Wingate's Jasmine DeBerry Earns Spot on 2015 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team

February 10, 2015

Indianapolis, Ind.----Wingate University women's basketball senior guard Jasmine DeBerry (Charlotte, N.C.) is one of 10 student-athletes named to the 2015 Allstate Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Good Works Team. For the third year, this prestigious award pays tribute to college basketball players at all levels for their impressive commitment to giving back to their communities and positively impacting the lives of those around them.

During the summer of 2014, DeBerry donated bone marrow to a nine-year-old girl with Sickle Cell Anemia. DeBerry joined the Be The Match bone marrow registry as an 18-year-old, dedicating her registration to a friend who died from Sickle Cell Anemia the previous year. Legendary University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell and the Tar Heel family honored DeBerry's selfless act prior to the Wingate-UNC women's basketball exhibition in November.

DeBerry is an active community servant. Through her church (University Church of Christ in Charlotte), she volunteers with a nursing home ministry and a Thanksgiving meal give-away. While at Wingate, she has visited Levine's Children's Hospital, Wingate Elementary School, East Union Middle School, Union Diversified Industries and the Habitat for Humanity recycling center. DeBerry has also assisted with Operation Christmas Child shoe box preparation and Johnny's Open Table soup kitchen activities at Wingate Baptist Church.

"Jasmine DeBerry is one of the most incredible players I have had the privilege to coach," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "She is a combination of all things good. Her personality makes others want to be around her. She brings enthusiasm to every task, no matter how difficult or challenging. Her unselfishness makes her a terrific teammate and an even better person."

"Jasmine is willing to give and sacrifice for the good of the team and the betterment of others as was demonstrated by her bone marrow donation," Hancock says. "It gives me goose bumps to think of what Jasmine has done and accomplished in such a short amount of time. She is truly a role model for both young and old alike. Jasmine lives her faith every day...she is incredibly deserving of this recognition. I couldn't be more excited for her to be recognized on a national stage. Jasmine's example of faith, knowledge and service, the core values of Wingate University, has been incredible to watch. She has made us all proud."

From improving environmental sustainability on college campuses to helping impoverished communities overseas, the service accomplishments of this year's team are some of the most impressive to date. The Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams are each comprised of 10 student-athletes; five from NCAA Division I and five from NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA. Nominations were submitted by sports information directors and coaches at colleges and universities across the country.

DeBerry is one of only two NCAA Division II student-athletes on the five-person WBCA team representing NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA. Bulldog fans might recognize the name of DeBerry's Division II teammate: senior guard/forward Shanteona Keys (Roswell, Ga.) of Georgia College and the Peach Belt Conference.

The remaining three team members include two NCAA Division III student-athletes and one NAIA student-athlete. From Division III, Johns Hopkins junior guard Kathryn Clark (Murrieta, Calif.) and SUNY Geneseo senior forward Lea Sobieraski (Lockport, N.Y.) make the list. The NAIA is represented by Loyola New Orleans senior guard Megan Whittaker (Cumming, Ga.).

Distinguished voting panels comprised of former coaches, college basketball legends and media members narrowed down the outstanding submissions to the final two teams. Leading the voting panels for their respective teams were basketball star and University of Tennessee legend Tamika Catchings and previous Duke University student-athlete, two-time NCAA champion and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill.

"Community service and giving back are an integral part of Allstate's core values...recognizing the WBCA and NABC Good Works Team for their commitment in this area is one of the efforts of which we are most proud," vice president of marketing for Allstate Insurance Company Pam Hollander says. "In our third year partnering with the WBCA and NABC, we could not be more honored to have a role in recognizing truly deserving young athletes who encourage all of us to make a positive impact on those around us." Hollander served as a member of the 2015 WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams selection panels.

The Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams have made it their mission to protect the integrity of the sport by highlighting the good works that occur after the final buzzer. In addition to being college athletes and full-time students, these 20 young women and men have dedicated their invaluable free time to making a difference in the world around them. They each boast a long list of remarkable accolades that serve to inspire fans and communities across the nation.

"The WBCA is extremely excited to continue its partnership with Allstate in showing appreciation for these student-athletes who take time to invest in and further their respective communities," WBCA executive director Danielle Donehew says. "Congratulations to these outstanding 10 student-athletes who have helped make a difference and will continue to be leaders on and off the basketball court."

Members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team will be invited by Allstate, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, to the 2015 WBCA Convention and 2015 NCAA Women's Final Four in Tampa, where they will participate in a community project benefitting the host city. Members of the Allstate NABC Good Works Team will be recognized during the 2015 NABC Convention and at the 2015 NABC Men's Final Four in Indianapolis. They will also participate in a local community project. Allstate is an official corporate partner of the WBCA, the NABC and the NCAA.

In addition to Catchings, Hill and Hollander, the 2015 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams selection panel members include: alumni college basketball student-athletes Alana Beard (Duke) and Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State); previous head coaches Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech) and Nell Fortner (Auburn), Bobby Cremins (College of Charleston) and Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech); current college basketball coach Coquese Washington (Penn State); and media members Carolyn Peck (ESPN), LaChina Robinson (ESPN/FOX), Seth Davis (Sports Illustrated/CBS) and Dana O'Neil (ESPN).

Since 2008, Allstate has worked with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as sponsor of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which shines a spotlight on the positive, off-the-field impact college football student-athletes have on their communities. Wingate rising senior linebacker Eric Mapoles (Snellville, Ga.) was one of 22 student-athletes named to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

Through an arrangement with the AFCA, WBCA and NABC, Allstate is able to expand the Good Works Team to also recognize college basketball student-athletes at all levels who donate their time and effort to making a difference off the court. More information about the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team and the Allstate NABC Good Works Team is available at www.wbca.org or www.nabc.org.