After helping revamp the women's national basketball program and leading them to a gold medal at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation's (CBC) championships this summer, Grand Bahama native Yolett McPhee-McCuin continues to push for the betterment of women's basketball internationally as she and the city of Jacksonville get set to host both the Southeastern Conference/American Athletic Conference (SEC/AAC) Women's Basketball Challenge in December, along with the 2016 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament next March.

McPhee-McCuin currently serves as the head coach of the Jacksonville State University women's basketball team. She said although her team is not in the SEC, it's still a big stride for the market of women's basketball in Jacksonville and with more and more Bahamian women getting the chance to play NCAA Division I basketball, these kinds of events are good platforms for them to display their skills to the world.

"I'm excited that they chose Jacksonville," said McPhee-McCuin. "I almost feel like I'm the host and I'm not even in the SEC. But its about women's basketball in general and us moving forward and bringing exposure to a new market."

Coach McPhee-McCuin, who played her collegiate basketball at the University of Rhode Island, said it's good to see the way women's basketball has progressed over the years and although it still does not have the high profile as the men's league, the playing field between the two is more level than ever.

"When I was in school, we were getting ready to go on a road trip and we were on the bus while the guys took a plane," said McPhee-McCuin. "But we were going to the same place. I was told by one of my coaches, 'That's just the way it is'. The sport has come a long way and it continues to grow."

Jacksonville has a deep football history, but now the Jacksonville Sports Council is expanding its reach and helping to bring women's basketball to center stage.
It will be the first time that tournament is played in the state of Florida.

On June 22, Coach McPhee-McCuin was named to the 2013 New England Basketball Hall of Fame and joined nine other recipients of the Pathfinder Award for their distinguished achievement outside of New England. An 11-year coaching veteran, McPhee-McCuin came to Jacksonville State University following a three-year stint at Clemson University, where she was tagged as one of the top assistants in the nation by the National Women's Basketball Insider. This past season alone McPhee-McCuin spearheaded the No. 16 ranked recruiting class in the country, landing five McDonalds All-American nominees for the Tigers.

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