Victory Elite head coach Reggie Bibb will be honored in Knoxville during Induction Weekend this June at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. He will meet basketball legends, be honored on stage before a vast audience, receive a trophy from Tiffany, and be presented with a beautiful championship ring that he will cherish forever. His trip to Knoxville from Dallas will all come free to him. Bibb is not a Hall of Famer, nor will he be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Bibb is simply a terrific coach who built and trained the nation’s top 5th grade girls basketball team.
The benefits he received come from winning a basketball championship event called The Ladies Ball, a national event for girls which was years in the making and launched in 2021. It features the nation’s top teams, grades 4th to 12th, supported and promoted by the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. In its first year, hundreds of top teams participated.
Coach Bibb’s team is from the Dallas area and was invited by event scouts to a regional qualifying event last October in Irving, Texas. His 5th grade squad ran the table and earned their way to Knoxville to play against the other top teams from around the country.
“What a special journey for myself, my daughter, and my team,” Coach Bibb stated. “the competition, exposure, and the whole experience have been unbelievable.”
In Irving, Coach Bibb’s team played top teams from Oklahoma and Texas, but there was so much more. His squad enjoyed an excitement-packed experience. It included news conference interviews, a meet and greet with Hall of Famer Valerie Still, Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer (for both men and women), a 3-point competition, and a court that looked like the NBA bubble with looming signage that draped 30 feet high and 60 feet long.
Bally Sports Network produced the game for its television and digital network. The same company features content from NBA teams like the Rockets and Mavericks and holds the broadcasting rights to 38 NBA, MLB, and NHL franchises. This year, it secured a $600 million broadcasting rights deal with the NBA.
“Luca, Lebron, and my 5th grade girls all featured on the same network one click apart, so cool,” stated Bibb smiling in disbelief. The event will drive hundreds of hours of exciting content and hard-core fans to www.ballysports.com/national/ladiesball.
While in Knoxville, however, it was even better. Coach Bibb and his teammate toured the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and were featured in a video shoot with a curtain drop like a Lebron James sneaker launch. All the girls received free swag from event sponsor Athleta and competed in a Tik-Tok challenge. Best of all, they ran the table against the top teams from around the nation and won the championship in a game that featured a more extensive televised production that will be featured on Bally Sports Network this month. Like the Little League World Series, each girl announced herself pre-game and shared her favorite activity. The team paraded their championship trophy through the Hall of Fame, posed for pictures before national media like Pass Tha Ball, and attended one last press conference before they headed back to Dallas.
The Ladies Ball stands out among the hundreds of basketball events held annually for young girls. It arrives at a time when increased television ratings and sponsor investment for women’s sports are climbing like never before. But it is much more personal for the event creators, who also started events like the US Army Bowl (NBC) and the McDonald’s All-American Game (ESPN), which feature the best athletes in the country on national television.
The event promoters had a personal stake in this event – their daughter. Event founder Kate McGuinness, a former PR and media executive, who created the US Army Bowl with her husband, has been on the girls’ travel circuit with her daughter for eight years. She has watched her daughter Quincey score 1,000 points, win a sectional high school championship and prepare to play college basketball this fall.
“On the travel circuit, the games and weekends were always fun, but we wanted more. Most travel events looked the same,” McGuinness said. “These events should be a celebration and bringing together future stars with the basketball legends. The magic is elite scholar-athletes meeting real-life role models.
“These girls, coaches, and parents invest a lot of time and money in this sport, so we owe them a big-time experience. Most importantly, these girls have unbelievable ability; they work so hard, they should be celebrated."
She believes every team, athlete and coach is on a journey and has a great story.
“We feel compelled to share it and tell it,” McGuinness said.
Another significant influence for this event was partner Bob Geoghan, a dominant presence in the world of basketball for 50 years and who passed away this year. Geoghan is best known for creating the McDonald’s All-American Boys Game starring Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryan, and LeBron James. He convinced McDonald’s to start a girls’ game in 2002. He also had a granddaughter who had played travel basketball.
“Bob created a legacy of highlighting top girls on a national stage,” McGuinness said.
Some of those All-Americans, like Tamika Catchings, have been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
“We will celebrate Bob’s legacy at the Ladies Ball by honoring those who impacted the girls’ game,” McGuinness said.
Several coaches were honored by video company Hudl during championship weekend for their commitment to the game. Hudl provides video analysis and capture for the Ladies Ball and will identify top teams through its advanced analytics. The coaches who received the Hudl Coach of the Year award get a $500 check. Among the winners was Caesar Harris, head coach of the Maryland Threat.
“No other event or program has supported our work like this event," Harris said. "We love what we do, but we all work hard and believe we are changing lives through basketball and by teaching values.”
Event directors will also launch a podcast later this year featuring club coaches from throughout the nation who will share their story.
The Ladies Ball is a true showcase for the best of the best. With eight regional events and a championship weekend in Knoxville, the competition is unbelievable.
“The hardest part may be getting in. With two to four teams per state invited from each grade level,” Harris said. “It is an exclusive opportunity.”
The selection team has scouts across the nation and follows top teams and tournament results from 50 major events through the summer. By running this event in the fall, the Ladies Ball team has the chance to see and evaluate teams all spring and summer. Win-loss record, the strength of schedule, top athletes and team efficiency (measured by Hudl) metrics make up the main criteria. McGuinness adds “Hall of Fame values are non-negotiable.”
The event accepts nominations from top teams throughout the country who access the website at www.theladiesball.com
Regional events will be hosted this fall in Irving, Texas; Portland; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Greensboro, North Carolina; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Boston.
Like the NCAA tournament, the Ladies Ball has a big announcement plan for invited teams by releasing sample brackets in June at the Induction Weekend hosted by the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Many legends are involved in the excitement. Last year, Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings invited a top 7th grade team from Tennessee and brought them on stage like the NFL Draft.
For Bibb, he will head home to Dallas after making and being a part of basketball history in Knoxville this June. His next job is to defend his national championship this fall.
“We can’t wait to get back to Knoxville."
