In March, the Big XII announced that it would be hosting an event at Harlem’s famed Rucker Park.
“Rucker Park is one of the great landmarks in basketball and is a cultural icon – we are excited to be able to bring Big 12 Basketball to its court,” said Commissioner Brett Yormark in a statement at the time. “We are committed to growing the Conference’s footprint in a variety of ways, and we want kids across New York City to experience Big 12 Basketball first-hand.”
“Big 12 Hoops in the Park” features youth clinics for sixth graders and below in the community. It will be hosted by coaches from the men’s and women’s teams of the conference.
Earlier this week, the Big XII revealed who those eleven coaches would be.
The roster consists of six men’s basketball head coaches and five women’s basketball head coaches. The men’s side features Scott Drew (Baylor), Mark Pope (BYU), Wes Miller (Cincinnati), Jerome Tang (Kansas State), Mike Boynton (Oklahoma State), Jamie Dixon (TCU), and the women’s side features Amber Whiting (BYU), Katrina Merriweather (Cincinnati), Ron Hughey (Houston), Jeff Mittie (Kansas State) and Krista Gerlich (Texas Tech).
“I look forward to representing the Big 12 in NYC,” said Mike Boynton, head men’s basketball coach at Oklahoma State and a Brooklyn-native, in a statement. “It’s an incredible opportunity for our conference to pour into a community with such a rich basketball tradition. I’m honored to be selected and can’t wait to see the type of impact we can have on the youth of my home city.”
Coach Katrina Merriweather agreed.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the Big 12 in New York,” said Cincinnati’s head women’s basketball coach. “The opportunity to teach and create meaningful moments with youth at the historic Rucker Park is an incredible honor and having a homegrown New Yorker with A’riel Jackson in our program makes the event even more special.”
In partnership with New York City Parks, Big 12 Hoops in the Park takes place on Tuesday, July 18th at Rucker Park.
