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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

CLICK HEREMAKE A GIFT

Phone: 773-325-7240

Former Resurrection, DePaul Women’s Hoops Star Now Shines for Puerto Rico March 8, 2013 By Justin Breen, DNAinfo Senior Editor

If she wanted to, Deanna Ortiz could brag a great deal about herself.

The 23-year-old was a basketball star at Resurrection High School, where she’s still the career rebound record-holder. A solid ca-reer followed at DePaul University, where she earned the Big East Women’s Basketball Sportsman-ship Award last year as a senior.

And Ortiz, a Jefferson Park resident, is leaving later this month for a second year on the Puerto Rican women’s basketball national team.

But the shooting guard doesn’t talk much about her accomplishments.Even one of her closest friends, Becky Sweeney, didn’t know Ortiz was a member of the Puerto Rican team until someone else told her.

“She’s so down to earth even though she’s done extraordinary things,” said Sweeney, a Jef-ferson Park resident who has known Ortiz since they were sixth-graders on the same travel basketball club. “She’s not a showy person.”

Ortiz said she’s always let her basketball exploits do the talking for her.“My parents [Orlando and Silvia] said always be humble, no matter what,” Ortiz said. “If you talk about yourself, you’re taking away from the team aspect. To me, the team has always been more important than the individual.”

Sweeney, who also played at Resurrection, said Ortiz “was born to play the game.” Her high school coach, Kerry Durham, said Ortiz was successful because she has “natural ability and a great feel for the game.”

“Her basketball IQ is so high, it makes everything kind of flow,” said Durham, of Edison Park.Ortiz, who has played basketball since she was 6, also worked hard.

She learned the game on a small wooden backboard that still hangs over her family’s Jeffer-son Park garage. Orlando Ortiz, who was a standout player at the former St. Michael School in Lincoln Park, was the taskmaster. He would not let his daughter shoot a right-handed layup until she made 10 with her left hand.

Instead of going out on weekends, she spent countless hours at home with her parents look-ing at high school game tapes Durham provided her.

DePaul coach Doug Bruno said this year’s Blue Demons miss Ortiz’s leadership. And he dubbed Ortiz “one of the smartest players I’ve ever coached.”Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130308/jefferson-park/former-resurrection-depaul-womens-hoops-star-now-shines-for-puerto-rico#ixzz2NXLBydED

BIG EAST Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco announced that after several weeks of cordial and professional discussions, a definitive agreement has been reached that will enable a mutually-beneficial separation of some of the league's current members and allow an orderly formation of a new conference by the seven basketball schools. The separation will become effective on July 1, 2013.

The agreement, which remains subject to formal Board approval, contemplates continued cooperation and playing opportunities between the conferences.

"I am pleased that this agreement has been reached," said Aresco. "With the long-term well-being of our outstanding institutions and their student-athletes of paramount importance, each group worked through a number of complex issues in an orderly, compre-hensive and amicable manner marked by mutual respect. We part ways as friends and colleagues and look forward to the success of both conferences."

The Presidents of the seven basketball universities released the following statement regarding their formal separation: "We are grateful to Commissioner Michael Aresco for spearheading an agreement that truly represents the best path forward for each of our great institutions and the thousands of student-athletes who compete for our schools annually. It is a great credit to Mike, our col-leagues, and all involved that we were able to work through a host of highly complex and time-sensitive issues in such a short period of time. We are pleased that we reached this amicable and mutually-beneficial separation by approaching each issue with a spirit of cooperation and shared respect."

The official e-mail had quite an emotional impact on DePaul women's soccer player Elise Wyatt.

It was the first day of March and Wyatt had just finished practice. The correspondence came from the Canadian Women's National Team Excel Program inviting the Blue Demon freshman from British Columbia to the U-20 National Team Camp March 16-25 in Portland Ore.

"The e-mail came at 1 p.m.," Wyatt said. "When I read it, my eyes started to tear up. This is something I've always wanted, and now it was actually happening. I've always dreamed of representing my country, and it was a really powerful moment for me.

"When I was 15 years old, I wrote `Team Canada' on my bed. My mom got a little mad, but that was my dream."

Turning fantasy into reality did not come easy for Wyatt.

Youth soccer players from her home of Victoria Island were more of an afterthought in comparison to the players on the mainland. Island girls seemed to have a tougher time building a soccer resume.

When Wyatt made the island team, she began by riding the bench. Even-tually she earned a starting position. Next came tryouts for the provincial team. Wyatt never made it past the second cut.

In her final year of eligibility, Wyatt was chosen for the provincial team. And she started at a familiar spot, once again stuck on the bench.

"Until that final year, I never made it very far trying out for the provincial team," Wyatt said. "I never realized my potential, and the drive wasn't there. I didn't think I could do it.

"There was a coach on the Victoria team named Stephen Fletcher who really pushed me when I was 16. He never let me give up, and after a year of hard work, I made the provincial team.For Full Story Go To: http://www.depaulbluedemons.com/sports/w-soccer/

Upcoming EventsMarch 23Spring Training in PhoenixTime: 7:05 p.m.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1647

April 5Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic OutingTime: 7 p.m.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1660

April 6Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago CubsTime: 7:10 p.m.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1772

April 6Santa Anita Racetrack OutingTime: Noon.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1657

April 7New York City Chapter Guided Tour of MoMATime: 1:20 p.m.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1737

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

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 many and 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 SURPASSES $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 February 1, DePaul Athletics had raised more than 10 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.

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D e P a u l B l u e D e m o n s . c o m

Please RSVP to Katie RamseyCramsey@depaul.edu

773-325-7504

Monday, March 18th

5:00pmMcGrath-Phillips Arena

NCAA SELECTION SHOW

Join your Blue Demons to kick off March Madness! Watch the 2013

NCAA Selection Show on the big screen at 6:00pm.

Food and soda will be served. Free Admission.