Sept. 23, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Marqu’es Webb, a senior forward on the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, is set to play a big role in the Commodores’ upcoming season under new coach Stephanie White. But now Webb is helping to shape the future of college basketball in the SEC and the NCAA, as well.
This month Webb joined Vanderbilt men’s basketball player Luke Kornet and traveled to Birmingham to participate in the SEC’s first-ever Leadership Council for men’s and women’s basketball. It was a chance for student-athletes to play a part in the SEC and NCAA’s legislative processes and, more importantly, have their voices heard.
After Webb returned to Nashville, she received more good news: her Leadership Council peers had selected her to serve as Chair of the group. That entitles Webb to serve as one of the SEC’s NCAA Autonomy Representatives. She will attend the NCAA Convention voting session in Jan. 2017, the Senior Women’s Administrator meeting in March and spring meetings the first week of June.
Webb was proud to be the first female Commodore to earn such a unique opportunity at the SEC event. “It was the first time the SEC had ever done this,” Webb said. “For me, I was really honored to be the first representative from Vanderbilt women’s basketball.”
On Sept. 17, each SEC school dispatched two basketball players – one male and one female – to Birmingham to converge and meet on issues surrounding college hoops. Webb and Kornet joined a group that discussed issues from time management for student-athletes to transfer rules. The group then offered potential solutions to problems.
Webb and her fellow student-athletes were even given the opportunity to review two pieces of legislation. They learned more about the decision-making processes along the way. “Basically, they got the student-athlete input on everything,” Webb said. “We offered our opinions on what would and wouldn’t work.”
Webb said student-athletes’ perspective is often missing during the decision-making process in college athletics. That’s why she jumped at the opportunity to take part in the SEC’s Leadership Council, which she believes can have a long-term impact.
“When they pass legislation that’s going to affect all student-athletes, when you just have people who don’t play basketball now — administration and coaches — and you leave out the people who it’s going to affect the most, it doesn’t rally make sense,” Webb said. “So I feel like this process helped a lot. It’s very beneficial.”
