APRIL 14, 2025
GENERATIONAL SHIFT AT NYC BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
Zak Ivkovic, Immediate Past Commissioner of CUNY Athletic Conference, Named CEO
A generational transition is taking place at the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame, founded in 1990 and ReBorn in 2024.
Zak Ivkovic, Immediate Past Commissioner of the CUNY Athletic Conference, has been selected as President and CEO succeeding Interim CEO Dr. Mike Cohen, who stepped aside after five years of dedicated service.
Named to the 2025-2027 Executive Board are:
- Keri Watkins-Webb – Chairwoman
- Zak Ivkovic – President & CEO
- Sean Couch – VP Development
- Stacey Davis – VP Programs
- Dr. Mike T. Cohen – VP Communications
Further additions to the board will be announced as they are approved.
The NYC Basketball Hall of Fame was established in 1990 by a group of dedicated NYC basketball executives and former players. From 1990 to 2017, The Founders meticulously built, developed, and maintained the Hall, carefully selecting and inducting 27 classes of distinguished individuals who significantly contributed to the development of basketball in the city, the nation, and globally.
With the declining health and the sad passing of the founding generation, a new team has agreed to accept the challenge of continuity and expansion.
Ivkovic: “The city with the greatest hoops heritage in the world deserves to have a strong organization that will continue the work of preservation and growth begun by the hoopshallny.org founders. Our new team is committed to creating that and more!”
In September 2024 at center court of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, just before the WNBA Champion New York Liberty’s last regular season game, the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame was reborn. A representative class of ten NYC natives who have impacted basketball in various capacities, from parks to professional leagues, were inducted into The Hall, taking their place alongside the legends of the past.
Please see the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame website hoopshallny.org and social media for details on the Class of 2024 and stay tuned to those same channels for the announcement of the 19 Finalist for The Class of 2025 later this week.
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NYC Basketball Hall of Fame
Board of Directors 2025-2027
Keri Watkins-Webb – Chairwoman
Co-Re-Founder – NYC Basketball Hall of Fame
President & CEO – Cecil K. and Leroy J. Watkins Foundation
Founder & CEO – Empowered Living NYC
Keri Watkins Webb is a retired NYC school teacher and active community health advocate who has dedicated her life to making a positive impact on the lives of others. She brings her passion for education and her commitment to service to various local initiatives and seeks to provide scholarships, training, and resources to individuals in underserved communities through her work with The Watkins Foundation. Keri is the daughter of the late NYC basketball legend and Hall of Famer Cecil Watkins (1997), one of the Hall’s founding generation. She is a graduate of CUNYs Hunter College, Fordham University, and the University of Pennsylvania among others.
“Serving on the board of the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame is both an honor and a responsibility. I am committed to preserving the vision of my late father and the other founding members while helping to ensure that New York City’s basketball history continues to inspire future generations.”
Sean Couch – VP Finance
Co-Re-Founder – NYC Basketball Hall of Fame
President & CEO – Jim Couch Foundation
Sean Couch was an All City player at Kennedy High School and later starred for Columbia University. After graduation from Columbia he was drafted by the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. He currently is co-owner of a sports management company and has helped launch successful media and basketball-centric business ventures. Sean is the son of Dyckman’s legendary Hall of Fame (2016) coach Jim Couch and serves as the President and CEO of the Jim Couch Foundation.
“It is an honor and privilege to be of service to the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame as a Board Member. My father’s coaching and training dedication inspires my commitment to the “city game,” and has prepared me for this opportunity! I am looking forward to the challenge of celebrating NYC basketball culture in exciting new ways that capture the essence of our innovation and style!
Stacey Davis – VP Programs
Co-Re-Founder – NYC Basketball Hall of Fame
Stacey Davis is the consummate NYC basketball expert for all things high school.
A professional in Real Estate, she is the principal sports writer and manager of NYC Hoops.
“It is a privilege to continue the legacy of the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame. Joining a tea m of experienced industry professionals, I am eager to contribute to the growth of the Hall of Fame and help establish a permanent residence to honor all city players and contributors.”
Dr. Mike T. Cohen – VP Communications
Co-Re-Founder – NYC Basketball Hall of Fame
Not to be confused with the MBWA’s Good Guy award by the same name, Mike is a former award winning coach (Yeshiva Women) and SID who served as Director of Communications & Development for the late great Cecil Watkins at the NBA and later the National Pro-Am City Leagues. While a graduate student at CUNY’s CCNY, together with several then very young SIDs, he helped pioneer weekly and annual awards for women’s college basketball in New York. He assisted The Founders induct the first few classes of the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame and has been a prime motivator for the current revival of the Hall.
“The City Game is NYC – and NYC is the acknowledged Mecca of Global Basketball. We are building a much needed and long overdue Temple to tell the story of how that happened. I’ll give you a quote at the ribbon cutting. Till then – “no comment!”
Zak Ivkovic – CEO
Co-Re-Founder – NYC Basketball Hall of Fame
Immediate Past-Commissioner – CUNY Athletic Conference
Founder – CUNY Inclusive & Adaptive Sports Program
The NYC Basketball Hall of Fame’s newly minted CEO, Zak Ivkovic helped his mentor Ted Hurwitz revolutionize the college athletic scene in NYC by moving the CUNY Athletic Conference into position as the largest and most innovative collegiate sports conference in the world. A former all-star soccer star and award winning SID (Hunter), Zak served the CUNYAC for 33 years, the final 20 as commissioner and executive director. Among the countless number of achievements and innovations was the creation of CUNY’s Inclusive & Adaptive Sports Program (2017). Zak was awarded the MBWA’s Mike Cohen Good Guy Award in 2016 (not to be confused with hoopshallny.org outgoing Interim CEO Mike Cohen).
“I am profoundly honored to be part of a distinguished team dedicated to advancing the legacy of NYC Basketball. We eagerly anticipate strengthening existing relationships while expanding our team and pursuing innovative strategies with determination and creativity.”
