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Dru Hancock named chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee for 2014-15

Dru Hancock, senior associate commissioner for the Big 12 Conference, has been named the chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee for the 2014-15 academic year.

Currently serving her fourth year as a member of the committee, Hancock will succeed current chair Carolayne Henry, senior associate commissioner/senior woman administrator for the Mountain West Conference. She will become the 16^th chair of the committee on September 1, 2014.

“I am honored to be selected chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, following the leadership of Carolayne Henry and other outstanding administrators who have served in the role,” Hancock said. “We have a very collaborative committee that works hard to make women’s basketball better.”

Hancock is an original member of the Big 12 Conference staff and was elevated to her current position of senior associate commissioner in February 2008. Her responsibilities include oversight of 13 league championships, as well as the departments of academics, governance and compliance. She is the primary administrator for women’s basketball operations and administration while also serving as liaison to senior woman administrators.

In addition to playing an instrumental role in the Big 12’s site selection for conference championships, Hancock was also heavily involved in getting the conference footprint cities awarded regional sites for the 2008 through 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships. She was the tournament director for the 1998 Women's Final Four that the Big 12 hosted in Kansas City.

Prior to joining the Big 12, Hancock served two years with the Big Eight Conference as assistant commissioner/senior woman administrator and the previous 10 years in athletic and academic administration at Tennessee.

A native of Panama City, Fla., Hancock received her B.A. in speech communication and M.A. in journalism from Ohio State in 1974 and 1975, respectively. She was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and twice lettered in tennis, winning a Big Ten doubles title. Hancock went on to serve stints as an assistant sports information director at Minnesota (1975-77) and Missouri (1977-85), while also serving three years as women's tennis coach, before being named women's associate athletics director at Tennessee.

While at Tennessee, Hancock was the primary administrator for the 1990 NCAA Women's Final Four in Knoxville, Tenn. In June 1992, she joined the university central administration as acting associate dean of students.

“Collegiate women’s basketball is truly at a crossroads, and we have the opportunity to implement improvements to an already great enterprise,” Hancock said. “With the impetus of the Division I Women’s Basketball White Paper from last summer, our committee has the directive to impact change. We want to be thoughtful in our approach while still moving aggressively to enhance the sport we all love.”

Hancock is active in various professional organizations, including NACDA and NACWAA, and has assisted the U.S. Olympic Committee in various national and international athletic competitions. She also is the Big 12 Conference’s liaison in its partnership with Special Olympics.

“Dru was an excellent choice to serve as chair of the committee as she has a great deal of administrative experience, is a strong advocate for women’s basketball and is a proven champion for the student-athlete,” said Anucha Browne, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball championships.