For the last three years, Chicago has set aside a weekend to become "hoops heaven" for basketball players all across the country. The third annual Chicago Bulls three-on-three Classic was held Aug. 2-4 in Grant Park with over 14,000 participants and 2,500...

Basketball is usually associated with the winter months, packed gymnasiums and 10 participants. Not any more. One of the fastest growing trends in sports is 3-on-3 outdoor basketball played in tournaments. An estimated 150,000 people attended Chicago's...

It's sort of like having a sequel to the movie Jaws without the shark. When NIU and Fresno State meet on the football field Saturday in a rematch of last year's blowout, there will be some familiar faces missing who played key roles in NIU's 73-18 massacre...

A freshman's life is not easy. "Hey freshman, don't forget to bring out the balls," yelled Dusty Showers to freshman defender Derek Niepomnik. But the veterans of the NIU soccer team better treat this year's freshmen with some respect. They just might...

NIU football players speak of building a winning tradition at their school. They believe that it can be done by playing Top-20 teams. Their theory is that by lining up against the likes of Iowa and Florida, win or lose, exposure is built, thus helping...

NIU men's basketball coach Brian Hammel went the junior college route a second time this summer and signed 6-7, 215-pound forward Theo Stafford from Cowley County Community College in Kansas to a National Letter of Intent. With the graduation of seniors...

NIU women's basketball player Yconda "E.C." Hill is taking a break. Hill, who has just returned from fast-breaking her way through Los Angeles, where she won a silver medal, and Mexico will be relaxing for some time in preparation for the upcoming season...

This is turning out to be one tough summer. I can't find a job. I'm broke. And I'm a die-hard Cub fan. Not the kind you can pay for. Not the kind where you can get a pretty certificate for your wall and a nifty membership card for your wallet. I'm the...

The NIU women's basketball team's recent string of three straight 20-win seasons can be attributed to great talent and great performances by that talent. Two of the players who made the greatest impact were Tammy Hinchee and Carol Owens both of whom culminated...

During the summertime, soccer takes a back seat to baseball in terms of popularity in the U.S. But there are interesting things happening in the soccer world and NIU head soccer coach Willy Roy has strong opinions about some of the more interesting events...

It's rare in today's world of highly paid professional athletes to find an athlete who legitimately loves to "play the game." Ted Hennings is one such athlete. Hennings, who starred as a defensive tackle on the 1989 NIU football team that went 9-2, is...

The latest shuffling between college athletic programs has struck once again. The University of Akron announced last week that it will be leaving the Mid-Continent Conference to join the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Akron joined the Mid-Continent, along...