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Former ECC Coach
Jim Hinkley is back
to coach the alumni
basketball team.
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The ECC Alumni Association and the ECC Athletic Department hosted the third annual Alumni Sports Day on Saturday, October 13, 2012. Alumni from across Chicagoland came to campus to participate in the events pitting alumni against current players.
Women's soccer joined the games this year with an alumni force playing the current team. The rain didn't stop them as they charged onto the field for a fast-paced game. It was a great show of friendly rivalry.
At the ECC Events Center, the women's basketball game ran neck and neck as alumnae challenged the current team.
Next up, male grads took on current members of the ECC basketball team in spirited action up and down the court. Wrapping up the day's events, a friendly game of men's basketball was held for those who love to play at a slower pace.
Here are some highlights from the event:
The Men's basketball alumni team had a mini reunion with
| L-R. Ryan Willing, nephew of Scott Burnett '92, are all smiles after playing against each other in the Men's Basketball Alumni vs. Current players game. |
former ECC basketball coach Jim Hinkley who returned to coach the alumni men. Jim is retiring from coaching this year and several alums came to see him and reminisce about playing under his direction in the 1980's and early 1990's.
During the game, Coach Hinkley led the alumni with skill and grace as they kept ahead of the current team until near the end of the game when the current team took the lead to win the match.
Scott Burnett, his wife, and their two sons came all the way from Michigan to participate in this year's event. Scott played for Coach Hinkley back in the 1990's and was looking forward to playing for him one more time before he retired. He is currently coaching Jacob's High School's basketball team. Scott even had special shirts made for his boys that said "Spartan, Jr." with dad's #12 on the front and Burnett on the back. Scott's nephew, Ryan Willing, who currently plays for ECC, wanted to play against his Uncle Scott in the alumni game. Ryan's mom, Missy Donnavan, was out of town and cut her trip short to come back and see the game. She is a professional photographer and took the photos used in this article.
Here's what the game meant to one of the alums who drove from Bloomington, IL to participate in the event.
"My name is Alyssa Howard. I am an Alumni ECC soccer player. I played at ECC from 2010-2012. Soccer at ECC was an amazing experience for me and one that gave me so many great memories and a lot of new friends. Even though I am away at ISU, I still stay in contact with a few of the girls on the team and still feel a part of the team when I come home and visit.
When Jamie Shaw, ECC Women's Soccer coach, announced that there was going to be an Alumni game, I definitely jumped on it and wanted to participate in it to play against my former teammates.
I have been to a few of the practices and a game for the women's team so I was able to get to know some of the new players too, which also made playing in the game a lot of fun.
In the end they did beat us, but we all walked off the field with smiles on our faces because the two things all of us had in common are that one, we either represent or have represented ECC and two, we all just got to play the sport we love and had fun doing so. The Alumni game was definitely worth a two hour drive home and I would do it again in a heart beat."
This popular event continues to grow each year and plans are already in the works for next year's event. Alumni interested in participating next year can contact the ECC Alumni Association.
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