The Greek Star

JUNE WEDDING: Chicago native Patricia Kara (Karamouzis), pictured with her fiancee Noel LaMontagne, is set to be married in a storybook wedding on the Greek island of Mykonos this June. Patricia is a Los Angeles-based film actress and TV host who was one of the primary briefcase spokesmodels on the hit game show "Deal or No Deal." She's also appeared as a correspondent on Extra!, E! Entertainment, and the TV Guide Channel, FOX Movie Channel, and CelebTV. Her and two other "Deal" models recently released a fitness DVD called "Get Ready, Get Fit and DEAL With Your Body." Patricia also recently began as the face of Koress, a Greek beauty products brand by Johnson & Johnson. Noel is a former NFL player with the Cleveland Browns who's now an NFL player agent. For more, visit PatriciaKara.com.

Mougie Tourney April 19-22: The 15th annual George Mougolias Memorial Tournament runs April 19-22 in Norridge, Illinois, just outside Chicago. Participation is open to those of Orthodox faith. The tourney features five divisions of play, over 35 scholarships are granted, and a complimentary Sunday cookout during championship rounds. Teams entered have come from the USA, Canada, and Greece. For more information, visit GMMT.org.

 

COACH LEVY HEADLINES JUNE 1 SPORTS AWARDS: NFL Hall of Fame football coach Marv Levy is slated to keynote the annual 13th District AHEPA Sports Awards & Scholarship Banquet, to be held Friday, June 1 at the Fountain Blue in Des Plaines, Illinois. Coach Levy led the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990's. He's also the author of the novel "Between the Lies," recently released, and books will be available for purchase for $30, which benefits the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation. Coach Levy will provide a personalized autograph for those who purchase books. On this night, Greek American high school and college student-athletes will be honored for their on-field and in-class achievements, in addition to service to the community and extracurricular activities. Sportscasters Lou Canellis of FOX32 and Dave Eanet of WGN9 will moderate and serve as co-emcees. Kids will get a chance to pose for photos with Coach Levy, Canellis and Eanet. The program begins with a 6 pm reception, followed by dinner and awards ceremony. Organizers for the first time will feature a live DJ for athletes only, with a parents cocktail reception in adjacent room. This social portion of the night will run from 9 pm to 11:30 pm. For more information, email Chris Atsaves, 13th District Athletic Director, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. " href="mailto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

 

PGA PRO PHILHELLENE: Pro golfer Luke Donald, a Northwestern University alum, native of England, and rising PGA tour player, is also a Philhellene. He's married to the former Diane Antonopoulos. The couple make their home in Northfield, IL. Donald has been a PGA card carrying pro since 2001 and he also competes on the European Tour. The 34-year old is fast becoming one of the top players, near or atopthe he leaderboard with increased frequency.

 

BIZOUKAS CONCLUDES MSU CAREER: Fifth year senior Michael Bizoukas of Munster, IN, now working toward his second undergrad degree after earning his first at DePaul University, recently played his final game as a collegiate basketball player. His last year was spent manning the point for Missouri State University, which finished 16-16 and tied for 3rd in the MVC conference at 9-9. The team vastly exceeded expectations, most attributable to transfer Bizoukas, who led the conference in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.

 

DANOS CONCLUDES PREP CAREER: Senior point guard Dean Danos (Bishop Knoll, IN) suffered a foot fracture in one of his final high school basketball contests and his season and prep career came to a close. But not before he led the team in scoring (13.58 ppg), assists (3.21), steals (1.32), and 3-point accuracy (44.34-percent). One highlight was a 30-point, 5 rebound effort against #3 ranked Andrean of Class 3A in Danos' final regular game. Danos, who has NBA 3-point range, will play on the next level.

JUNIOR GYMNASTICS CHAMPS: We stray from varsity sports momentarily as sometimes the younger ones are just too compelling a story to miss. In late January, 9-year old Eleni Koustouros and her twin sister Ekaterini competed in a major gymnastics competition in Indianapolis which attracted 3000 competitors. Eleni captured the all-around title in the Level 4 category with a score of 35.97. Ekaterini won an all-around title at a meet earlier in the season. The Northwest Indiana Times covered the story, quoting the twins' father, Frank Koustouros, "There's a friendly rivalry going on between the two. So I was glad Eleni was able to win one, too." And on that note, Frank, with his tap dancing abilities, is now being recruited by "Dancing With The Stars."
 

