special .

Ceasar Adim

The McLendon Leadership Initiative has been a life-changing experience for me . I have been able to learn a lot from different minds in athletics and grow each day as a person, learning from my fellow Future Leaders . In my position in operations at the University of Kentucky, I serve as the primary event and support manager for five sports, including men’s basketball . Being part of the UK athletics has also allowed me to gain and learn from an incredible group of mentors including head coach John Calipari and assistant coach Bruiser Flint, who have been instrumental in my growth this past year as a Future Leader . As a Team Ambassador at the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, I worked closely with NCAA, staff, several coaching staffs and the sports administrator of each team to ensure the day-to-day operations of each team were seamless and safe . I was also able to meet and work with many of my other fellow MLI Leaders in this inaugural class, hopefully paving the way for the future leaders that come after us!

Blair Griffith

The John McLendon Leadership Initiative has been instrumental in granting me an equal opportunity to gain tangible experience within collegiate athletics . Since we are severely underrepresented across the industry and often are not provided equal opportunities to get our foot in the door, organizations like the McLendon Foundation are critical in providing us a leg up as we pursue the early portions of our professional journeys . The opportunity to work at the University of Kansas has been a blessing in itself and I can confidently say for the first time that I know I have people who have my back as I begin to plan out my professional trajectory .While at KU, I have had the privilege to work in development and fundraising while supporting our department-wide diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for our student-athletes and staff . I am honored to be able to support KU student-athletes in their own personal development and have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to create a holistic impact on KU Athletics .

Elian Rodriguez

The McLendon Foundation offered me an opportunity of a lifetime to work for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) . With this opportunity, I have had the privilege of working with an amazing staff led by Craig Robinson and Nate Pomeday, allowing me to work with some of the most legendary college basketball coaches in the history of the game . One of the greatest highlights of being a McLendon Future Leader and working at the NABC was when the future leaders were given the chance to work as ambassadors during the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament . I was able to meet executive leaders of the NCAA and members of the NABC in person for the first time. It was chance to meet some of our board or congress members, including the legendary Roy Williams, in a year where the tournament was so limited to the public; a moment I consider one of the biggest moments in my career . Thank you to the McLendon Foundation for the opportunity and the NABC for accepting me as part of their team .