When Demarkus Langley took over as Blue Ridge head basketball coach last season, he led with a mission.
That mission, however, had nothing to do with what would take place on the basketball court.
“As a program, I wanted us to put a focus on the little things, the things that didn’t really have to do with basketball,” said Langley. “We can have great basketball players, but I want us to be caring. I want us to be involved in the community.”
This week, Langley and the Lady Tigers put that calling into action.
The entire coaching staff and team delivered boxes of Thanksgiving food and goods to families in need.
Langley sees something in his girls that can’t be taught — a true desire and heart for service. They don’t just have to give to others. They want to.
“When we went to turn these boxes in, the girls were asking to pray over these boxes and for the families who were going to receive them,” said Langley. “They had genuine gratitude for what they were getting to do. It wasn’t a task. It wasn’t something they had to do.”
The motto and mindset Langley has instilled in his girls is “Bigger Than Basketball.”
It’s something the Lady Tigers take pride in. During preseason practice interviews, the phrase came up continually among the players.
“‘Bigger Than Basketball’ is the message Coach has been telling us all offseason,” said junior forward Talia Maxwell. “It’s about being involved and serving others, and it’s about being together as a team — being a family.”
Delivering Thanksgiving boxes was just the latest act of service Langley and the Lady Tigers have performed over the last two years. Langley aims to have his team invest in the community with service acts once a month during the season.
Past examples include shopping for Christmas gifts for underprivileged children, partnering with the Ronald McDonald House to care for kids undergoing medical procedures, and delivering supplies and food to families hurt by Hurricane Helene.
Langley says the outreach shines a light on his young athletes that is rarely seen or perceived about high schoolers.
“For the most part, a lot of people have a negative opinion about this generation or about teenagers in general,” said Langley. “But in doing all of these things in the community, I see a side to these girls that not really anyone else gets to.
“I know what these girls are about. I see them hugging these kids and these families and praying for them. I saw it this week, and it really made my whole Thanksgiving.”
The Lady Tigers are ranked No. 8 in Class 4-A girls basketball heading into the year, having won 20 games last season and returning nearly every player from that roster.
But the basketball stops bouncing for everyone at some point, says Langley.
On Thanksgiving and every day, he wants his girls to remember there’s much more to life than a final score.
It’s far bigger than a game.
“From the first time I talked to them at a team meeting in the locker room, I told them about ‘Bigger Than Basketball,’ and what that means,” said Langley. “But when you’ve got girls on your team as I do — girls like Opal Maralit, Kelei McKenzie, Audrey Harkins, and just the entire roster we have — they make it easy.
“Our girls are selfless. They will put anything and everything before themselves. They embody everything ‘Bigger Than Basketball’ is meant to be.”
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