OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
April 10,2013
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution concerning the 2013 Chicago United South Side vs. West Side Hoops Classic.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
A Resolution
adopted byThe City Council
of the City of Chicago, llinois
Presented by MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL 0N APRIL 10. 2013
WHEREAS, On May 4, 2013, the University of Chicago's Ratner Athletic Center will host the third annual Chicago United South Side vs. West Side Hoops Classic; and
WHEREAS, Organized by Chicago United Ventures LLC, the Hoops Classic brings together leading high school basketball players representing the South and West sides of Chicagoland in an exhibition that is equal parts gracious sportsmanship and fierce competition; and
WHEREAS, Much more than an all-star game, the mission of the Chicago United South Side vs. West Side Hoops Classic is to impress upon our young people the importance of striving to mirror the excellence displayed on the basketball court in their everyday lives by cultivating strength of character, accepting the responsibility of leadership, and embracing the gift and challenge of education; and
WHEREAS, Perhaps most important, the student-athletes who participate in the Hoops Classic provide a powerful example for their peers by signing the Non-Violence Legacy Pledge, vowing to avoid physical and verbal conflict, and declaring "the violence stops with me"; and
WHEREAS, Following the game, the organizers will present the Ben Wilson Most Valuable Player Award, named for the late Ben Wilson, a legendary basketball talent from Simeon High School whose 1984 murder is one of the great tragedies in Chicago history, and the Triple Impact Player Award (also known as the Mac "Pops" Irvin Award), sponsored by the Positive Coaching Alliance, a non-profit organization committed to furnishing young athletes with character-building athletic experiences; and
WHEREAS, A portion of the proceeds from the Chicago United South Side vs. West Side Hoops Classic will benefit World Sport Chicago's "Becoming A Man" project, a groundbreaking social program that utilizes training in Olympic sports that are not traditionally available to inner-city young men as a method of promoting the program's core values of accountability, integrity, self-determination, positive anger expression, respect for womanhood, and visionary goal setting; and
WHEREAS, Additional proceeds will benefit Purpose Over Pain, an organization formed by Chicago families that lost children to firearms, and have channeled the strength of their profound pain into a relentless and inspirational crusade against youth violence; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this tenth day of April, 2013, do hereby congratulate the players for the South Side team and their high schools: Kyle Davis (Morgan Park), Alvin Ellis (De La Salle), Alex Anthony Foster (Seton Academy), Billy Garrett (Morgan Park), Johnny Griffin (Bloom), Marvie Keith (Crete-Monee), Phillip Lee (Hyde Park), Jovan James Mooring (Hillcrest), Kendall Pollard (Simeon), Jaylon Tate (Simeon), Moshawn Thomas (Hyde Park), Laquon Treadwell (Crete-Monee), Mark Weems (Seton Academy), and Russell Woods (Simeon), and their coaches Don Houston (Hillcrest), Nick Irvin (Morgan Park), and Robert Smith (Simeon); and the West Side players and their high schools: Jabril Adekoya (Andrew), Ricky Battles (Westinghouse), Sterling Brown (Proviso East), Elliott Cole (Powerhouse), Steven Cook (New Trier), Chris Craig (Marshall), Alex Gustufson (Oak Park-River Forest), William Heard (Douglas Academy), Miki Labaya (River-Brookfield), Jamal McDowell (Orr), Ben Moore (Bolingbrook), Langdon Neal (Francis Parker), Demarcus Richardson (Curie), and Andrew Zelis (Wheaton North), and their coaches Henry Cotton (Marshall), Ron Etheridge (coach emeritus), and William "Wolf" Nelson (Farragut); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the participating players and coaches as a sign of our respect and best wishes in both the Chicago United South Side vs. West Side Hoops Classic and all of their future endeavors.