Up2Us Sports recently recognized Janeicia Neely as one of our two 2021 Coaches of the Year for her exemplary service and commitment to coaching and mentoring students in her New Orleans Community. Janeicia is prominently featured in our 2021 film, “Sports-Based Youth Development Works.”

Coach Janeicia is serving in her first year as an Up2Us Coach with KIPP East Primary and The 18th Ward. She is a native of New Orleans and loves giving back to her community through the power of sport. She played basketball overseas, in Portugal and Switzerland, for two years prior to her service term after a standout career at Loyola University New Orleans. Upon her return, she was looking for a way to continue playing basketball while giving back to her community and thus co-founded The Club: An Inclusive Basketball League LLC, the first sports recreation company to feature an adult women’s basketball league in the Greater New Orleans Area. 

Around that same time, she started her journey in youth development by accepting the Youth Programs Associate position for the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints as well as through coaching with The 18th Ward nonprofit. Learning of Up2Us Sports during an event hosted by the Up2Us Sports NOLA Team at the Saints’ Practice facility, Janeicia was interested in the full Coach Training Institute and accepted the opportunity to serve as part of the first Up2Us Sports’ Cohort at The 18th Ward.

There's a group of three sisters who participate in The 18th Ward After School Program at KIPP Primary East. The oldest sister is pretty athletic and plays multiple sports, however her younger twin sisters were unsure about whether they wanted to participate. After a few practices, the twins began to feel more comfortable and began to participate more. Watching them grow in their sports skills, as well as their social and emotional skills was most rewarding for Coach Janeicia. One of the girls, Eva - who is also featured in the film - is super competitive, she loves to win and hates to lose. As she became more willing to play, the challenge was then keeping her in the game whether she was winning or losing. An added memorable bonus was their mom's thankfulness and consistent support of The 18th Ward, she once expressed "y'all probably saved my daughter's life."

During our 2021 Gala on June 15, 2021, Janeicia and Lio were recognized with their Coach of the Year awards. Up2Us Sports Ambassador Collette V. Smith interviewed the two of them live during the Gala. Watch the interview below or on our YouTube Channel.