ALUMNI NEWS NOTESAlumni, share your story with DePaul Athlet-ics. Send us your wedding pictures, new arrivals, promotions or any news that might be of interest to fellow DePaul letterwinners around the world.

email Mario Stula @ mstula1@depaul.edu with your story

TRACK ALUM JAMES FOX TO BE JUDGE OF THE PROBATE COURT

The victory party for Republican probate judge candidate Jim Fox had boiled down to a couple of fam-ily members, a bartender cleaning up the ballroom, and the candidate himself, constantly watching the TV for updates on his race.“Our focus was always on what this race was about,” Fox said. “It was about following the rules and reading and interpreting the law — and that you have to pay attention to the small things.”

Fox’s victory means he’ll replace the retiring Nemeth, a former South Bend mayor who was appointed to the position 19 years ago, but who had been re-elected by large margins in subsequent elections.Now that he’s been elected, Fox said his goals are to meet with people inside the St. Joseph County probate court, including Nemeth, to talk about procedures and personnel. He said he doesn’t expect big changes in the court — which also oversees the detention facility and administrative offices — when he takes the bench in January.CLICK HERE to read the entire story.

DEPAUL’S BOB SAKAMOTO FEATURED IN DEPAULIA

Last month, ESPN aired a special 30 for 30 documentary “Benji,” about Benjamin Wilson, a basketball star at Simeon High School, who was the first Chicago-area player to be ranked number one in the nation. He led the school to its first state title in his junior year and was considering DePaul as a prospective college he would attend. However, that all changed on Nov. 20, 1984. Wilson died of gunshot

wounds that night after an altercation outside of his school, leaving one of the most talked about legacies in Chicago history.DePaul’s own Bob Sakamoto, assistant director of media relations for DePaul athletics, actually lived directly with the story, and the DePaulia sat down with him to talk about his experience with Benji.

“I think the most important lesson is to not take your gifts for granted. Whatever teams you are playing for, savor it and cherish it. In an instant, it could all be taken away. Appreciate the life you have. A tribute to his legacy is the people who pass on his name and his story. Hopefully young athletes should learn that like Rose and Parker did. His memory will never fade.”CLICK HERE to read the entire story.

VANJA GRGEC TO COMPETE IN MISTER WORLD COMPETITION

Tennis Alumni Vanja Grgec is set to compete in 2012 Mister World Competition. Vanja is a health coach and fitness instructor from Zagreb. He studied at the DePaul University in Chi-cago, where he earned a degree in finance. His educational achieve-ments also include receiving a qualification in CrossFit training. His personal goals are to open his own CrossFit gym, and to help people change their lives through better nutrition and fitness regimes.

CLICK HERE to read the entire story.

STEPHEN HOWARD TO SERVE AS STUDIO ANALYST FOR HORNETSFormer NBA and college basketball standout Stephen Howard is set to begin his first season as a TV studio analyst for the New Orleans Hornets on the FOX family of sports net-works. In 2011-12 Howard served in a similar capacity for the Oklahoma City Thunder and has also worked as a college basketball analyst at ESPN for the past six years.

The Hornets are perhaps the most exciting young team in the NBA, with an exciting group of new faces headlined by No. 1 overall draft pick and Olympic Gold Medalist Anthony Davis,” Howard said. “The move to work with New Orleans is also exciting for me personally, as my mother is a native of the Crescent City and much of my family remains in Louisiana.”

STEPHEN HOWARD DEPAUL NOTES Stephen Howard (1988-92) was DePaul’s first-ever Academic All-Amer-ican as selected by CoSIDA, earning first team honors in 1990-91 and 1991-92. He was also a first team All-District selection as a sophomore, junior and senior. CLICK HERE to read the entire story.

DePaul Athletic Development Staff

Thad Dohrn tdohrn@depaul.edu Lemone Lampley llampley1@depaul.edu Marge Mazik mmazik@depaul.edu Mario Stula mstula1@depaul.eduMolly Creek mcreek@depaul.edu

NAME: Dave Corzine SPORT: Men’s BasketballYEARS PARTICIPATED: 1974-1978

What does being a DePaul Letterwinner mean to you?It’s an honor to be a DePaul letterwinner. We’ve had a lot of great athletes here at DePaul, in all sports, over the years and I’m proud to be among them and to have gotten my degree.