Endzone time. Hope you enjoyed Greek Independence Day. It really is a big thing, and not just to Greeks. As always, we appreciate your contributions here. Send your stories to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. " href="mailto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

 

 

NHIBT March 29-April 1: The 82nd annual National Hellenic Invitational Basketball Tournament runs the last weekend of March at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL. Upwards of 40 teams (men’s, women’s, and boys high school divisions) will compete in the oldest Greek hoops tournament in America. Teams from across the nation will descend upon Chicago to compete, have fun, greet old friends and meet new ones. NHIBT president is Phil Bouzeos. For more info, visit NHIBT.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. " href="mailto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. …The annual George Mougolias Memorial Tournament runs April 19-22 in Chicago and is open to Greek as well as Serbian Orthodox players in divisions of men, women, and boy’s high school. Visit GMMT.org.

 

ILLINI KICKER HERE MARCH 31: Former University of Illinois All-Big 10 placekicker Peter Christofilakos, now a veteran with the Bloomington (IL) Edge of the Indoor Football League, visits Chicago March 31 for an 8 pm kickoff against the Chicago Slaughter at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, IL. The Edge was 3-1 as of presstime.

 

NCAA TOURNEY: Two Greek Americans were dancing in March at the NCAA post-season basketball tournament. Freshman sensation Kevin Pangos was set lead Gonzaga (25-6 record) on March 15 in the first round against West Virginia. Pangos is a 6’1 point guard who led the Zags in scoring (13.8 ppg) and assists (3.4) during the regular season. At Long Beach State (25-8 regular season record), 6’0 junior guard Peter Pappageorge is a reserve who averaged 1.9 ppg. He was also a contestant in an ESPN Sportsnation online contest to select the player with the coolest name in the tourney. Results T.B.A. The 49ers were slated to face off against New Mexico in the opening round.

 

SUN-TIMES ON BOXER: The Chicago Sun-Times on March 15 ran a near full-page feature on Chicago boxer Donovan 'Da Bomb' George (22-1-1 with 19 KOs), who was set for a March 17 bout to be televised on HBO. The fight was to be held at Madison Square Garden and if George wins, speculation is he could be in for a big payday for his next bout.

 

LOCAL ATHLETES: Western Illinois University junior Julia Katsaros (Hinsdale South) is a reserve outfielder for the Leathernecks college softball team. She was named to the 2010-11 Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence and was also a Distinguished Scholar...Senior guard Natalie Kutramanes (Conant) and junior guard Nia Pappas (Palatine) were both named 1st team All-Area in girls high school basketball by the Daily Herald of Chicago's Northwest Suburbs. Sophomore forward Renee Poulos (Hersey) made special mention All-Area...Dennis Kostidis (Fremd) made the boys high school state swim competition...The Sun-Times named high school senior Jamie Pappanastos (Sandburg) one of the top area girls water polo players.

 

DALLAS STAR FACES FIRE ON MAY 23: Circle May 23 on your calendar, which is when Dallas FC star George John, the reigning AHEPA national athlete of the year and a top MSL soccer pro, visits Toyota Park to face off against the Chicago Fire and head coach Frank Klopas.

 

1ST MODERN MARATHON AWARD IN AUCTION: The very fist silver cup award from the first modern-day Olympics in 1896 (held in Athens) is going up for auction. Auction house Christie's will handle the bidding, expected to bring $250,000 to the heirs of Spyros Louis, who won the marathon.

 

BASEBALL: Major League Baseball begins early April and there are big expectations for a few Greek Americans. Watch these players blossom after strong showings in 2011: Peter Bourjos (LA-Anaheim Angels), Mike Moustakas (KC Royals), Nick Markakis (Baltimore Orioles), George Kottaras (Milwaukee Brewers), and George Kontos (NY Yankees pitcher and Northwestern grad).

 

Nice of you to peak at this page. As always, we welcome your contributions. Send info to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. " href="mailto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .