OKC Angels inspire B-ball campers
By Daniel Martin, Staff Writer
The Oklahoma City Angels, an all-women semi-pro basketball team, made a surprise visit to the Wellness Center gym, June 27 in support of the youth girls basketball camp offered June 23 through June 27.
Four members of the Angels came to the camp, a continuation of the summer sports programs at OCCC, to instruct, inspire and help further develop the campers’ skills.
Recreation and Sports Specialist Eric Watson said he contacted the team’s head coach, John Davis, about the invitation and couldn’t have been happier with the results.
“We’re more than happy to come out and support basketball camps all over the city,” Davis said. “It’s great to see the kids excitement and how quickly they learn.”
He said the team helped with ball handling and shooting drills. Players signed autographs and they even played a couple games of “gotcha” with the campers.
Angels starting center Viola Beybeyah said working with children is one of her favorite parts about playing with the Angles.
“Kids are my passion along with basketball, Beybeyah said. “It’s just what I love to do.”
She said she remembered playing basketball at that age and being heavily influenced by college players and professionals like her self.
Basketball camp head coach Ben Berry said the visit was great for the kids, and the Angels coming out really helped polish up what the girls had been learning all week.
“It was great to see girls that didn’t know how to shoot or dribble on Monday, dribbling with their left and right hands and swishing baskets on Friday,” Berry said.
“It was good exposure for the girls to be able to work with professionals for the afternoon,” he said, “It showed them discipline and how to have a good work ethic.”
General Manager and Owner of the Oklahoma City Angels, Claude Stuart, said the team loves doing events like this, and the team often visits churches and other basketball camps around the city.
He said the Angels play charity exhibition games during the fall at surrounding colleges and universities, and during the spring the team plays charity games at military bases like Altus and Tinker.
All profits from home games and donations from away games go directly to the Children’s Miracle Network, he said.
“We’re all about helping children and playing basketball,” Stuart said, “and lots of times they seem to go hand-in-hand.”
Since the team was put together in early January, the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League has grown tremendously, Stuart said.
Currently, the team’s record is 2-1 and their next home game is July 5 at Woodson gym versus their cross-town rival the Oklahoma City On Point Hoopsters.
With five games left in the regular season, Stuart said the team is getting ready for the playoffs, which will be held in Memphis, Tenn., toward the end of summer.
For more information about the Oklahoma City Angels, contact Claude Stuart at 405-722-0075 or Oklahomaangelsbasketball@ yahoo.com
Staff Writer Daniel Martin can be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.
