There are many reasons why Up2Us Sports coach alum Janeicia Neely might describe herself as blessed. She was recently hired for a full-time coaching position at Up2Us Sports host site Langston Hughes Academy, in New Orleans. She was recognized this year as an Up2Us Sports Coach of the Year for her outstanding service as a coach-mentor. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s gotten to play professional basketball in lands as enticing as Portugal and Switzerland. 

But when Coach Janeicia talks about being blessed, she’s referring to the coaches who have guided her throughout her life—and shaped what she believed was possible as a Black female athlete. “I had multiple female coaches, I had multiple Black coaches…[It] shaped a lot of what I thought was possible. It wasn’t weird to me to see a woman in a leadership role.” In addition to demonstrating that women can and do coach sports, her coaches also modeled another important quality that Coach Janeicia herself embodies: commitment. “All of these people were consistently there. They were committed enough to help me, correct me, encourage me, offer advice. All of them cared, all of them devoted their time, all of them put in effort.”  

Coach Janeicia carries on the legacy of leadership that was modeled for her while she was an athlete, serving now as a caring and committed coach-mentor to many kids in New Orleans. After a successful basketball career at Loyola University New Orleans and two years abroad playing professionally, she became a Youth Programs Associate for the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints. During this time, she attended an event hosted by the Up2Us Sports New Orleans team and became interested in Up2Us Sports’ sports-based youth development (SBYD) curriculum and coach training program. She has spent the last year putting this training into practice as an Up2Us Sports coach with The 18th Ward Sports Club and KIPP East Primary. The mission of both sites is to bring quality coaching to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic factors, race, or gender. 

Coach Janeicia has found a few tools from the curriculum particularly helpful in her work. “Creating opportunities to matter, letting [the kids] lead. Team Time, those moments of striking up conversation with the kids. It works wonders in getting the kids to eventually trust you, and once they trust you they’ll listen to you. They might work a little bit harder, they might have a little more fun.” Between her on-the-ground experience and her Up2Us Sports SBYD-informed training, Coach Janeicia feels well-prepared for Langston Hughes Academy. “Leading a fairly large group of kids, doing it in a way that was organized and the kids were safe and had fun—I’ll bring that leadership experience into this upcoming position.”

As someone who knows just how important a role model can be, Coach Janeicia’s advice to those interested in serving kids and communities through sports is to be aware that “kids are looking up to you, even if you don’t realize it, so try to model how you want them to behave.” Also remember that the kids one serves are not the only ones having transformative experiences: “This could be a really good developmental time for you, so use it as best as you can. Don’t be afraid to be silly, to make mistakes, to take chances with it.” 

During our 2021 Gala on June 15, 2021, Janeicia and her co-Coach of the Year 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.

Janeicia served as an Up2Us Sports coach from July 2020 through July 2021 thanks to support from AmeriCorps and Volunteer Louisiana.