Evan Battey selected to inaugural NABC Player Development Coalition

Evan Battey will have a chance to be a voice for the players.

Evan Battey has been selected as one of the inaugural members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player Development Coalition. 

The coalition was created to build a bridge between the players and those that make the decisions in college basketball, i.e. coaches and administrators.

“It’s a special group of talented players,” Battey said. “We hope to be the bridge between basketball student-athletes and the NCAA. One of the focal points of the group is that there’s not enough college basketball players active in SAAC’s (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) at their schools. It’s up to our group to make sure our voices are heard.”

It will contain some of the top Division I basketball players from across the country including North Carolina's Armando Bacot, Villanova's Collin Gillespie, Michigan State's Joshua Langford and Duke's Wendell Moore Jr. 

The players will get to provide their input when it comes to topics such as name, image and likeness, COVID-19, transfers or anything that greatly impacts the athlete. 

This comes amid discussion around college football to form a players association.

 “As the NABC continues its advocacy and policy work on issues impacting our game, it’s vital that input from student-athletes be central to those efforts," NABC executive director Craig Robinson said. "Whether it’s NIL, transfer parameters, social justice, COVID-19 or a host of other important topics currently impacting college basketball, we will make sure student-athletes’ voices are heard.” 

Battey has already been utilizing his voice since arriving on campus three years ago. 

He's active in the community and is currently a member of the Pac-12 conference's Mental Health Task Force. 

Battey has also been open about pursuing a career in coaching after his basketball career is over. Being a part of something that works with the NABC won't hurt with those aspirations.