The West Coast Conference is introducing a significant diversity hiring initiative which will be known as “The Russell Rule,” named after NBA and WCC legend Bill Russell.
Moving forward, all WCC members will be required to “include a member of a traditionally underrepresented community” in the final pool of candidates for the following positions in each athletic department: athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach. In doing so, the WCC said it is the first conference to make such a commitment in Division I athletics.
The conference is partnering with Russell, who won two national titles at the University of San Francisco before winning 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, and Dr.