Marine Corps Recruiting Command partnered with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association at the 2026 WBCA Convention in Phoenix, April 2-5, engaging hundreds of coaches through a series of interactive events focused on resilience and physical fitness.
The partnership highlighted shared values between the Marine Corps and the coaching community and demonstrated the Marine’s commitment to helping young people discover their full potential on and off the field.
Marines welcomed convention attendees during the Convention Opening Tip-Off Session, introducing the Marine Corps as a proud sponsor of the WBCA. During the convention, coaches were introduced to the Marine Corps Coaches Workshop, an event that gives educators the opportunity to experience how Marines are trained, hosted at Marine Corps Recruit Depots Parris Island and San Diego.
“We’re honored to return as official sponsors of the WBCA because we believe in coaches’ essential role in shaping the future of our nation’s youth,” said Lt. Col. Evita Mosqueda, assistant executive support coordinator, Marine Forces South. Mosqueda participated in multiple speaking engagements at the convention. “By partnering with the WBCA, we aim to support you, the coaches, and invite you to connect with the Marines this week.”
Marines also manned an exhibit booth, where coaches received pamphlets and learned about opportunities for Marines to train with their student-athletes and deliver lessons on mental toughness and leadership.
“Coaching is the best job in the world, but I only get to do what I do because of what [Marines] do for our country,” said Nancy Walsh, women’s basketball coach at Cabrini High School in New Orleans. “I’m excited to have the Marines come out and teach my students, they’re going to learn!”
In addition, Marines led two high-energy “Fit-to-Win” workout sessions, giving attendees a firsthand look at Marine Corps fitness principles. Fit-to-Win sessions aim to give coaches the tools to develop adaptable athletes who can continue to win when it counts, both mentally and physically.
Approximately 60 coaches attended the first Fit-to-Win workout, which was basketball based and focused on different team building challenges. It included four different stations, with some activities that were designed to be impossible to complete within the time limit.
“The purpose of giving the coaches a no-win scenario was to allow them to fail in a safe, learning environment, and to see how they handle that pressure,” said Capt. Brianna Allen, Marine officer instructor at the University of South Carolina. “It’s important for them to encounter adversity and then be able to overcome it. I hope this is something that they can bring back to their athletes and build their resilience.”
Allen attended The College of Saint Scholastica after high school, where she played basketball at a collegiate level. After commissioning in the Marine Corps in 2018, she learned about opportunities to play basketball for the All-Marines Basketball Team. In 2023 and 2024, she played in the armed forces tournament and was selected both years to play for All USA Armed Forces. Additionally, Allen is pursuing her master’s degree in Coaching and holds a special connection to the basketball coaches in attendance at this year’s convention.
At the convention Allen moderated a panel of collegiate-level coaches from varying sports divisions and asked them questions about how they use different tools to foster resilience in their athletes. The panelists included Molly Miller, head women’s basketball coach at Arizona State University, Chris Meadow, assistant women’s basketball coach at Georgia Institute of Technology, and Danielle Bishop, head women’s basketball coach at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. With approximately 40 coaches in attendance, the panel allowed for attendees to learn from both the Marine Corps and their peers.
For more information on how to connect with a local recruiter or to learn more about future Marine Week events, visit www.marines.com.