Before the first regular season basketball game between Washington men’s basketball team and Texas was played in China, the Pac-12 signed on for future plans with its Chinese partners.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced during the pre-game press conference for the 2015 Pac-12 China Game, that Stanford University will play against Harvard University in the 2016 Pac-12 China Game presented by Alibaba Group. The game will be staged in November 12 in Shanghai and Alibaba Group will distribute the game live via their mobile and digital distribution platforms.
“We are proud to partner with the Pac-12 to continue to bring college sports to China,” said Jim Wilkinson, Alibaba Group’s Senior Vice President. “This game and Alibaba Group’s involvement is consistent with our commitment to bringing the best of the world to China, and showcasing the best of China to the world.”
Additionally, Larry Scott also announced that the Conference, University of Utah, Arizona State University, the Chinese Scholarship Council and the Federation University Sports China (FUSC) have developed a coaching education program for coaches from FUSC member colleges.
Under the deal, coaches from the two Pac-12 universities will train 200 Chinese coaches on techniques in men and women’s basketball, track & field, swimming, and cheerleading.
The two US universities will develop the coaching program. The curriculum for the program will include coaching strategy, game preparation, film review, and assistant coach development and practice structure. In addition, some off-the-field items such as sports psychology, strength training, nutrition, public relations, and marketing will also be included in the curriculum.
Following the 90-day program, each participating coach will be issued a certificate of completion.
Source: Pac-12