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MILWAUKEE – This Saturday Milwaukee South Division High School will be hosting the first ever Nicole Ellis Foundation Shoot Out.
The inaugural event, sanctioned by the WIAA sanctioned will feature six area high school boys basketball teams including Milwaukee South Division, Milw. Rufus King, Pius, Cedarburg, Milw. Washington and Beloit Memorial.
Nicole Ellis was a 2000 graduate of Marquette University. She died in 2003 of a rare liver disease called Budd Chiari.
The mission of the Nicole Ellis Foundation is to support the American Liver Foundation (ALF) and endow the Nicole Ellis Scholarship Fund at Marquette University.
This fund will be managed by the Ethnic Alumni Association at Marquette University to benefit students who might not otherwise be afforded a Marquette education.
BEHIND THE SCENES …
“This is the first year we’re doing this event,” said Milwaukee South Division boys basketball coach Ty Moseler who worked with Nicole’s dad several years ago.
“I had the opportunity to be an assistant to Bo Ellis for a couple years at Chicago State University.
“I got to know Bo and his family pretty well and after Nicki died we tossed around the idea of doing something here in Milwaukee to raise money for liver research and the Nicole Ellis Foundation,” said Moseler.
With a couple extra games allowed by the WIAA this season, Moseler and Ellis came up with the idea of matching four Wisconsin schools against four Chicago schools.
“Bo is from the Chicago public school system and he played at Marquette University, but to get the Chicago schools to lock in and commit got to be a little tricky.”
By August 2009 four teams from the Milwaukee area committed to play including Milw. King, Milw. Washington, Milw. South Division and Milw. Pius.
“Nicole was a graduate of Pius and coach Joel Claassen was one of her teachers, so he was very eager to participate,” said Moseler.
“We got Beloit Memorial and Cedarburg because I had ties with then head coach Lance Randall. Since we had so many confirmations from Wisconsin coaches we just decided to go with those teams rather than mess with Chicago schools in this first year.”
SHOOT OUT TIDBITS...
- Coaches at the Shoot Out will all wear tennis shoes to draw attention to the American Liver Foundation.
- $5 admission will cover the entire day of basketball. Games will not be divided into sessions.
SHOOT OUT SCHEDULE...
Freshman and junior varsity games begin at 8:30 a.m.
2:45 p.m. – Milwaukee Washington vs. Beloit Memorial - WEBCAST
4:30 p.m. – Milwaukee South Division vs. Cedarburg - WEBCAST
6:15 p.m. – Milwaukee Rufus King vs. Milwaukee Pius XI - WEBCAST
Tickets are $5 at the door.
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