The Greek Star

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. .