The offseason for many teams is a time to focus on strength and conditioning, but it is also the time to prepare for next season's schedule.
For the women's basketball team, the job of creating the schedule falls under the duties of the director of basketball operations for the team, Kelsey Corbin.
Corbin said the 2009-2010 schedule is one game short of being completed, but she and coach Kelly Packard are trying to schedule a home game, which she said most other schools are also trying to do too.
The process of scheduling a season is very tedious and full of bumps in the road. Here is the step-by-step guide of how it works.
1. Scheduling for a season can began as many as three seasons in advance. For Ball State and Corbin, it starts with a list of teams coach Packard would like to play. She then begins negotiating with the teams and early season tournaments to attend.
"You have to try to find a balance between home and away games," Corbin said. "When you are going on big trips, I try to find a place the kids will like, somewhere they've never been. The games are ones you deem as good games, but winable ones."
2. Once the opponents are decided, there are two ways the contracts can be written.
2a.The Home and Home. In this contract, team A plays host to team B and the following year, the switch roles. Corbin said these contracts can span anywhere from two to six years depending on how each team likes playing the other and other factors. She also said they tend to be easy contracts to write up and the hardest part of it is finding a date that works for both teams.
2b. The other type of contract is where the home team will pay the visiting team to come and play. Corbin said this contract involves a lot of negotiating. The monetary issue is cause for a lot of the negotiating, but it can also include things like paying for lodging, food or other accommodations.
3. After the contracts are written up by the assistant coaches from each team, they present them to their head coaches who approve them or advise on the changes they want to see in the contract. This process goes on until both teams agree on the terms.
4. Once the team non-conference schedule is set, Corbin has to wait for the MAC to give Ball State its conference schedule. Corbin said creating the conference schedule is very tough for the MAC because not only do they have to figure out which teams will play each other when and where, but also have to work with the other sports' schedules to make sure there are no conflicts.
Other factors Corbin has to take into consideration:
- After landing some of the bigger games of the season, Corbin has to make sure she fills the schedule while staying within the team's budget. Close in-state rivalry games help with that. Corbin said in-state games are good for both teams because of the in-state rivalry that comes with it as well as the ease on the budget.
- When setting dates, conflicts for facilities and other teams has to be taken into consideration. The men's and women's volleyball teams, the men's basketball team, the gymnastics team as well as the football team's schedules all help dictate what dates and times are available for the team to play.
- As she schedules, Corbin also has to take the team's need for rest days into consideration as well.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
