Gretna, La. — The Pelicans and Chevron presented the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Louisiana with a check for $25,000 Friday, ahead of free basketball clinic for the children.
“Chevron is committed to supporting the communities where we live and operate,” said Leah Brown, Public Affairs Manager for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. “We’re partnering with the New Orleans Pelicans to invest in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana. This collaborative relationship is a vital part of Chevron’s efforts to give children the foundational skills they need to create great futures.”
Head Coach Alvin Gentry was on-hand for the presentation, along with Pelicans center Emeka Okafor , members of the Pelicans dance team and Pierre the Pelican. Gentry, whose ties with the Boys and Girls Club go back to his youth, spoke to the kids about being good teammates– on and off the court.
“This is how I grew up in my home town of Shelby, North Carolina,” Gentry said. “Everything was about the boys club and we learned so much– not just the athletic things there but how to be a good teammate. I doesn’t matter what the situation is and it doesn’t always have to be athletics to be a good teammate. We learned discipline. We learned sharing. There are just so many things I think you can learn in an environment like this that can help you not just with the sport that you play but just a lot of life lessons really.”
When meeting with the media after, Gentry also spoke about his contract extension, which will have him at the helm of the New Orleans franchise through the 2020-2021 season.
“It’s great,” Gentry said. “I love it here, love the city. I love the team. I think we did a lot of really good things last year. I think when you’ve got good camaraderie like we had in our locker room, guys have a tendency to come together and you can do really, really good things. Obviously it was tragic with the loss of Mr. Benson, but I can’t tell you how much Mrs. Benson stepped-up in our situation just to show the leadership and just the commitment she has for this team.”
