Meet Herbert Allen, basketball coach and founder of the Greenbelt Lady Angels who play open games at Springhill Lake Recreation Center, where he also works, every Thursday night at 8 p.m. This is his sixth year coaching for the Lady Angels and has over 40 years of coaching experience.
The Lady Angels were started in 2010 when a young lady came into the rec center and asked Allen if the recreation center offered basketball for women. Allen saw the potential in having a weekly women’s open basketball night for the community. He is trying to make a difference in the lives of girls by keeping them busy with basketball and hoping that they can eventually give back to their communities. He recruits players for the Lady Angels at their open basketball nights every Thursday from 8:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Allen’s proudest accomplishment with the Lady Angels was winning the M3 Canadian Basketball League tournament, an international basketball league tournament located in Montreal, Canada. The team’s name, the Lady Angels, was thought of by Allen when signing up the team for their first tournament. Their championship banner hangs proudly in the gym of Springhill Recreation Center where it all began.
For 2016, Allen hopes to recruit more players for the Lady Angels. He plans on participating in more local tournaments in the DMV area and would appreciate support from the Greenbelt community.
In the past, the Greenbelt Community Foundation has supported the Lady Angels by giving the Lady Angels a grant allowing them to host workshops. The purpose of the workshops was to empower the youth of the community and to develop leadership skills.
The community is invited to a benefit basketball game between the Lady Angels and City Council as part of the Explore Your Greenbelt with the Greenbelt Community Foundation to celebrate its 10th anniversary. This series of 14 monthly events and activities will feature organizations, like GAC, that have received GCF funding. Everyone is invited to attend to learn about these organizations and how GCF lives out its mission of “nourishing all of Greenbelt’s neighborhoods.”
The Greenbelt News Review along with Paradyme Management, Beltway Plaza and McNamee Hosea are sponsors of this campaign. To find out more about this event and other Explore Your Greenbelt activities, visit greenbeltfoundation.net/explore.