Today we’d like to introduce you to Willie McCray.
Willie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Central Arkansas, by way of a small town called Menifee, My parents both worked 2 full-time jobs, which left very little father-son or mother-son time. My mother worked in the healthcare field as a Healthcare Assistant and Nurse Assistant, but began working at the age of nine in the cotton fields. My dad worked in the manufacturing industry, mainly as an assembly line supervisor and plant manager.
Most of my early years were spent with both sets of my grandparents until I was around the age of ten. From that point forward, I was raised mostly by my maternal grandmother (Grandma) and was reared in an “old school” way. My Grandma was an extremely hard worker and an entrepreneur. She worked full time as a cook at Hendrix College, but also owned a small café next door to our house. Being raised in the belt-buckle of the “Bible-Belt,” Grandma stood firm on the bible and the teachings of the Baptist church. Not going to church was never an option, regardless if you felt sick, got home late the night before, or even if you couldn’t find your church shoes.
Basketball has always been my favorite sport. No mattered where I traveled, I always sought an opportunity to play. In 1998, I move to Dallas from Menifee, Arkansas in hopes of pursuing my Professional football career. Unfortunately, my football playing days were cut short in 2001 due to injuries. During that time, I was invited to play pick-up ball with a group of former college and professional players. The guys use to tell stories about their travel team tours to different places and college exhibition games. I had always been interested in joining a traveling team, but didn’t have any connections.
I had no idea how simple it would be to start a travel team. It was literally only a matter of getting a few guys together and contacting local colleges to schedule preseason games, and The Dallas Diesel was off and rolling.
The birth of the WBCBL (Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League, LLC) came from the fast growing popularity of the Dallas Diesel Women’s program sending players overseas to play professionally. For years, we sought a minor league for our Dallas Diesel women’s team, but there were not any within the Southwest region of the United States.
After hosting a series of open tryouts, we had a gym full of very talent players that came from the east coast, west coast, and even Japan and London (UK)!! I was like “Wow, are there not any teams in your states?” and their answers were “No, that why we are here….”
At that point, it was clear that we would have to start our own league to accommodate such a large void that demanded to be filled, and the WBCBL was born.
In November 2004, I founded the Women’s Blue-Chip Basketball League as a developmental organization to aid female basketball athletes in their goals to become professional players through ministry and competitive play. The WBCBL provide players with top rate competition, exposure to pro scouts, and offer spiritual mentorship. The league has grown to have teams in 23 states and totaling over 35 teams nationwide in North America.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The struggles have been mainly related to lack of working capital and minimal funding from an occasional sponsor. There is so much potential for our organization, but we have to have money to cover the expense of success. The weakness of the club lies within the amount of time spent on key tasks, such as fundraising and engaging in city chamber of commerce events. All of our members have busy lives; families, fulltime jobs and some are also taking classes. Availability or our club members are limited.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Dallas Diesel SPORTS Club and Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League – what should we know?
The club’s schedule consists of games, tournaments and leagues year-round, highlighted by the intensive Fall Exhibition Season.
In addition to providing players with top rate competition and exposure, the Dallas Diesel offers Christian mentorship and support. One of our goals is to develop individuals on the court and off – to turn out positive, highly motivated citizens who happen to be gifted ball players.
We also help our members with job placement and to find housing in the Dallas area. Our club also participates in various fundraisers throughout the year to support community service groups and to raise monies for their respective causes and charities.
What we offer to our players:
Christian Counseling
Job Placement Assistance
Basketball Exhibition tours
Skill Training & Conditioning
Exposure to College Coaches and Scouts
Marketing to Pro Teams Coaches, Scouts, & Agents (For our Semi-Pro teams ONLY)
Things we do:
Motivational Speaking
1 on 1 Personal Training
Christian Counseling
Youth Basketball Skill Camps
Charity Events / Fund Raising
Exhibition and Scrimmage games against Collegiate and Professional teams
Our Diesel Teams
Adult Men (20 & up)
Adult Women (20 & up)
Jr. Men (14-18)
Jr. Women (14-18)
Youth Sports (5-13)
Seasons
Annual College Tour: October – February
*Exhibition basketball games against colleges and universities.
DDBL: April-May / July-August
* The Dallas Diesel Basketball League (DDBL) is for Men, ages 18 and Up, that are looking to get Valuable Playing Experience, Fresh Game Film and Stats!
WBCBL: May – August
* Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League (www.WBCBL.com) – Women’s Semi-Professional Basketball League featuring former college, WNBA, WBA, NWBL, and International players.
Jr Teams: March – July
* AAU, Prime-Time and other NCAA certified events
Youth Sports: Varies
* Youth Leagues, Camps and Clinics
WBCBL
The Women’s Blue-Chip Basketball League (WBCBL) is the premier professional development league for women basketball players.
The WBCBL’s mission is to provide highly competitive basketball for women age 20 and older. The competition level ranges from former JUCO, NAIA and NCAA College players to former NWBL and WNBA and FIBA / International professional players.
In addition, the WBCBL has built a networking relationship with professional international basketball scouts and agents to broaden the possibility of higher-level professional jobs being offered. Since 2005, we’ve helped hundreds of players to Go Pro!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
In November 2002, Willie McCray founded the Dallas Diesel Basketball Club as a non-profit organization to aid basketball athletes in their goals to become professionals on and off the court through ministry and competitive play. With the assistance of Cortez Bond, Shirley Walker-King, Empress Drane, and Prentiss Broadway, The Dallas Diesel became a well-recognized force among national associations, city tournaments, college communities, and international circuits.
The members of the Dallas Diesel (past and present) are definitely the foundation, of which, the WBCBL was built.
Pricing:
- Our Dallas Diesel SPORTS Club membership is only $10 month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DallasDiesel.com
- Phone: 214-810-7406
- Email: info@DallasDiesel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dallasdieselbasketball/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dallas.diesel.3
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDallasDiesel
- Other: www.WBCBL.com
Image Credit:
Shizuoka Gymrats of Japan
2014 Chinese Olympic Team
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