From our friends at iHoops:
IHOOPS NAMES DERRICK GODFREY CEO
INDIANAPOLIS, May 21, 2012 – Derrick Godfrey has been named the new chief executive officer of iHoops, the youth basketball organization of the NCAA and NBA, it was announced today by the iHoops board of directors. As CEO, Godfrey, who most recently was VP of International Business Development for Major League Baseball Advanced Media, will lead iHoops on its mission to provide structure and create programs to improve the quality of youth basketball in the United States to enhance the athletic, educational and social experience for millions of boys and girls, parents, coaches and officials.
“I am eager to build on the success iHoops has achieved. Basketball, at its core, is about teamwork – and the game and its principles have shaped my life,” said Godfrey. “I am honored to lead iHoops, particularly to add some new and exciting angles to our grassroots programming along with our mobile and digital efforts. Everything all comes back to the kids, and fostering a continually better environment for them as they play the game they love that we all love, too.”
A former All-Bronx high school basketball player, Godfrey is a 1984 graduate of Colgate University, where he was team captain as a senior, and is also a graduate of Georgetown Law School. Among his professional highlights, Godfrey handled corporate acquisitions and built and managed online and television properties for Black Enterprise Magazine from 1996 to 2007. At MLB Advanced Media, he was responsible for expanding properties such as MLB.com through new technologies and strategic partnerships.
“Derrick’s leadership skills, digital expertise, and diverse work experience, combined with his passion for the game of basketball, make him well suited to advance the values and objectives of iHoops,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said.
With basketball America’s number one participatory team sport, iHoops provides emphasis on teaching the values and fundamentals of the game, and promoting opportunities for the 23 million boys and girls who play the game. Since iHoops’ inception in 2009, partnerships have been formed with key youth basketball stakeholders including Nike, adidas, Spalding, USA Basketball, the Amateur Athletic Union, and the National Federation of State High Schools (NFSHS), among others. Additionally, grassroots skills programs such as the iHoops Division of Hoop It Up 3on3 have been developed and informational resources have been provided to thousands of student-athletes and their families on balancing academics and athletics and navigating the recruiting process.
“Derrick’s knowledge and enthusiasm make him a logical choice to continue the stewardship of iHoops,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert. “With the infrastructure we have created and the leadership Derrick will provide in his new role, iHoops is poised for even greater impact in the future.”
iHoops’ extensive online community has become a networking center for young players, parents, coaches and event organizers and will continue to play an important role in the sport’s long-term development. As CEO, Godfrey will oversee the expansion of original content on iHoops.com, which currently provides supporting services and resources including skills training, educational programming, events registration, instructional videos, blogs, live streaming, and social media, highlighted by iHoops’ 300,000 Facebook fans and 11,000 Twitter followers. Averaging 750,000 visitors and nearly four million page views monthly, iHoops.com launched new efforts in 2011 including a mobile-enabled site, its first iPhone application, an online retail store, and, in partnership with the NFSHS, an innovative coaches certification program with mentoring lessons, best practices and instructional videos featuring college basketball coaches such as Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Kansas’ Bill Self, and North Carolina’s Roy Williams.
Board members for iHoops include Krzyzewski, NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, NCAA Chief Operating Officer Jim Isch, NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson, and NBA Executive Vice President of Social Responsibility and Player Programs Kathy Behrens.
About iHoops
Jointly established in 2009, iHoops is the youth basketball organization of the NCAA and NBA committed to providing a structure and creating programs to improve the quality of youth basketball in the United States to enhance the athletic, educational and social experience for the sport’s millions of participants. iHoops offers participation programs for players ages 6 to 18, parents, coaches, officials, teams and event organizers.
