[MC Born & Raised]

Allow me to plug for a minute board members ...

The News-Dispatch and Herald-Argus are teaming up to present Hoops Away for The United Way: The 2009 Charity All-Star Basketball Jam. If you were at last year's event, it was a great time filled with spectacular moments and we were able to raise more than $5,000 for The United Way of La Porte County.

This year we want to do even better, so we've added a girls game to go with the boys game. The event will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Michigan City High School's Wolves Den. Tickets are available at The News-Dispatch and Herald-Argus for $5 and will cost $7 at the door.

Rosters and coaches will be formally announced shortly, but there are plenty of big names that will be involved. I hope everyone can come!!

Check out the cause on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/255960

Thanks everyone!!

Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor
The News-Dispatch/Herald-Argus
aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com
1-800-489-9292, Ext. 461

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Girls Rosters Set For April 4 Game

From Staff Reports

Even with the Player of the Year unable to play, the rosters for the girls all-star game at Hoops Away for The United Way are overflowing with talent.

Team News-Dispatch and Team Herald-Argus, the organizations presenting the annual charity bash, will do battle at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Michigan City High School's Wolves Den.

For Team N-D, Ta'Kenya Nixon will be unable to participate based on her selection to the Indiana All-Star Team this week. But her removal from the roster only gives some other tremendous players a shot to play more.

Leading the way will be Michigan City's Bianca McGee, who averaged 12.2 points per game this season. The 3-point specialist will also compete in the 3-Point Shootout and attend Eastern Illinois next fall, alongside Nixon.

Also going to Eastern is Chesterton's Morgan Palombizio, who joins McGee on Team N-D. She will also compete in the 3-Point Shootout and averaged 12.5 points per game.

Palombizio's teammate, Abby Skube, averaged 11.6 points per game for coach Jack Campbell and will also be on Team N-D.

Rounding out Team N-D are Chesterton's Dana Christensen (8.4 ppg) Marquette's Janie Welsh (11.3 ppg) and Caitlin Cavanaugh (6.7 ppg), South Central's Stephanie Balon (11.8 ppg), Westville's Amy Wozniak (8.1 ppg), New Prairie's Kourtney Keck (6.6 ppg) and La Lumiere's Jessica Schwingendorf.

Leading a strong Team H-A are the Minix girls, Aubrey and Gabrielle, from Oregon-Davis. Aubrey averaged a stellar 21.4 points per game and will compete in the 3-Point Shootout. Gabrielle scored 14.4 ppg. They're joined by teammate Caley Savoie, who racked up 13.5 ppg this season.

Joining them are two more players from Michigan City, Essence Robinson (9.8 ppg) and Gigi Moore (7.9 ppg).

Rounding out Team H-A are La Porte's Tay Hurt (9.1 ppg) and Brittany Beane (8.7 ppg), John Glenn's Savanna Bruski (11.8 ppg), Westville's Brandi Lewis (7.7 ppg) and La Crosse's Lauren Turner (9.7 ppg).

Tickets for Hoops Away are currently available for $5 at The News-Dispatch, 121 W. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City, or The Herald-Argus, 701 State Street, La Porte. Tickets will be $7 at the door.

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City company gives 'Hoops Away' a hand

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - It takes plenty of people working behind the scenes to make an event successful.

That's the case for the second Hoops Away for The United Way, billed as "a charity all-star basketball jam" taking place at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Michigan City High School Wolves Den. Doors open at 5 p.m.

One of the behind-the-scenes players is Mike Wehner of Aquarian Promotions, 2710 Franklin St. He is producing 41 basketball uniforms for the girls' and boys' team competitions. The company also is making souvenir T-shirts with the Hoops Away logo, names of sponsors and names of players, and will sell them during the charity event. Wehner plans to donate a portion of the sales to The United Way of La Porte County.

For the past 10 years, Wehner has been in the business of promoting other businesses and organizations. He started the promotional business out of his house.

