NEW ORLEANS – Former Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball star Janeicia Neely not only left an impact on the Wolf Pack athletics department, but she continues to shine in her community. Neely, a unanimous inductee into the Wolf Pack Athletics Hall of Fame in January, earned the inaugural Kim Crabbe Game Changers Award last month.
Established by Game Changers United – U.S. Soccer's external Advisory Council focused on advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) across all areas of American soccer – the award is given to a member of the soccer community who has made a lasting impact in the areas of DEIB in a creative way while fostering long-term sustainability for the future of soccer. The award is named after Kim Crabbe, a pioneer in women's soccer who became the first African American woman to play for the USWNT in 1986.
Neely is the executive director for The 18th Ward, where she designs and manages 12 youth development programs and leads the organization's efforts. In 2023, the program created more than 4,000 opportunities for youth players.
Neely trains more than 100 high school and college students to lead each program. She was awarded the 2021 Up2Us Sports National Coach of the Year Award and was the New Orleans Pelicans 2022 Jr. NBA Coach of the Year.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be the first recipient of the U.S. Soccer Kim Crabbe Game Changer Award," Neely said. "It's humbling to be mentioned in the same vein as Kim. I'm grateful for the recognition but even happier about the attention the award has brought to The 18th Ward and our work.
"Kim Crabbe was the first black woman to roster on the U.S. Soccer Women's National team. She's still breaking barriers and making an impact on her community. Like Kim, we at The 18th Ward, pride ourselves on breaking barriers. It's our mission to provide access to high-quality low-cost youth soccer and sport opportunities in Greater New Orleans regardless of race, gender, or income. We work to provide a pipeline of opportunities for our kids competing or playing just for fun as well as our young adults coaching in our programs."
The 122 games that Neely played guard for Loyola from 2011 to 2015 saw her deliver the seventh-most points in program history (1,535). Her 477 assists were the second-most, and the 163 shots that she made from beyond the 3-point line were the ninth-most.
Neely's eye-catching stats translated to team success as she helped Loyola to a record of 83 wins and 36 losses during her time at the university, earning multiple berths to the national championship tournament. The program secured 22, 23 and 27 wins during three of those campaigns.
"Janeicia is such an amazing person and I am so proud of all the important work she is doing with the kids in greater New Orleans," Loyola women's basketball coach Kellie Kennedy said. "She made a tremendous impact at Loyola and just continues to do that in an even more powerful way! She is so deserving of this award and I can't wait to see what her future holds as she continues to shine her light."
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