TopConnect, developed by ETSU Athletic Director Dr. Richard Sander, identifies the top assistant basketball coaches in the country and connects them with mid-major Athletic Directors providing tremendous networking and leadership development opportunities for both parties.
“I am excited for this opportunity to represent Princeton Basketball while connecting with and learning from some of the elite minds in college athletics,” MacConnell said. “Just as we ask our student-athletes to develop their skills over the summer, it is important for us as coaches to do so as well so we all come back in the fall in a better position to succeed than when we were last together. TopConnect is at the forefront of elevating coaches and I am honored to be part of the cohort this year.”
In its seventh year, TopConnect develops educational programming that allows these top assistant coaches to hear from a variety of successful leaders and speakers. The 2024 symposium is headlined by Kristi Dosh of College Sports Solutions and Dan Poneman of Poneman & Naiditch Representation.
Panel discussions include:
- First- and Second-Year Head Coaches
- Looking Back: If I Knew Then What I Know Now
- New Realities of College Athletics: NIL
- Athletic Directors: Who, why, how, and what
- Search Firms
Breakout Session Topics:
- Managing up
- NIL & Collectives
- Creating and Maintaining Culture
- Roster management / staff management
The three-word mantra of “Connect. Prepare. Lead.” identifies the purpose of TopConnect.
If you have questions regarding TopConnect, please contact Dr. Richard Sander at sander@etsu.edu. TopConnect works in conjunction with Connected Media, LLC, East Tennessee State University’s Doctoral program in Global Sport Leadership, VanWagner and Teamworks.