"I was looking for a job for my girlfriend," Wehner said. "I asked myself, 'what can we do that the majority of companies need?'"

At the time, he was an auto mechanic and used his Fridays off to help her solicit business. His automotive background prompted a few initial ideas, such as plastic portfolios for car dealers to give car buyers to hold their paperwork.

Wehner named Aquarian Promotions for his astrological sign, and he began working full time on Nov. 14, 1998. Wehner said the pre-holiday season startup date proved to be a good one, since companies wanted to order calendars, candies, nuts and other gifts for their clients.

Business since then has been good, allowing Wehner to move out of the house and into his present location. The girlfriend is gone, but three years ago Wehner hired Dan Palombizio to handle sales for Aquarian Promotions. Palombizio, aka Mr. Indiana Basketball of 1981, is well known in the community. His daughter, Morgan, was selected to compete in the Hoops Away girls basketball game.

Aquarian Promotions supplies customers with banners, signs, apparel and printed forms, as well as some design work. The company produces items for city departments, particularly the Parks and Recreation Department.

"Mike provides a variety of services for the Park Department including uniforms, shirts, embroidery, signs, banners, trophies and plaques," said Jeremy Kienitz, city recreation director. "Aquarian Promotions has been a pleasure to work with and we look forward to working closely with them on the Patriot Park Billboard project."

Kienitz said the company has been awarded the Patriot Park Billboard contract for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, allowing it to sell 4-by-8- and 4-by-4-foot plywood signs for business advertising. The signs are mounted on the fence throughout the park. Wehner is hoping to double the previous Patriot Park signage and said some of the advertising dollars go to the parks department for operational expenses.

Aquarian Promotions has customers throughout Northwest Indiana and some in Chicago, and Wehner is optimistic about the future.

"When I first started in the business and went to seminars, the thing that stuck in my mind was that, when times are slow, people want to promote their business," Wehner said.

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COACHES SET FOR SATURDAY'S GAME

From Staff Reports

MICHIGAN CITY - Bill Hahn has a resumé any high school basketball coach could be proud of.

In 11 seasons for Michigan City Rogers, he compiled a record of 159-92, won four sectional titles, one regional title and two players that won Indiana's Mr. Basketball award.

Now, closing in on 30 years since he coached his last game there, Hahn returns to coach Team News-Dispatch in the boys game during Saturday's Hoops Away for The United Way: The 2009 Charity All-Star Basketball Jam.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. at Michigan City High School's Wolves Den with the girls all-star game and the boys game to follow. Tickets are still available both at The News-Dispatch, 121 W. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City, or The La Porte County Herald-Argus, 701 State Street, La Porte. Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the door.

Hahn's finest season with Rogers came in 1978-79 when the Raiders finished 23-3 and lost to Marion in the first round of the semi-state. Dan Palombizio, who was a sophomore averaging 22.3 points per game, will be Hahn's assistant coach for Saturday's event.

Palombizio's career is well-documented. He scored 2,092 points during a stellar career with Rogers before eventually having a standout career at Ball State. Since, he's had a head coaching job at New Buffalo and has served as an assistant at Michigan City. He also was the 1981 Mr. Basketball winner.

Hahn and Palombizio's counterpart for Team Herald-Argus, Delray Brooks, is just as accomplished. Brooks, now the athletic director and basketball coach at La Lumiere School, scored 2,324 points during his Rogers careeer and was named the 1984 Mr. Basketball.

For the girls all-star game, the coaching battle will be a battle of media rivals.

Chris Schable, the current Executive Editor at The Herald-Argus and The News-Dispatch, will coach Team Herald-Argus. Schable's journalism career in La Porte County has spanned more than a decade in which he's served as H-A Sports Editor and News Editor, in addition to his current responsibilities.

Adam Parkhouse, the current Sports Editor at the Herald-Argus and The News-Dispatch, will coach Team News-Dispatch. Parkhouse has been with the N-D since 2001 and has been Sports Editor since 2004.

