Beverly Kelley Named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate

TROY, Alabama – Troy women's basketball senior Ashley Beverly Kelley has been named a candidate for the 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award, as announced on Tuesday. Beverly Kelley, a native of Adamsville, Ala., is one of 30 candidates for the award and one just two from the Sun Belt Conference.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Beverly Kelley is currently the Sun Belt's leading scorer and has helped Troy to five straight wins and 5-1 start to Sun Belt play. In her last game, she upped her career scoring total to 1,621 points, the most by any player in Troy's 23 years of Division I basketball.

A Mid-Major All-American and two-time All-Sun Belt selection, Beverly Kelley is also an outstanding student-athlete off the court. If she's not honing her own skills or studying for a degree in Exercise Science, Beverly Kelley can usually be found at the Troy Recreational Center tutoring kids.

"I want to give back to the community," Beverly Kelley said. "I go Monday through Sunday, and I teach them the basics of basketball. I tell them about my life story, about how I started playing, and the process that I had to go through to become good and get a basketball scholarship."

Beverly Kelley mentors local high school student-athletes on weekends. At the Troy Rec. Center she works with people ages six to 17.

"I really don't know how I have the time," Beverly Kelley said. "But I try to make the time because I feel like it's important to try to reach out to the community. It's about life and basketball. I teach them to have a good attitude and do well in school."

"The amount of time and effort Ashley dedicates to becoming a great basketball player is remarkable," Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said. "She is the hardest working basketball player I've ever coached. But, what is even more remarkable is the amount of time and effort she dedicates to serving others. I believe people would be really surprised if they knew how much she gives back to the young people in the Troy Community."

In addition to being a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, Beverly Kelley is also a nominee for the 2016 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team and is one of just nine that is a candidate for both awards.

The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

Troy University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Ashley Beverly Kelley

Beverly Kelley Named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate

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