Why did you choose DePaul?I choose DePaul because my friend Andy Pancratz decided to come here two years earlier. Andy was an All-State player at Hersey High School, the same high school I went to, and wanted to stay close to home. At that time, that usually meant going to a Big Ten school. When he an-nounced he was going to DePaul I was surprised because I had never heard of it and I thought Andy would probably go to a bigger more well-known school. Andy wanted to stay close enough to home so that his family and friends could easily come to games. After a couple years of com-ing with Andy to DePaul and getting to know the campus and Coach Meyer, I decided that it was the best choice for me also. That certainly turned out to be true.

What was your favorite memory while at DePaul?My favorite memories are the times I spent with my teammates. You may not realize it at the time but the relationships you have with your high school and college teammates and friends will probably be the best and longest lasting friendships of your life. Obviously winning impor-tant games always makes for good memories, but as I tell kids now, winning and losing games ultimately is nowhere as important as the successes you have in the classroom, the character you build, the social and networking skills you learn, and the friends you make. But of course you shouldn’t be a college Division I student-athlete if you aren’t working as hard as you can to win games!

What did receiving a scholarship from DePaul mean to you?It meant that my hard-working parents did not have to figure out how to pay for my college! Col-lege continues to be an expensive investment, the ability to not only get a scholarship, but also gain all the other advantages of being a college student-athlete is a great opportunity for anyone.

What was your funniest memory at DePaul?It’s hard to pick the funniest. Lots of good memories of bench clearing brawls during some of our games (which would be taken much more seriously nowadays), taking my van out with Joe and Randy and digging cars out of snow drifts during some of those 1970’s snow storms, and good times with teammates and managers out and about in Lincoln Park and on road trips. Very happy Facebook and the rest of the internet social media didn’t exist then.

Brief Summary of your life from graduation till now:Since leaving DePaul I was fortunate to be able to play professional basketball for 14 years. I played two years with the Washington Bullets (now Wizards), two years with the San Antonio Spurs, seven years with the Chicago Bulls, one year with the Orlando Magic, and one year with the Seattle Supersonics (no longer there). After the NBA, and an ACL tear, I ended my career by playing in Forli Italy for one season. After retiring I coached a CBA team which was in Chicago at the time, the Chicago Rockers, for one season, after which they moved to Lacrosse Wisconsin (not my fault). Then I spent time in real estate as a real estate broker and a certified real estate appraiser for a number of years. From there I had my own business buying and selling refur-bished appliances. During that time I was also doing color commentary for DePaul men’s basket-ball games. My business was forced to close due to a fire and then Jeanne Lenti Ponsetto gave me the wonderful opportunity to work full time back at DePaul. (Great example of the importance of friends and networking.)

MAKE A GIFT CLICK HERE

Phone: 773-325-7240

DE PAUL ON-LINE AUCTION RANKS IN THE TOP 10 In February, 2012, DePaul Athletic Development kicked-off an on-line auction to support scholarship donations.The auction is a partnership between DePaul Athletics and its website provider: cbssports.com. After finishing last year ranked No. 24 in sales in less than half of a year of operations, the on-line auction site ranks No. 9 in items sold in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012-13. Each week seven-to-eight new “Blue Demon Treasures” are posted for the auction. In all, more than $10,000 has been distributed to DePaul Athletics Scholarship funds. Bid on a “Blue Demon Treasure” collection now. CLICK HERE to start bidding. In Year Two (Week 8) of BIDS On-Line Auctions we once again raised money, which benefited our scholarship funds.B.I.D.S. stands for Blue Demon Authentic On-line Auctions In Support of DePaul Athletics Scholarships. The auction site

is a partnership between DePaul University Athletics and its website provider cbssports.com. Year Two (Week 9) features some recent game-worn items, including men’s basketball game-worn jersey by Michael Bizoukas, and men’s basketball adidas shorts worn by Mac Koshwal.To participate in B.I.D.S., bidders will have to register prior to submitting bids. All proceeds from the on-line auctions will benefit DePaul athletic scholarships. As a special incentive for bidders, all winning bidders of more than $100 will receive a complimentary Ray Meyer commemorative coin, which was minted in 2006-07 to memorialize the DePaul legend and to support the scholarship in his name.

