| About Courtney
 Courtney Shaley Crooms was born on January 9th, 1992 to Derick and Meshal Crooms in Killeen, Texas. Born into a military family, Courtney, along with her older brother Daniel, traveled quite a bit early on, settling in to places from Germany to the Washington D.C. area. Always one of the tallest in her class, Courtney became very active in athletics at an early age. She excelled in volleyball, track & field, and her passion... basketball.
As part of a family that stressed the importance of academics and overall well-roundedness, Courtney excelled in the classroom as well, achieving a 3.5 cumulative GPA throughout her entire middle school career, and would have attended the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (SACA) as a student, and member of their lady's basketball team.
Perhaps most importantly, and at a young age, Courtney understood the significance of her athletic gifting and talents, and viewed them as gifts from God. She relished every opportunity to compete, and did so admirably.
On June 25th, 2006 on her way back from North Augusta, South Carolina, and less than two hours after she and her AAU team, the (14U) Atlanta Lady Celtics, had just won the championship in their age group at the Garden City Classic Tournament. Courtney and her mother, Meshal, were involved in a fatal automobile accident 80 miles east of Atlanta. Meshal would survive the accident, sustaining serious injuries from the crash; however, Courtney was gone...gone at the age of 14!
The family has founded this organization to honor Courtney's memory, legacy, and life, as well as to challenge, and encourage female student-athletes to strive for excellence in every area of their life. Courtney's motto was to live life with passion and purpose, and to play each game, as if it was her last!
As a 14-yr old, Courtney stood nearly 5'11", wore a size 12 1/2 (women) shoe, and played the "3", "4", and "5" positions. She often slept with her teddy bear (Smokey) on one side, and her basketball on the other. She had aspirations of competing in the WNBA... by way of her beloved Duke Lady Blue Devils!
Courtney often asked her dad, "Why do the men make so much 'more' money than the women in professional basketball?" She never accepted any answer he gave, and vowed that one day she would "change-the-game!" Because of her vision and desire, through her Foundation..."SHE WILL!"
COURTNEY'S LAST FIVE MINUTES
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