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Shooting hoops for a cause

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Some extra hoopla was provided with the addition of a Girls All-Stars team at this year's Hoops Away for the United Way, held Saturday night at Michigan City High School.

Adam Parkhouse, coordinator for the 2009 Charity All-Star Basketball Jam, said, "It turned into a really good game."

Parkhouse, sports editor for The News-Dispatch and Herald-Argus, coached the girls Team News-Dispatch, which lost to team Herald Argus, coached by Chris Schable, executive editor of both papers.

Bianca McGee, playing for Team News-Dispatch, said it was a tough match-up that was up for grabs most of the game. McGee got her win in the girls three-point shoot-out by sinking nine baskets. Tommy Peller, Chesterton, won the boys shoot-out with 17 points.

The contest gives individual players the opportunity to shoot five basketballs at five locations around the hoop.

The all-star game was perhaps the last time local fans will see McGee play basketball in the Wolves Den. The Michigan City High School senior will play for Eastern Illinois University next year. She enjoyed the opportunity Saturday to team with some new players in the Hoops Away event.

"It was pretty fun to play with different people," McGee said. "It's fun to play with people who love the game as much as you do."

Morgan Palombizio, Chesterton, played with McGee for The News-Dispatch team and will join her at Eastern Illinois next year. Spectator Brenda Flowers enjoyed getting a preview of how the two area players teamed together.

"It's nice to see Bianca and Morgan play together because they're going to the same college," Flowers said. "It seemed like they played well together."

Flowers said she and her friend Audrey Myricks are die-hard Wolves fans, particularly of McGee as well as Essence Robinson and Gigi Moore. Myricks found herself cheering for both girls teams, since her local favorites played against each other. But Flowers' loyalties were not divided.

"I wanted the News-Dispatch to win because Bianca is my girl," Flowers said.

In the boys all-star contest, Team News-Dispatch was coached by former Rogers coach Bill Hahn and his stand-out player Dan Palombizio. They defeated Team Herald Argus, coached by Delray Brooks, who currently coaches basketball at La Lumiere. Both Brooks and Palombizio were named Mr. Indiana Basketball during their high school careers.

Parkhouse described the second annual Hoops Away event as "a little bit bigger and a little bit better.

"Everybody's having a good time," he said.

And it was all for a good cause - the United Way of La Porte County. United Way staff members Amanda Martin, volunteer coordinator, and Renee Barton, coordinator of resource development, used Hoops Away as an opportunity to recruit young volunteers to help area agencies with special needs.

"I'm talking to high school kids," Martin said. "It's important to volunteer at the high school level, especially if they want to go to college."

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Harmon Paces News-Dispatch Romp
Boys All-Stars

Nick Dettmann
Staff Writer

MICHIGAN CITY - Adam Harmon didn't get many chances to show off his scoring touch this season.

He did Saturday night.

In the second annual Hoops Away For The United Way Boys Basketball All-Star Jam, the Michigan City junior scored 29 points in the Team News-Dispatch's 90-79 victory over Team Herald-Argus at the Wolves Den.

Harmon, who scored 24 points combined in the second and third quarters, was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Harmon, who could not be located after the game for comment, set a game scoring record, beating La Lumiere's De'Andre Haskins and Luka Mirkovic, who scored 24 points each in last year's inaugural game.

"Harmon really impressed me," Team H-A coach Delray Brooks said.

Last year's game raised more than $3,500 for The United Way of La Porte County. This year's donations have yet to be counted.

"I think it's really neat that The News-Dispatch and The Herald-Argus would get together and raise some money for United Way," Team N-D coach Bill Hahn said. "That's the main reason I came up here.

"... I'm really happy for the kids to be able to come out and play."

Harmon averaged 13 points per game for the 3-18 Wolves last season, and scored more than 20 points in a game only twice. His second and third quarter effort outscored the total output he had in 20 different games this season.

Harmon's season high was 29 points against La Porte on Dec. 23.

Team N-D finished with four players in double figures Saturday night.

Chesterton's Tommy Peller, who won the boys 3-point shootout contest, and last week was selected honorable mention All-State by The Associated Press, scored 17 - 14 in the first half. Darrell Hopkins (City) and Joey Przybylinski (Marquette) each added 11 points.

Also scoring for Team N-D was Austin Sill (New Prairie) with eight, Filip Stanic (La Lumiere) with seven, John Fagan (South Central) with four and Matt Walker (South Central) with three.

Marquette's Tucker Miller was held scoreless.

Team H-A was led by a pair of La Lumiere stars.

Sandi Marcius scored 26 points - all in the second half - and Ray Gregory had 23 points.

La Porte's Josh Knickerbocker was also in double figures with 13 points.

Also scoring for Team H-A was Austin Kubit (New Prairie) with seven points, Lonnie Shetler (Oregon-Davis) and Andrew Alexander (Glenn) with three, and Travis Zippel (La Crosse) and Reilly Wilson (Westville) with two.

Oregon-Davis' Matt Richie was held scoreless.

For Hahn, he was thrilled to be back roaming the sideline he once patrolled for 11 years. He said it has been more nearly 15 years since he last paced the sideline, and he loved every minute of Saturday's experience.

"I haven't been on the sideline in a while," said Hahn, who won 159 games at Rogers in the late 1970s and early 80s. "... It was good to have Dan (Palombizio) there with me."

Hahn added he enjoyed seeing some people he hadn't seen in a while as well, and coaching against Brooks, a former player of his.

Palombizio once played for Hahn on his way to being Mr. Indiana Basketball in 1981.

"He did a good job helping me out," Hahn said of Palombizio's coaching.

Leading Team H-A was Brooks, who also coached in the inaugural game.

One fan came up to Brooks, the 1984 Mr. Indiana Basketball for Rogers, prior to the game thrilled to meet him, saying he used to watch him on that same floor at the Wolves Den 20 years ago.

"I think it's good to have the community to come out and support them," Brooks said. "And I think it's good for them to play in a different environment and a different event than they're accustomed to, especially for our guys who don't get to play in a venue like this."

After all these years, Hahn still had the coach in him.

He told his players he wanted them to play hard and play together. If they didn't, he was going to sit them down.

"They're all good kids," he said. "I've got a lot of respect for them.

"... They did what we wanted them to do. I was extremely pleased with what they got done. It was fun to be back on the sidelines."

Like the girls game, the boys game was loaded with talent.

Each of the three La Lumiere representatives have Division I aspirations.

In the brief history of this event, all five of the La Lumiere representatives have been better than good.

Haskins and Mirkovic each went on to Division I schools - Haskins (Valparaiso) and Mirkovic (Northwestern).

This year, Marcius, Gregory and Stanic are all drawing Division I interest, including Marcius drawing interest from Purdue, Southern Methodist and South Florida among the many.

Hopkins is headed to Bethel, which reached the NAIA Division II Final Four this past season led by former City star William Walker.

"Hats off to all the kids," Hahn said. "I thought they all did a good job."

Contact sports writer Nick Dettmann at ndettmann@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 447.

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ROBINSON LEADS TEAM HERALD-ARGUS
Girls All-Stars

Nick Dettmann
Staff Writer

MICHIGAN CITY - Essence Robinson has spent three seasons as the No. 3 option for the Michigan City Wolves girls basketball team.

On Saturday night, the senior-to-be showcased to an estimated 1,500 fans at the Wolves Den that she is ready and capable of being option No. 1 come the 2009-10 season.

Robinson scored 14 points, including eight in the fourth quarter to help separate Team Herald-Argus from Team News-Dispatch in the Hoops Away For The United Way Charity All-Star Basketball Jam, 68-58.

"I really wanted to work on my point guard skills because that's what I'll end up playing next year," Robinson said. "... I'm looking forward (to next year) a lot."

Robinson, like Team H-A, had a rough start, falling behind by double digits early on. But Robinson picked it up throughout the course of the night, including playing the entire second half with three fouls.

In the fourth, the 5-foot-9 guard, who is drawing some interest from Division I schools, hit a pair of 3-pointers which put the game out of reach for Team N-D.

Robinson was selected the game's Most Valuable Player.

"It was a lot of fun," Robinson said. "All I was trying to do was assist and make sure I hit all my shots."

Robinson, who averaged 9.8 points per game this past season, figures to be the go-to scorer for the Wolves next season with Bianca McGee and Ta'Kenya Nixon, both 1,000-point scorers, graduating.

Nixon and McGee leaves having won 77 percent of their games while members of the Wolves. They brought home three Duneland Conference championships, two sectional titles and an

appearance in the regional final.

Big shoes to fill, and Robinson said she is ready to take over.

"She's ready," McGee said. "She's in the gym every day getting ready (to be the leader)."

McGee added she hopes and sees this event becoming much bigger in the near future.

"It was a lot of fun," she said. "I'm glad that we have this.

"... It's fun to play with a lot of great players. It's definitely a fun experience."

Leading all scorers for Team N-D was McGee with 25 points. Chesterton's Abby Skube and Morgan Palombizio also hit double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The rest of the scorers for Team N-D were Dana Christensen (Chesterton) with six, Janie Welsh (Marquette) with four and Caitlin Cavanaugh (Marquette) with two.

New Prairie's Kourtney Keck was unable to find the basket, but did pick up a couple key rebounds.

Also selected to the team, but was unable to play because of injury were South Central's Stephanie Balon and Westville's Amy Wozniak.

Michigan City's Ta'Kenya Nixon was also selected to play, but was unable to play because the IHSAA regulates players can't play in more than two All-Star games in a single year. Last week, Nixon was named to the Indiana Senior All-Star team, which plays a pair of games against Kentucky in June.

La Lumiere's Jessica Schwingendorf didn't play, but was selected to the team.

Christensen went down with what appeared to be a bad knee injury late in the game and had to be carried off the floor. Thankfully, no ligament tear was apparent, and is scheduled to be OK.

La Porte's Tay Hurt led Team H-A with 17 points, including hitting her first six shots of the game.

Each player for Team H-A which played managed to score. City's Angelique Moore scored nine points, Savanna Bruski (Glenn) and Lauren Turner (La Crosse) had six, Gabrielle Minix (Oregon-Davis) had five, Caley Savoie (Oregon-Davis) and Brittany Beane (La Porte) had four, and Aubrey Minix (Oregon-Davis) had three.

Westville's Brandi Lewis was selected to the game, but was unable to play because of injury.

"It was a lot fun," Minix said. "... To play against (the other schools) was a lot of fun."

Team H-A picked up bragging rights in the first girls All-Star game. After an overwhelming success last year for the boys game, the girls game was added this year.

Team N-D fielded three players bound for Division I schools next fall - McGee (Eastern Illinois), Palombizio (Eastern Illinois) and Skube (Loyola-Chicago) - while Team H-A had just one - Minix (Murray State).

McGee, Nixon, Palombizio will sometime next year square off again against Minix. Eastern Illinois and Murray State are both members of the Ohio Valley Conference.

This season, Minix became the state's all-time leading 3-point shooter, breaking former Wawasee star Shanna Zolman's mark. Zolman, the state's all-time leading scorer, is currently a member of the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars after a great career at Tennessee.

And this was a great chance for Minix, who finished with 1,606 career points, to showcase her talent.

"It was pretty cool," Minix said. "There was a lot more people here than there is at our games. It makes you feel good and play harder."

Contact sports writer Nick Dettmann at ndettmann@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 447.