Mason Senior guard Taylor Brown has been named a nominee for the 2016 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams®. This distinguished award shines a spotlight on a select group of student-athletes who have shown dedication to community service and altruism in their communities.
In its fourth year, the Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams® recognize players at all levels of college basketball who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. From establishing nonprofits that provide youth with the necessary tools to become leaders of tomorrow, to raising awareness around pertinent issues that could save lives, these student-athletes exhibit impeccable leadership skills both on and off the court.
“The community service efforts from the nominees on the 2016 Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® are an inspiration to Allstate, our agents and our employees,” said Thomas Clarkson, president of the west territory for Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2016 NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® selection panels. “Allstate is honored to embark on another year of collaboration with the NABC and WBCA, and together recognize student-athletes for their unwavering commitment to making a difference.”
Brown is very active in community service work with her teammates in team community service activities, but is also involved on campus with various organizations including U-Church, an on-campus church service, and SAAC. With U-Church, Brown has shared the gospel and testimony through performances on several occasions and inspires others through testimony on her website TayBrownTestimony.com. Brown was instrumental in creating the SAAC A-10 competition video last year which was featured on the Atlantic 10 Conference's website. For two years, Brown has been a member of George Mason Athletics SAM (Student-Athlete Mentor) program which is designed to help transition student-athletes to college and provide social events to enable student-athletes to interact off the playing surfaces.
Brown has been involved in several charitable projects including the Happy Heart Walk on campus, an opportunity for the Mason community to take a walk together and reconnect with the fun in fitness. The team has participated in Read Across America Day, volunteering at a local elementary school reading to students to promote and celebrate reading. Over the Christmas holiday last year, Brown helped organize a clothing drive for a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C., bringing clothes to the less fortunate.
The 103 WBCA nominees and the 154 NABC nominees were submitted by sports information directors and college basketball coaches across the country. From the nominations, special voting panels, headlined by former University of Tennessee basketball athlete, NCAA champion and WNBA legend Tamika Catchings, and former Duke University basketball athlete, two-time NCAA® champion and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill, will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA Division I level and five student-athletes from Divisions II, III and the NAIA. The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.
“The Allstate WBCA Good Works Teams® is a nationally recognized award that continues to honor an impressive group of student-athletes who strive to better our society through service efforts. The WBCA family of coaches celebrates all the women's and men's basketball student-athletes who demonstrate a respect for the power of sports coupled with the responsibility to give back to others,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “The WBCA is proud to partner with Allstate and commends the recognition of these remarkable student-athletes for their significant humanitarian contributions.”
Members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Teams® will be recognized during the 2016 WBCA Convention and at the 2016 NCAA Women's Final Four in Indianapolis, and will also participate in a local volunteer project. Members of the Allstate NABC Good Works Teams® will be invited by Allstate, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, to the 2016 NABC Convention and 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four in Houston, where they will participate in a community service project benefitting the city. Allstate is an official corporate partner of the WBCA, NABC and NCAA.
“Once again as we have a record number of nominees for the Allstate Good Works Teams, it's very evident that our men's and women's student-athletes in college basketball are unselfish and unwavering in their commitment to service,” said Jim Haney, executive director of the NABC. “From global initiatives in third-world countries to feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless around their own communities, these young men and women are very deserving of the recognition that Allstate provides with this exemplary program.”
In addition to Clarkson, Catchings and Hill, the 2016 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams® selection panel members include: former college basketball student-athletes Alana Beard (Duke University), and Clark Kellogg (Ohio State University / CBS Sports); media members Carolyn Peck (ESPN), LaChina Robinson (ESPN/FOX), Seth Davis (Sports Illustrated/CBS) and Dana O'Neil (ESPN); former head coaches Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech University), Nell Fortner (Auburn University), Bobby Cremins (Georgia Institute of Tech/College of Charleston) and Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech University); and current college basketball coach Coquese Washington (Penn State University).
More information about theAllstate WBCA Good Works Teams® and the Allstate NABC Good Works Teams® is available at www.wbca.org and www.nabc.org.
