UDM assistant basketball coach Derek Thomas has been named to the newly-established NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Ethics Coalition, an independent committee of current and former basketball coaches. The coalition, a collaborative effort between the NCAA and its member coaches, looks to promote ethical conduct through leadership, education and mentoring.
The group will continuously identify key rules and issues that challenge the coaching community in making ethical decisions. The board members will look to provide guidance and leadership about those types of issues and serve as mentors and a resource for the men's basketball community.
The Coalition will be vocal in addressing ethical issues and affirmatively seeking to build a growing group of coaches committed to ethical behavior. Additionally, coalition members are available to consult with other coaches on ways to resolve ethical problems.
The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Ethics Coalition board will consist of 14 members, including 11 head men's basketball coaches, two assistant coaches and one former head coach. In addition to Thomas – who joined Ray McCallum's Detroit staff last spring after five years as head coach at Western Illinois – the Horizon League is also represented by Butler head coach Brad Stevens. University of Michigan head coach John Beilein chairs the coalition.
“Coaches have as large a role in improving the men's basketball environment as anyone and it's important to hold each other accountable,” Beilein said. “The majority of coaches want to make the right decisions and stay competitive in an ethical manner. This new coalition provides a needed opportunity for us to examine ethical issues and provide a forum for discussion to make so many areas of our great game even better.”
The NCAA has worked to positively influence the men's basketball environment through a number of initiatives. These include the oversight provided by the Division I Men's Basketball Issues Committee, the focus on youth basketball through the partnership with the NBA, as well as the work to enhance the enforcement of NCAA rules through the Basketball Focus Group.
