Shawn Ellis is the Number One Assistant Basketball Coach at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO.
He comes through Salina regularly attending Kansas Jayhawk Junior College basketball on his scouting trips.
Brent Avery is just completing another season as Athletic Trainer at Wofford College, NC. Still not married.
Would love to hear from any of the guys he mistreated so well at KWU.
You guys may remember that Brent was the father of modern athletic training at KWU back in 1985-86-87.
Scott Brown is coaching at Fowler High School, Fowler, KS.
Brownie enclosed a Fowler Basketball Basketball t-shirt. Says he'd sure rather be back at KWU playing for the Coyotes
again. He likes Fowler too, but as Ol' Coach Jones still says,
"Coaching is second to playing - - but it's a distant second from playing the game we all love."
Devan Weiser (June, 2007) I'm working part-time with the Miami Dophins as an intern. Met Trtent Green and
said he would try to give me some Chief's contacts if I want to go back to Kansas. I've been working 12 and 13 hour
days since I've been here and when training camp starts in July it will be 5:30 am to 11:00 pm. I work so hard because
all of the other interns all want to be hired by a professional team too. I try to go beyond so I can set myself apart
from the others. Playing in college taught me a lot of those "life-long lessons." It makes me glad that there
was more than just the basketball skills. The President of the Dolphins started out as an intern 25 years ago, so it
can be done. I brought my golf clubs down here but haven't had a chance to play.
Phil Beckner is the Director of Basketball Operations, Weber State University. He keeps in touch regularly
with Coach Davert and Brando Lesovsky.
Jeremy Coombs is the Head Coach at Neosho County Community College moving up from the assistant coaching position at
Pratt Community College.
Brandon Lesovsky is the Assistant Coach at Neosho County Community College leaving KWU where he was also Assistant Coach.
Drew Bivens was selected as Math Instructor of the Year in Wichita.
Trent Ainsworth came to see the Coyotes play in the NAIA. He is in great shape still playing in Des Moines.
Single again and says he's done with Marriage (for a while). Trent still turns his head to look. The Blue Print
business is going great.
Gardere update: Bryan has been coaching women's basketball the last five years. His teams were nationally
ranked by USA Today as he coached the Paris sisters now playing at Oklahoma. Also in its 5th year is Bryan's sports
apparel manufacturing company called "4th Quarter Athletics." In addition to investing in different properties all over
the San Francisco area, he is running basketball camps, clinics, events, etc.
Matt Crist just finished a Master's in Sports Addministration. KWU must be tough because my undergraduate was harder
than the Master's program at Wichita State. "Chris Swan and I shared stories about the good old days at KW. Swan
took his son to a camp in Wichita and it turned out Terrance Phox was running it. Coach Davert will be good for
the program. Seems like he actually cares about the school and his players which in the long run is more important than
anything else." Matt took a position working at Disney Sports in Orlando as an events promotion administrator.
Blake Turner has turned to coaching in high school as varsity assistant and head jv coach. He is still full-time
as a computer analyst. But coaching has been fun, but difficult to do. Seems like players don't always want to
do what he says. Hmmm...
Michael Bell (Jan, 2007)
Pam and I are expecting a baby. Due date is September 10th. I am accepting gifts in the form of beer
or money. Yes I am married and it was planned. Have a great day.
(Aug, 2007)
We delivered a baby girl on Aug 29th, at 9:00 pm. She weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce and was 18 inches long. We
named her Taryn Sage Bell. We just got home today and when I figure out how to download these pictures off my camera,
we will send some. Got to go, a dirty diaper is calling my name.
Scott Schmidt - We have created a cool movie for you to share of the wedding. Check it out. Hope you enjoy.
jimkennedyphotography.com/moviesschmidt
Gary Sisler married Kelly O'Connell from Greeley at a small outdoor wedding in July after three years of dating.
Try this:
gsii@juno.com
Ryan Hicks (April)
I just wanted to let you know I just locked down the hottest radio station in LA, 93.5 for the Street Ball Cop
Tour, Ballin' For Peace in the Streets. They will be doing the on air promoting and things of that sort. We are
still getting the ball rolling. It could be a big help if you pass this letter on so we could make this EVENT into the
best positive message that people will ever see.
Imagine a basketball court full of the local neighborhood guys in what Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the LAPD
consider the most notorious high crime area. Next. imagine some of the well known rap artists coming back to the neighborhood
parks and showing their people love. Then imagine the LAPD, Sheriff's Department, Highway Patrol and Parole Officers,
at the same park at the same time. Ryan Hicks Productions and The New Social Workers came up with a concept that
could bridge the gap between law enforcement and neighborhood families in a revolutionary way-Street Ball Cops. This
street ball basketball tour will span across several cities around the county, and is currently being promoted on Sirius Radio.
In addition, Slam Magazine recently did a six page article on the tour, which will be featured in their May issue. My
father, Kenn I. Hicks (The Godfather of Street Ball) founded the Venice Beach Summer Showdown, (which hosted players such
as Kobe Bryant, Gilbert Arenas, Chris Childs, George Wrister, and R.R. Henderson) is the visionary behind this extraordinary
tour. The goal of the tour is to make a significant impact on our communities while promoting safety and a crime free
society. The youth will learn that they can "ball" without drugs and alcohol. Many of the officers involved with
the tour once came from the very same neighborhoods that they are now reaching back to. They are lacing them up and
calling out, "We Got Next." ZUsually, when people see a squad car, they tense up and make sure everything is cool.
But the person behind the uniform is usually thing "it." This is one of the kep messages we are trying to drive home
with the tour - that we (police and civilians) can work together as a cohesive unit to improve the conditions of our neighborhoods.
I have invited a few different well known rap artists, along with some well known street ball players that you might have
seen on ESPN's And One Streetball show, "City Slam," or even the most recent west coast street ball tour, "Slammin Tricks."
We are all coming together throughout the whole tour to really represent and promote the word, UNITY. We hope to make
the last stop on the tour to be at Venice Beach for Labor Day weekend. We want that date to be an All Star Unity Day.
We are planning several games, including "firemen vs. parole officers," "neighborhood parks vs. other neighborhood parks,"
and the best streetball players vs. each other. There will also be a slam dunk competition, dancers, give-a-ways, DJ's,
and play-by-play announcers. Music will also be an imortant part of the tour. Artists have recorded and will be
performing songs about unity and having a ball without drugs and alcohol. I am producing the DVD/CD for the tour with
highlights and behind the scenes spectator opinions about the tour. This will be the first time something like this
has ever been attempted and quite possible can be a monumental vehicle for change if everyonegets on board. The Street
Ball Cops Basketball Tour starts on May 5th at Val Verde County Park.
(May, 2007)
Our tour just kicked off for the Ballin For Peace in the Streets. We made the front page in Sundays paper.
I just finished my new website (
www.hicksflicks.com). I put up all new videos, pics, blogs, and articles. I am still working on sponsors. The guy that runs
Rucker Park called me and wants to do a game. He said the gangs are crazy out there and loves the ideas.
Trevor Elkins married Abby (as we suspected all along.)
Matt Broyles, Tony Depa, Sawn Ellis and Nate Lesovsky all met in Greeley, CO, for Matt's 30th birthday.
