BALTIMORE, Md. – Coppin State women’s basketball student-athletes Amber Griffin and Janelle Lane spent time interacting with wide-eyed and energetic youngsters at Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School Wednesday morning.
Griffin and Lane were among a handful of participants in the annual “Heroes & Helpers” Career Day event held for students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Sharing the stage with a Baltimore City Police Office, a member of the Armed Forces, a sports reporter, chef, and pediatrician, Griffin and Lane urged students to “work hard, stay in school, do their homework and make sure you go to college.”
The Eagles’ duo had a nice time speaking to the students, performing a dribbling exhibition and explaining the finer points of how to shoot a basketball. Lane awed the students by spinning the ball on her finger like a member of the Harlem Globetrotters at the conclusion of their speech.
While waiting to speak, Griffin and Lane even got involved and performed the traditional body moments to the classic “YMCA” song during the pre-kindergarten’s presentation. Overall, it was a memorable morning for Griffin and Lane, both of whom are juniors.
“It was a fun experience and be able to be heroes to little kids,” Griffin said. “It was nice to help them understand the importance of going to school and keeping their grades up. It meant a lot to be part of this event and I am glad I had the opportunity to share some of my experiences with them.”
One of the highlights for Griffin was having Lane perform a dribbling exhibition, something she rarely does in games because she’s normally a force around the basket. Lane also showed two kids how to dribble, which was put a smile on the faces of everybody in attendance.
“Being considered a real-life hero and being able to spend time here this morning is something I don’t take lightly,” Lane said. “This was a nice experience. Getting them to learn about the different heroes in the community is something every kid should have an opportunity to do. Overall, this was fun and I enjoyed being here and spending time with the kids.”
For Griffin and Lane, it was a welcomed break from the hustle-and-bustle of competition and practices. Lane averages 9.9 points per game and is eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in field goal percentage (44.9 percent).
Meanwhile, Griffin is sixth in the MEAC in assists per game (3.3). With 280 career assists, Griffin is fourth all-time in Coppin State women's basketball history. She needs four assists to move past Sesalie Johnson and into third place on CSU's assist chart.
The Coppin State women’s basketball team returns to action Saturday afternoon when it visits Morgan State in a game beginning at 2:00 p.m.