TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Women’s NCAA Final Four is shaping up to be about more than just basketball. A few notable people in the community were honored, and some young student athletes who could play on the big stage one day were uplifted.
At the Skills Center, they love women’s basketball.
“About three months planning this event. Two hundred 5th-8th grade girls,” said Janine Ward with the Skills Center.
With the help of 40 women’s college basketball coaches from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Wilson, Dove, and Aflac, these girls got what Ward calls an opportunity of a lifetime.
“This is to help them dream a little bit more. Maybe they want to be on that stage one day,” said Christopher Ward, the co-founder of the Skills Center.
Off the court, the NCAA helped honor five local residents who commit their time and influence to invest in the area. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Derrick Brooks, WWE Star Thaddeus Bullard, Mayor Jane Castor, Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers, and Barbara Sparks-McGlinchy were the honorees.
Bemetra Simmons is the chair of the local organizing committee for the Women’s Final Four. She said the honorees are examples of how what you do today for sports can have a huge impact in years to come.
“They are also dream merchants of what you can be. You heard about Thaddeus saying, you know, he believes that exposure allows people to dream. You heard Derrick talk about excellence being or operating in excellence with humility. Those are lessons that are great whether you are an athlete today, or you are in the boardroom, or a community member. I hope that’s what people take from tonight’s event,” Simmons said. “Game day every day.”
Organizers also said this event creates a lasting impact through a boost in the economy, honoring and supporting the community.
