The University of South Arkansas men's basketball team underwent personal and professional development training last school year to prepare for life after playing.
Tim Johnson, University of South Arkansas
On the sports front, South Arkansas University has a talented men's basketball team. Last season, the Southark Stars won a district championship and advanced to the NJCAA Region II Championship for the first time in program history.
But college coaches are also investing in their players' success off the court through career development initiatives.
Head coach Cameron Robinson partnered with the Career Services department to create a Student-Athlete Development Program to provide players with personal and professional skill-building opportunities and reflection.
The program, which begins in fall 2023, helps students learn career competencies, plan for life after college and build relationships with students and support services staff.
background: A 2023 study on college sports participation found that, in general, sports teams with higher profile and revenue are more likely to include students from low-income families, underrepresented minorities, or high schools with fewer college-preparatory resources.
“Football and basketball players are less likely to have taken college-preparatory academic courses prior to enrolling in college and are less likely to attend high schools where AP courses are widely offered,” the study states. “Athletes in these sports also have slightly lower high school GPAs than non-athletes and non-athletes,” which impacts the academic performance and degree attainment of these student-athletes after college.
At SouthArc, Robinson wanted to foster a growth mindset for the team beyond basketball, as well as encourage them to be active members of the community. Career Center staff is also looking to develop more internal programs and partnerships, and aligning with sports can help get students more involved and show them the university cares, explained Dean of Students Tim Johnson.
“We saw an opportunity to detail these services through the career center and co-create programming so our student-athletes are prepared for the next stage of their lives after they transition out of their two-year environment,” Johnson said.
How to use: In its first year, 13 men's basketball players participated in the student-athlete development program, which focuses on three areas: team development, student development and career development.
Through biweekly meetings led by the Career Center, students learned about the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ (NACE) career competencies and Tuckman’s stages of group dynamics, and were able to reflect on their lives both in and outside of the sporting world and how this has impacted their experiences.
Students also completed a career assessment, discussed branding, wrote personal mission statements and created online portfolios.
Throughout the program, players participated in social and community activities led by Robinson, including volunteering to clean up the neighborhood, read to children at elementary schools, manage car drop-off lines and play with children during recess.
Another model
Davidson College student-athletes can participate in a three-day leadership and development event outside of season where they can identify future career paths, learn networking and etiquette skills, practice professional communication and participate in mock interviews.
For more information about the program, please click here.
During the first semester, the team spent an equal number of sessions in the Career Center and athletic programs, and during the spring semester (during men's basketball season), the Career Center sessions were suspended until the end of the season. During this time, players continued to volunteer with local coaches.
Southark's boys basketball team won the Central Plains District Championship for the first time in program history in 2024 and participated in the NJCAA Division II Tournament last season.
Tim Johnson, University of South Arkansas
Post-season meetings with career development staff will focus on creating digital portfolios.
Impact: The program worked, Johnson said, because it encouraged small-group conversations, drew out vulnerabilities within the team, prompted self-reflection and allowed players to get to know each other better.
Staff assessed participants through in-session assignments and demonstrations and completed a program evaluation through a mid-term survey.
Participants said the experience helped them learn new things and think more deeply about concepts they had never considered before, such as personal mission statements.
In the future, Johnson and university leaders hope to add more athletic programs to the effort, starting with women's basketball and working with individual coaches to identify goals for their teams.
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