The Lady McLegends? They’re eclectic, electric
Tony Baranek tbaranek@southtownstar.com | (708) 633-5947 April 7, 2011 7:10PM
Nadia Bibbs is a veteran of the McLegends game and has played basketball on an international level. | File photo
McLegends X
When: April 16. Where: Thornton High School, 151st and Broadway, Harvey
Time: 11 a.m. Game 1: Beggars Pizza Lady McLegends vs. the 2011 High School Girls All-Stars. 2 p.m. Game 2: Coca-Coca McLegends vs. the 2011 High School Boys All-Stars
Admission: $7. Tickets: Available at Thornton High School, contact Bill Mosel at (708) 255-4122; the SouthtownStar office, 6901 W. 159th St.,Tinley Park, contact Phil Arvia at (708) 633-5949; the Olympia Fields McDonald’s, 2400 W. Lincoln Highway; the Lincoln Oasis McDonald’s, I-80/294 east of Halsted Street.
HOOPLA: McLegends X Pre-Party
When: 4 to 10 p.m. April 15. Where: Lincoln Oasis (over I-80/294 in South Holland, east of Halsted Street).
What: Silent auction of sports memorabilia; games and giveaways for the kids; appearances by magician Blake Alexander (4 p.m.), the Thornton High School pep band (5 p.m.), Ronald McDonald (6:30 p.m.), the Jesse White Tumblers (7 p.m.), singer/songwriter Julian Keyz (7:30 p.m.) and the Southtown All-Stars (8 p.m.).
Article Extras
Updated: January 23, 2012 2:09AM
So just who are these women of the 2011 Beggars Pizza Lady McLegends?
Well, one is a software engineer (Nadia Bibbs).
Another you might see one day as a television or radio broadcaster (Kim Harris-Fudge).
We’ve got a school psychologist (Joy Rauch-Bacino).
A couple of have traveled the world playing pro basketball (Bibbs, Missy Mitidiero).
Coach Jenna Rubino also played overseas and was drafted by the WNBA.
We’ve got a mom (Roslyn Turner).
More than a few are teachers and coaches. A few of the “youngsters” are just getting out of college and setting their sights on the future.
We’ve already told a couple of interesting stories during the buildup to the April 16 showdown between the women and the High School Senior All-Stars at Thornton High School. Here are a few more.
Third-year McLegends veteran Bibbs’ career literally skyrocketed after she graduated from Hillcrest in 2003. She enrolled at Boston University, where she majored in aerospace engineering.
After her freshman year, Bibbs transferred to Northwestern and graduated in 2008 with a degree in computer engineering. She had a stellar playing career at NU, and during summer 2006 spent three months in Mexico City playing for the Mexican National Team.
Bibbs today is a software engineer at an options trading firm in downtown Chicago, where she creates automated trading systems.
Mitidiero, a starting guard on the first two Marian Catholic Class AA state qualifiers, went on to a career at DePaul, where she appeared in four NCAA Tournaments.
Mitidiero’s basketball career continued beyond college. She played for teams based in Reykjavik, Iceland, and in the Netherlands.
She’s also had experience as a substitute teacher at Richards High School, where she has coached basketball and softball. She is hoping to become a full-time high school teacher and coach.
Jacqie Storm, a 2006 graduate of Sandburg, went on to be a four-time All-Conference player at the University of St. Francis. Today she’s a substitute teacher at Sandburg, where she coaches track and also freshman basketball along with McLegends teammate and former DePaul star Erin Cattell.
Sonya Harris, a 2007 graduate of Thornton, received a scholarship to Bradley, where she helped lead the Braves to their first back-to-back winning seasons in school history and their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Harris was the MVC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009-10, and holds the record for most rebounds in a season at Bradley with 308. She’ll graduate from Bradley in May with a B.S. in family consumer science.
The most compelling and inspiring story is that of Kim Harris, whose life was stunningly changed just 10 days after she graduated from Bloom Township High School. In May 2000, she was diagnosed with Type 1 juvenile diabetes.
“I had to be in a hospital for a couple of days, and I remember my mom saying ... ‘We can do this together,’ ” Harris said. “My first year in college basketball (at Lewis) was very trying and one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through.
“Fortunately I had a team of trainers that took good care of me and looked out for my well-being. My parents were also very encouraging, and being a positive person I didn’t let diabetes control my life.”
Harris played four years of basketball and three years of softball at Lewis, graduating with high honors (3.77 4.0 GPA) with a degree in radio/TV broadcasting.
After college, Harris found more adversity when while playing a pickup basketball game against the guys at a local health club. She completely tore an ACL and suffered an MCL sprain, which required surgery in March 2005.
Because of the diabetes, her recovery period was longer than usual. That didn’t stop her from suiting up for the first McLegends game in 2006, and helping lead the ladies to a 101-96 win.
Kim Harris-Fudge hasn’t missed a game since. Make sure you don’t miss this one.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment