INDIANAPOLIS– Shyra Ely-Gash, a native Hoosier and former collegiate and WNBA standout, will officially tip-off the Women’s Final Four weekend with the “Hoops Meets Heels” Fashion Show at Tourney Town presented by Capital One. The event is free and open to the public.
"Shyra’s not only a great ambassador for the Women’s Final Four and to women’s basketball, but a great ambassador generally to women everywhere,” said Anucha Browne, vice president of women’s basketball championships. “Her ‘Hoops Meets Heels’ Fashion Show during the Friday Night Tipoff Party filled with celebrity guests will be a great way to jumpstart the Women’s Final Four weekend for our city and fans as we prepare for some great basketball.”
Over 50 celebrities from around the country will participate as models in the fashion show, including Indianapolis native and Hollywood actress, Rashia Whitlock. Other guests include Tamika Catchings, WNBA; Sylvia Crawley, Assistant coach at the University of North Carolina; Kara Lawson, ESPN; Pippa Mann, IndyCar driver; Titus O’Neil, WWE; Candace Parker, WNBA; Ms. EKlass, radio personality; Holly Rowe, ESPN; and Jeff Terry, NFL, to name a few.
Ely-Gash, a thriving business owner in her hometown of Indianapolis, including Styles by Ms. Ely, began Hoops Meets Heels in 2011 to reconnect her with fashion while playing professionally. Hoops Meets Heels combines basketball and fashion so coaches and players can mirror their professional attire to their on-court excellence.
“This opportunity is truly a full-circle moment after playing in four Final Fours for the University of Tennessee,” said Ely-Gash. “I remember those Final Fours like it was yesterday, and to experience another Final Four in my hometown as an ambassador of the event and to share my vision of fashion and basketball on a platform of this magnitude is another dream come true.”
The “Hoops Meets Heels” Fashion Show begins tonight at 8 p.m. and will be followed by a FREE concert by national recording artists Salt-N-Pepa. The fashion show was added to the Women’s Final Four weekend because it fits with the overall mission to align women with the championship through professional development. Tourney Town is a free fan festival held at the Indiana Convention Center during the Women’s Final Four weekend.
For more information on Shyra Ely-Gash and her fashion business, visit her Styles by Ms Ely webpage.
To learn more about all the events surrounding the Women’s Final Four weekend and information on how to purchase tickets, visit the Women's Final Four homepage.
