DR. RICHARD SANDER, DEVELOPER OF VILLA 7 TO SPEAK AT ASSISTANT COACHING SYMPOSIUM

Many in the coaching profession are well aware now of Villa 7 and the impact it has made in the men's basketball coaching profession.  For those that aren't, Villa 7 is held at the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Ore., and on VCU's campus in Richmond, Virginia.  Villa 7 is a partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University's Center for Sport Leadership, VCU Athletics and Nike to bring together university athletic directors and the country’s elite assistant basketball coaches in an effort to prepare the next generation of college basketball leaders.

The founder of Villa 7, Dr. Richard Sander will be one of the keynote presenters at this year's "A Steps Up Assistant Coaching Symposium" in Dallas,   These are the type of speakers that make the symposium a must for all coaches looking to grow. When explaining the Assistant Coaching Symposium, I always refer to it as a "game changer" because of the type of information you gain during the weekend.  And just like a basketball team, it is special because of the people that are special.  Dr. Sander is a game changer and took some time to talk to me about Villa 7.

It is my understanding that you were involved in the ground floor of developing Villa 7. Could you talk about what the initial vision was for this project?

DR. SANDER: Yes, I developed both the concept and implemented the entire Villa 7 concept-----I was Athletic Director at VCU since 1986 and in the around 2002 I had Just hired jeff Capel as the youngest D1 coach and thought he would be with us for a long time----however he had success immediately and BCS schools pursued him---I realized I did not have a great handle on who were the best and brightest BCS assistants and I realized other mid-majors were in same situation so i developed a program where those assistants and AD's would have an opportunity to interact long before a coaching vacancy occurred.

What were some of challenges in creating the program and how did you overcome those challenges?

DR. SANDER: The biggest challenge was to get AD's to participate because the coaches saw this as a great opportunity to advance their careers as we held seminars on what AD's looked for in hiring and what expectations were and then both new head coaches and long-time coaches were very willing to share their thoughts----I had many AD friends who helped me spread the word----Tom O'Connor at George Mason, Wood Selig at Western Kentucky, Dave Mullins ETSU, Mike Capaccio at UNCW etc.

What would say are a few of benchmark moments for Villa 7?

DR. SANDER: The benchmark was seeing assistant coaches get head coaching jobs and stating that my program was very helpful----additionally I hired Anthony Grant at vcu after meeting him through Villa 7----if you look at some of the folks who participated Buzz Williams (Marquette), Josh Pastner (Memphis), Cliff Warren (Jacksonville), John Groce (Illinois), and about 40 more,----also working with George Raveling at Nike as a corporate partner.

As you look back now to what Villa 7 has evolved into, what are you most proud of?

DR. SANDER: Clearly that I have helped many of the today's head coaches have a smoother transition and understand the issues facing head coaches----clearly the program has benefitted many individuals and helped elevate the profession of basketball coaching.

Looking forward, what do you foresee for the future of Villa 7 and its role in athletics?

DR. SANDER: I think that Villa 7 is so well thought of that it will meet my initial objective of being the most significant coaching preparation and personal development tool for prospective head college coaches.