BIDS ITEM OF THE DAYBid now on authentic game-worn men’s basketball jersey worn by Michael Bizoukas. Mike Bizoukas, a fan favorite, played for the Blue Demons from 2007-2011. During his time at DePaul, Bizoukas totaled 58 career games, and started 13 times. He played just five games during 2007-08 season and was granted medical hardship, contracted mononucleosis prior to the season and during the season.

BIDS Item of the Day

Continued from page 5

Is there a recent highlight that you would like to share with Alumni and friends of DePaul Athletics?Since I’ve been at DePaul it’s all been a highlight! I would like to say hi to all of our DePaul Athletics alumni and friends and invite them to be as involved as they can be with DePaul University. DePaul has a tremendous amount of resources available, and everyone here always enjoys see-ing former or current teammates and friends. The university is constantly growing and changing. There are new buildings going up all around us. If you haven’t been on campus lately, I promise you will be impressed. Of course we wouldn’t be here without your support so thanks for everything you do! GO DEMONS

What advice would you give to a current or future student-athlete?A lot of my advice was already in my earlier answer to question four. I also would advise anyone thinking of playing athletics in college to go to a school which first has the education you want. Secondly, look for a program where you like the coach and the style of play, and also where you think you’ll get a good opportunity to play. I also think it’s a good decision to go to a school in the area you may plan on living in. There are more than 100,000 DePaul alumni in the Chicago area, that can be very important when you are looking for a job, or doing business with

people in the community. When they are making a decision about a college, high school student-athletes I don’t think typically realize the importance of their college choice with regard to that schools location and alumni. Their career success, which is what they will be doing for a much longer time than their time at school, will to a degree depend on who they know, not what they know, as the saying goes. Of course college should be some of the best times of your life, so make sure you have fun and enjoy it.

Favorites:Travel: Anywhere with a nice beach. Books: Depends on what I’m interested in at the time. Author: Same answer as books. Movie: One Flew over the Cookoo’s Nest, Scarface, Tombstone. Sports movie:Dodgeball Quote: I love a good quote, I’ve got hundreds saved on my computer if you want to come by and read them sometime.

MANY DREAMS. ONE MISSION. - THE CAMPAIGN FOR DEPAUL UNIVERSITYThe Many Dreams, One Mission Campaign for DePaul University is an historic initiative undertaken in support of one of America’s great universities. It will ensure that DePaul continues to deliver on our founding promise: an excellent education for any talented student who seeks it.

The Campaign supports dreams. Students come to DePaul from across the country and around the world. Their dreams are manycand varied, individual to each, as our students come from all stations in life. Many are the first in their family to attend college.

The realization of their dreams gives rise to new dreams and strong communities.The Campaign sup-ports DePaul’s mission, a mission which blends opportunity and excellence, inquiry and discovery, ser-vice to the individual and benefit to the larger community. It is manifested in the work that goes on here every day, in libraries, classrooms, laboratories, practice rooms and on the stage in hours of solitude and moments of connection

ATHLETICS CAPITAL CAMPAIGN NEARS $10 MILLION MARKAthletics provides an avenue of opportunity for students at DePaul. Athletics also helps build community and enhance DePaul’s reputation locally and nationally. As part of DePaul’s Many Dreams. One Mission. Campaign, Athletics is charged with raising $14 million. Strategically, goals have been set to raise the gifts to support scholarship endowment, facility improvements and programmatic sup-port. As of October 22, DePaul Athletics had raised $9.6 million dollars.

