Sherri E. Pegues is pro actively making a name for herself as Founder and Director of Girls Basketball League,
("GBL") and as Head Coach of GBL's "Lady Rebels", 2005 AAU 10U Champions and record setting 2005
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees.
GBL's Lady Rebels skillfully earned their 2005 "AAU" National Championship astoundingly setting a new
tournament record as the first team to remain undefeated with an average margin of 25+ victory points per
game! The S-day tournament, which consisted of 100 teams competing from across the United States, was held
at Disney's Wide World of Sports Center in Orlando, Florida.
The daughter of community leader Mary Headley and Baltimore Orioles' Charlie Beamon, and sister to Seattle
Mariners' Charlie Beamon, Jr., (formerly of the Seattle Mariners), community leadership and competitive sports
continues to play an integral part of Sherri Pegues life. Sherri was born in Arizona, raised in New York
-City,
and now happily lives with her family in Los Angeles, California, striving to fill a blatant void by creating
significant life-enriching experiences and working with Los Angeles' inner-city youth. The highlight and
driving force of her passionate life.
Sherri and Marvin founded the Girls Basketball League, aka GBL Sports Corporation, a nonprofit organization, in 1997.
GBL was one of the first all girls basketball leagues formed in the Los Angeles, just months before the
WNBA was launched. Word spread fast and the GBL grew rapidly. In 1997, GBL began with 8 girls and by
mid-season exploded to over forty 40 girls. The following season brought in nearly 100 girls. In the beginning
Sherri utilized basketball as the process to instill these young ladies with confidence, and respect, good health
and sportsmanship, and to meet and overcome any and all challenges. Today, at their Rancho Cienega
Headquarters, GBL's Program (the "Program") accommodates over 200 girls ranging from ages 5 to 18. The
GBL Headquarters grooms these young girls for their adult life during these fundamental formative years with
outstanding mentoring, athletic activities, computer training, career planning, and college preparatory programs.
GBL is a grassroots organization and faces some very tough times trying to keep an all girls program of this
magnitude going. It was through the support of her family, friends and faith that kept Sherri going. "1 have a
strong spiritual background that really helps keep me grounded. With great determination we-made it through
the tough times and as a result the program has helped 1000's of young ladies throughout the inner-city and
surrounding areas."
Sherri recognized the fruits of her labor by the development and growth in her girls in 1999, and wanted to give
them a chance to showcase their talents. Sherri soon found that the most competitive game in town was the
renowned Amateur Athletic Union ("AAU"), and they went for it. The first year was very rough, as Sherri and
her team had to quickly learn the ropes to meet this huge new challenge. Despite the struggle to get there,
Sherri and her team vowed to work harder and get better at the game, and both knew that their bar had been
raised.
There was no stopping the Coach and her Lady Rebels team at the Millennium's dawning. Returning to AAU's
2000 tournament, to everyone's surprise, GBL's 13U team won! Competing teams were absolutely stunned by
these newcomers, qualifying for Nationals! Their first big competition also earned this team of winners a trip to
Disney World. This was undoubtedly the biggest and most exciting thing that ever happened to these wonderful,
hardworking teenage girls from the Los Angeles inner-city! GBL's Lady Rebels miraculously remained
steadfast, with qualifying AAU National teams in years 2001,2002,2003 (two teams qualified), 2004,2005
(AAU Champions), and 2006 (2 teams both #1 in the State).
Sherri's GBL Program expects every participant to present herself as a "scholar athlete" by committing to
academic success and outstanding citizenship as an essential priority on and off the court. GBL's support
systems and technology are in place to provide tutoring services and computers to ensure their academic goals
are met. GBL's successes and commitment to caring toward these dedicated, talented young ladies during their
crucial formative years is unwavering and has been due largely in part to collaboration between coaches,
"scholar athletes," their parents, personal friends and family. Among the nay-sayers that thought GBL never
stood a chance, GBL's Program and their Lady Rebels are now the inspirations to others, providing light at the
end of their tunnel !
Sherri's and Marvin requesting, and welcomes, all proactive and responsible community leaders, corporate sponsors, and
caring visionaries like yourself to support GBL's life-changing Program filled with talented scholastic athletes
and now Los Angeles, California's own extraordinary 2005 National AAU Champions and newest record
setting Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees.
Your vital outreach of support of GBL is much appreciated and will make a difference, today and tomorrow, far
grander than you could ever imagine in your, and these young ladies' lives ...
