Breezy Bishop doesn’t miss coaching basketball. As she sat in the stands watching girls games over the weekend at Western’s second annual Breezy Bishop Classic, she had no hankering to get back on the sideline.

You’d think she would 10 years after leaving Western with 420 victories, 15 city championships, two state titles and many Coach of the Year awards, including four All-Metro nods and the Converse/WBCA National award in 1995.

But in 1999, after a year as an assistant coach at North Carolina State, Bishop created new outlets for what has become a life’s mission to improve the lives of youngsters here in her native Baltimore City.

She started a non-profit organization, the Greater Baltimore Women’s Basketball Education Coalition, but does most of her work now with a multifaceted after-school program for freshmen and sophomores in partnership with New Era Academy.

That five-day-a-week program offers some sports, but also tutoring and homework help as well as clubs for drama, poetry, books, gospel choir and even canoeing at New Era, a public intervention school that shares a building with Southside Academy in Cherry Hill but draws from across the city.

“This is what I had a vision of as a young teacher here at Western,” said Bishop. “I saw ninth-graders coming in not prepared for high school. I said, as a young teacher, that when I retire I want to set up a place where kids can come get tutoring, get help and prepare for high school.

“I think girls, boys, there’s an adjustment (to high school) and I think the way for them not to drop out of school is to give them that tutoring, coaching, whatever it takes to save them. If it is done in a good after-school program, it can save them from dropping out. I think by the time they become 11th-graders, they’re more responsible. They understand more about education.”

Bishop has the same passion for the New Era program that made her a basketball coaching legend around the city. She returns to Western sometimes to watch the Doves, but she prefers to keep a low profile, which isn't easy.

Friday night, City Council president Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a Western graduate, presented Bishop with a proclamation, citing her dedication to helping improve the lives of young minority women and for being a role model for them.

Doves coach Tiffany Silver, who played for Bishop at Western, was happy she got the chance to name a tournament for her former coach before someone else did.

“I always refer back to her talking about bringing me my flowers while I can still see them. She just meant so much to this program,” said Silver.

A year ago, Silver named the tournament for Bishop. Bishop, who said she was elated by the honor, used the same flower reference to describe her feelings.

“You always like your flowers while you can see them,” said Bishop. “My mother always used to tell me, ‘Give me my flowers while I can see them,’ and I have the same philosophy.”

Bishop has certainly handed out a lot of flowers to the youngsters of this city. She deserves every one that comes back to her.

-- Katherine Dunn