INSURE OPPORTUNITY FOR TOMORROW, TODAY THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENTSDePaul Athletics fundraising efforts have focused on endowing scholarship and programming needs. Annually athletics spends nearly $5 million on scholarship expenses for its more than 200 student-athletes. By endowing scholarships, DePaul Athletics has the opportunity to enhance scholarships in some sports and redistribute available funding to maximize the department’s resources.A named scholarship requires a gift of $50,000. All gifts can be made in pledges over five years. Planned giving opportunities are also available. For more information, call Thad Dohrn at 773-325-7240.

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTEPHONEYou can make your gift by phone to Development Associate Marge Mazik at773-325-7240. We accept MasterCard, American Express, VISA and Discover.

MAILMake your check payable to DePaul University, and send your gift to:DePaul UniversityOffice of Development1 East Jackson Blvd.Chicago, IL 60604-2287

ONLINEUse our secure online form to make a credit card gift or pledge.CLICK HERE

ADDITIONAL WAYS TO GIVEDePaul University offers other ways to give, includ-ing: electronic funds transfers, recurringcredit card charges and stock transfers. For more information, call Mark Burns, 312-362-5651.

GET YOUR DAILY DOSE OF THE BLUE DEMONS WITH THE DAILY DEMONDePaul fans can get their compilation of Blue Demon news every morning at 8:30 through The Daily Demon. Get your updates with your morning cup of coffee. The Daily Demon features Today in Blue Demon History, sports updates from the previous day, Letterwinners Links and more. To subscribe, email development graduate assistant Molly Creek at mcreek@depaul.edu or on FACEBOOK at The Daily Demon.

NOVEMBER 16, 2012 Today In Blue Demon History: On November 16th 2001, The DePaul women’s basketball team opened the game with a 15-0 run and never looked back as they defeated Eastern Washington, 82-57, in the first round of the Moran Realty Classic. In the game-opening run, Lenae Williams poured in eight points and finished the game with a team-high 19. Others in double figures for the Blue Demons were Yolanda Lewis with 16, Sarah Kustok with 13 and Lindsay Fors-berg with 12 points. Claudette Towers led the club with eight rebounds to go with five points and a pair of steals. Click Here for the full story

BIDS Auction Item of the Day: Buy now! an original DePaul Athletics promotional poster autographed by Dave Corzine. The promotional poster was created prior to the historic 1977-78 season.Corzine ended his All-America caliber career among DePaul’s all-time leading rebounders and scorers, finishing No. 1 and No. 3 respectively. He led the Blue Demons to two NCAA tournaments, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1978. Corzine went on to play in the NBA from 1978-91.

Sports Report: Men’s Basketball: If only DePaul had played with the same fire and intensity that its coach Oliver Purnelldisplayed at Thursday night’s post-game press conference. “Clearly, we didn’t show up tonight,” Purnell said after the Blue Demons were knocked off by Gardner-Webb 71-59 in a first-round game of the Cancun Challenge which culminates next week in that vacation destination on the eastern tip of Mexico. Click Here for the full story.

Women’s Basketball: DePaul senior guard Anna Martin was named to the 2012-2013 Naismith women’s early season watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club an-nounced on Thursday. The Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year is presented by AT&T and was first presented in 1983. Click Here for the full story.

To subscribe, email development graduate assistant Molly Creek at mcreek@depaul.edu.

CHAMPIONS CLUB ROOM SCHEDULEWOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Date Opponent Nov 9. vs. Nicholls State Nov. 10 vs. Championship/Consolation game Nov. 17 vs. Howard Nov. 19 vs. Yale Dec. 2 vs. Northwestern Dec.11 vs. Milwaukee Dec. 15 vs. Northern Illinois Dec. 21 vs. Princeton Dec. 28 vs. Oral Roberts Jan. 5 vs. Louisville * Jan. 19 vs. Providence * Jan. 29 vs. Pittsburgh * Feb. 6 vs. Seton Hall Feb. 12 vs. Rutgers Feb. 24 vs. Notre Dame Feb. 26 vs. Georgetown

Champions Club Room DetailsDoors Open: Doors opens 60 minutes before tip-off

Eligibility: Must be current Champions Club member or D-Club member. Alumni may attend special Alumni Association Dates

Reservations: All reservations need to be made at least 48 hours in advance by calling 773-325-7240.

