Men's Basketball: LSUS' Greene receives top honor
February 26, 2013
SHREVEPORT, La. - LSU Shreveport senior Jake Greene is one of 10 men's basketball players in all of college basketball to be named to the inaugural Allstate NABC Good Works Team as announced today by Allstate Insurance Company and the NABC.
Athletic departments submitted 161 nominations for deserving student-athletes. From the nominations, two voting panels headlined by former University of Arizona student-athlete, five-time NBA champion and college basketball analyst Steve Kerr, and former University of Tennessee star and 2012 WNBA championship team member Tamika Catchings, selected two 10-member teams - each featuring five student-athletes from the NCAA® Division I level and five student-athletes from NCAA® Divisions II, III and the NAIA.
Members of the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® will be invited by Allstate, an official corporate partner of the NCAA®, to the 2013 NABC Convention and 2013 NCAA® Men's Final Four® in Atlanta, where they will participate in a community project in the city. Members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® will also be recognized during the 2013 WBCA Convention and at the 2013 NCAA® Women's Final Four® in New Orleans. Allstate is an official corporate partner of the NABC, WBCA and NCAA.
LSUS men's basketball Head Coach Kyle Blankenship is not surprised that Greene was named to the Good Works Team. "There is no one more deserving of this recognition than Jake Greene. He is a young man that has put so much of his time and efforts into giving back to this community and our campus throughout his four years here. I am so proud to be his coach, and I am thrilled that he will have the opportunity to represent our program and be recognized at this year's Final Four in Atlanta."
Greene will become the second men's basketball player in LSUS history to be recognized at the Final Four. Josh Porter was the first when he was named the 2008 Most Courageous Player of the Year.
"The NABC is pleased to honor 10 outstanding men's basketball student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to charitable and community service-related activities," said Jim Haney, NABC executive director. "These student-athletes have made a significant impact on the organizations they have served, and have shown outstanding character on the court, in the community, and in the classroom."
Greene serves in leadership roles in several different capacities at LSU Shreveport. Two years ago he was one of the students who started the LSUS chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; today he is still a leader. Although the LSUS chapter of FCA does not have official officers, Greene essentially serves as the president.
Additionally, Greene is involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) at LSUS. He leads a free lunch at the BCM each Wednesday, where he teaches from the Bible. Through the BCM, he also leads a discipleship group of freshmen and mentors others on how to lead their own discipleship groups. He also is responsible for planning various BCM events as he serves as the BCM President.
Greene is active in both his hometown community of DeRidder, LA, and his college community in Shreveport. As previously mentioned, he serves in leadership roles with FCA, BCM, and the LSUS men's basketball team. Additionally, he is active at Heritage Baptist Church. During the summer, he works several basketball camps for LSUS and multiple high schools near his hometown. This past summer he was part of a small group that began what will be an annual mission trip/basketball camp with his pastor, youth minister, dad, and other coaches in Donaldsonville, LA.
Greene also works to serve his LSUS community. He tutors elementary children in reading and also tutors college students in math. Furthermore, he has volunteered at several events this past year including an Easter Seals golf fundraiser, a BCM rummage sale and passed out toys to kids this Christmas for the Hugs4Kids organization. He also has traveled to Morgantown, West Virginia, to help plant a church and lead Bible studies for children, and during the summer, he voluntarily cuts the grass at the local cemetery.
Greene has a 3.5 GPA in secondary education with an emphasis on social studies. He has received several academic scholarships including a valedictorian scholarship, the Walter O. Bigby Scholarship, and the Ruth Herring Noel Memorial Scholarship for his academic excellence and extracurricular activities. When he graduates from LSUS, he plans on teaching at the high school level while coaching basketball and cross country.
Jake Greene exemplifies everything a coach would want to find in a student/athlete; he is a true champion of character. He is always respectful of his coaches, teachers, and teammates. He is always on time and does anything that is asked of him, and his coaches trust him always to do what is right. He serves others at every opportunity and treats everyone with the respect that he would like in return.
More information about the Allstate NABC Good Works Team is available at www.nabc.org.
About the National Basketball Coaches Association
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.org.
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. Allstate branded insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services are offered through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com, www.allstate.com/financial and 1-800 Allstate®, and are widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®." As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $29 million in 2012 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.
About AFCA
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession" and to "provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football."
