LOG CABIN DEMOCRAT
Three rookie players for the Harlem Ambassadors have strong credentials as both players and role models.
The Ambassadors will play the Toad Suck Lions celebrity team in a game and a show, at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Hendrix Wellness and Athletic Center. The visiting group is a talented collection of college-educated athletes who provide an entertaining evening of basketball with lots of skilled ballhandling, high-flying slam dunks, comedy routines and crowd interaction. Their show, designed to be fun for the entire family, stresses good citizenship, staying in school, staying off drugs and racial harmony.
The Lions will be coached by Arkansas basketball legends Don Dyer, Cliff Garrison and Marvin Delph. Tickets for the event will cost $1 for students, $3 for seniors, and $5 for adults when purchased in advance of the game. Children under 4 will be admitted free.
The night of the game, prices will be $2, $4 and $6, respectively. Tickets are being sold at the following locations: All Simmons First National Bank branches, Gary Cox, CPA (811 Parkway Ave.), the Log Cabin Democrat and the Faulkner County Library. This event is one of the Conway Noon Lions Club’s fundraisers and proceeds from the game will be used by the club to assist blind and visually-impaired citizens of Conway and Faulkner County who cannot afford eye care.
Here are profiles of three rookie players for the Ambassadors:
KiAngela Smith, one of the team’s Show Performers, is 5-foot-6 and has degrees in Recreation and Sports Administration from Ottawa University. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Smith led the Kansas City Athletic Conference in assists per game Her goal is to someday be a successful basketball coach. In a profile on the team’s website, she says she wants “to share the knowledge of the game with others like my great coaches shared with me.”
Michael Hill stands 6-4 and plays both the guard and forward positions. He’s from Oklahoma City, Okla., and has attended both Southwestern Christian University and Oklahoma Christian University. He helped Southwestern Christian University win two consecutive National Christian College Athletic Association national championship and two consecutive regional championships. He’s been named to the NCCAA Regional All-Tournament First Team.
At Oklahoma Christian University, Hill helped the team make the NCCAA National tournament twice. He was named an All-American in each of his four years in college and graduated cum laude. He says he is passionate about “anything I really want to do. If you’re not passionate about it, there’s no point doing it.” His advice to young people is: “Keep God first, never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Keep a positive mind. Never give up. Follow your dreams. Stay motivated.”
Selethia Jackson, also one of the team’s Show Performers, is 6-0 and majored in Physical Education at Palm Beach Atlantic University, where she also had a concentration in Exercise Science. She is from Riviera Beach, Fla. Selethia made the Independent Collegiate Athletic Association’s Third Team in 2010-2011 and the ICAA’s Second Team in 2011-2012. She is passionate about helping others in need and has this advice for young people: “Don’t allow your circumstances to be excuses for your downfall. Instead, use them to push you to greater heights.”