Directions: 2314 N Sheffield - Brownstone’s Annex is located on the first floor in DePaul Student Center at 2250 N. Sheffield.

CHAMPIONS CLUB ROOM MENUMEN’S BASKETBALL

Date Opponent MenuNov. 15 Gardner Webb build your own hot dog Nov. 17 Austin Peay pizza, BLT saladNov. 27 Fairfield vegeterian penne pastaDec. 9 Milwaukee build your own burgerDec. 16 Northern Illinois chicken fajitasDec. 22 UMBC buiild your own hot dogDec. 29 Loyola Chicago build your own chicken sandwichJan. 2 Seton Hall* pizza, BLT saladJan. 15 Cincinnati* build your own burgerJan. 19 St. John’s * brunchFeb. 2 Notre Dame* build your own burgerFeb. 5 Villanova* pizza, BLT saladFeb. 16 Rutgers vegeterian penne pasta Feb. 23 Connecticut* build your own hot dogFeb. 27 Loiusville* chiicken fajitasMar. 9 Pittsburgh* build your own chicken sandwich

Champions Club Room DetailsDoors Open: Doors opens 75 minutes before tip-off

Eligibility: Must be current Champions Club member or D-Club member. Alumni may attend special Alumni Association Dates

All Meals: $10 for adults - $5 for Children 14 and under.Cash bar is available. Complimentary snacks will be provided.

Reservations: All reservations need to be made at least 48 hours in advance by registering on-line, or by calling Marge Mazik at 773-325-7240.

Directions: Champions Club Room is in Skyline Room North of Allstate Arena. Entrance is adjacent to ticket office on Lunt Ave.

Upcoming EventsNovember 14Career Conference Call: The Art of Informational InterviewsTime NoonLink:http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1528

November 15Alumni & Friends Reception in New York CityTime 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.Link: http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1571

December 1 Denver Alumni Chapter Holiday LunchTime Noon - 2 p.m.Link: http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1552

December 6 Christmas at DePaulTime 7 p.m.Link: http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1594

December 12Men’s Game at ASU: Pregame Reception & GameTime 5 p.m.Link: http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1627

January 23Alumni & Friends Reception in New York CityTime 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.Link: http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1630

Alumni Center Hours:

Monday through Friday9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Address & Phone Number:2400 N. Sheffield Ave., Ste. 150Chicago, IL 60614Ph: (773) 325-8390Toll-free: (800) 437-1898

PRESIDENT’S CLUB ROOM SCHEDULEMEN’S BASKETBALL

Date OpponentJan. 2 Seton HallJan. 15 CincinnatiJan. 19 St. John’sFeb. 2 Notre Dame Feb. 5 Villanova Feb. 23 ConnecticutFeb.27 LouisvilleMar. 9 Pittsburgh

President’s Club Room DetailsDoors Open: Doors opens 60 minutes before tip-off when doors open.

Eligibility: Must be current President’s Club member.

All Meals: Complimentary snacks and beverages will be available to President’s Club member and their significant other. Additional guests are available for $20.

Reservations: All reservations are suggested at least 48 hours in advance by calling 312-362-8573.

Directions: President’s Club Room is in the Southeast Party Room on South Concourse of Allstate Arena.

President’s Club members and their spouse/significant other are welcome to attend the pregame receptions free of charge starting one hour prior to tip-off in the Southeast Party Room. Additional guests are welcome to attend for $20 per person.

WALKER AND FABER LIVING THE DREAM OVERSEAS

Will Walker strolls down the lively downtown district of Stara Zagora in Bulgaria, taking in all the sights and sounds of the bars, boutiques, outdoor cafes and vendors while admiring the view of mountains in the backdrop.

This is where the former DePaul three-point specialist comes to soak up the diverse atmosphere of his home away from the USA as he stars for BC Beroe in the Bulgarian pro basketball league.

“The weather is Mediterranean so it gets hot but not humid, and there is usually a very nice breeze especially at night that makes you not want to go outside,” Walker said. “The people are nice and very diverse in colors and looks.

“I like the way the city is surrounded by mountains and has many outside bars and cafes throughout to hang out at. The liveliest part of the city is at the center with a strip that stretches for about 15 blocks that is closed off to traffic. It’s full of people all day and night.”

There’s a chance some of those locals were at the arena last Saturday when Walker’s near triple-double (11 points, nine assists, eight rebounds) led BC Beroe to a 70-67 victory over Chernomorets.

Meanwhile, approximately 7,300 miles away, Walker’s former teammate Krys Faber has become a dominant big man playing professionally in Uruguay.

The 6-foot, 10-inch man in the middle for Atletico Welcome came through with 25 points and 24 rebounds in a 72-63 loss to Aguada last Wednesday.

After 14 games, the former Blue Demon center who played with Walker as a freshman is averaging 15.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in 33 minutes a game.

“Playing ball professionally is excit-ing,” Faber said. “It’s a combination of my two passions---basketball and traveling. I owe a lot to this game. It’s provided an opportunity to branch out and see things.“I thought traveling state to state was cool, visiting New York, the Midwest and the South. And now basketball has taken me to different parts of the world. The France trip when I played at DePaul was mind-blowing.

“I’m getting paid to be doing some-thing I enjoy. I hope to play profes-

sionally as long as my body allows me. After that, I’d like to pursue a career in sports advertising or sports marketing.”

Both Walker and Faber have made a relatively smooth adjustment to life in a totally different culture. Helping ease the homesickness are American team-mates.

Walker played for two years at Romeoville High School and faced a 6-9 kid at Bolingbrook named Mike Hart, who went on to play at Northern Illinois after Walker transferred to Bolingbrook. Now they’ve been reunited in Bulgaria.

Walker teams with former Morgan State star Reginald Holmes in the backcourt while 6-10 Mitchell Carter played for Milwaukee in college.

“There is a bar called Eagles where our team likes to go shoot pool,” Walker said. “Besides that, we’re either walking through the center or hanging out with the rest of the team in front of our building. I have met about 22 new, close

friends that include my teammates and coaches. They’re great, and I feel like I have known them for years.”

Faber’s lone American teammate is ex-Seton Hall guard Jamar Nutter who finished up his career in the BIG EAST Conference just before Faber arrived in Lincoln Park.

Walker is submerging himself into his new culture.

“I am getting out of my shell with the help of my coach’s son who is teach-ing me Bulgarian,” Walker said. “He teaches me new words every day to use throughout the city and with my teammates. I am working with a teacher on learning the language so I can communicate better and I’m not as lost in the non-English conversations.

“The biggest difference I’ve had here is that when people shake their head like “no” it really means yes and vice versa. It throws me off every time! The food is very good and healthy. It’s a Greek cuisine with lots of tomatoes, meats and cheeses.

“I always miss my family and friends when I’m away from home. I miss the days of just hanging out with my teammates from DePaul, laughing and hav-ing a good time.

“And of course, I miss the late-night Allende restaurant burritos with Mac Koshwal.”

Food has helped Faber bridge the gap in Uruguay.

“The language barrier was tough at first,” Faber said. “But what I’ve learned from my other experiences is to open up your mindset, dive all-in and don’t be afraid to eat the food.

“The quickest way to mesh with another culture is through food. And I can always cook for myself. I learned in China that sometimes the food is not as processed as in the USA. So, I would buy groceries and prepare meals for myself.”

Faber joined an American basketball showcase tour playing in China last summer. One of the team’s coaches was ex-NBA star Ron Artest, and former NBA guard Ricky Davis was among the players.

After sweeping five games against China’s top pro teams and then defeating the Chinese National Team, Faber received an offer to play for a team in the Jilin Province of northeast China. He also had an offer from Trefl Sopot in Poland, but neither contract was guaranteed.

Instead, Faber’s agent Dave Maravilla set up the one-year, guaranteed deal in Uruguay.

“I didn’t come to Uruguay to be social,” Faber said. “I’m here to play ball and do as well as I can. If we make the playoffs, I could be here for six months.

“If I play well, there are possibilities to play ball in Argentina, Brazil or Puerto Rico after my contract expires.

Click Here, to read the entire story.