BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball teams of 1996 and 2006, both third-place finishers in the NCAA Division III national tournaments, will be recognized at halftime of the IWU men's game against North Park on Saturday, Feb. 13.

The full day of hoops at the Shirk Center Saturday will begin at 1 p.m. with a men's junior varsity game against an alumni team. IWU will host the ninth annual "Pink Zone" basketball games, sponsored by Frontier Communications, playing North Park at 5 p.m. At halftime of the men's game, returning players, coaches and managers of the 1996 and 2006 Titan teams will be feted.

PINK ZONE INFO - There will be a silent auction that includes an autographed 2012 U.S.A. Olympic basketball (signed by Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and more), a signed Chicago Blackhawks puck, a Coleman Tailgating set, hotel/dinner packages and much more. Raffles include a 42-inch TV, gift baskets, tee shirts and gift cards donated by many local restaurants to support the event. All proceeds go to the Bloomington-Normal Community Cancer Center.

Go here to download IWU/North Park women's game program      |      Go here to download IWU/North Park men's game program

REUNION TEAM INFO - The 1996 team, coached by Dennie Bridges, finished with a 28-3 record and were 12-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, finishing second to Wheaton (13-1). In the NCAA championship round for the first time, the Titans lost to Rowan in the semifinal game by a 79-77 score and routed Franklin & Marshall, 89-57, in the third place contest.
IWU was led by senior Chris Simich's 19.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while junior Bryan Crabtree scored 17.8 points and senior Jon Litwiller added 12.9 per game. The Titans outscored opponents by an average of 84.5-69.3 and, as a team, handed out 500 assists, still seventh best in IWU season history.

The 2006 squad, coached by Scott Trost, had a 25-7 record and were 9-5 in the CCIW to earn a fourth seed in the league tourney. The Titans beat top seed Augustana before losing to North Central (51-49) but still received an at-large berth into the NCAA tourney. IWU then won two games on the road and two at neutral sites to advance to the final four. In the championship round in Salem, Va., Illinois Wesleyan lost 81-79 to Virginia Wesleyan in the Friday semifinal game by a 79-77 score before coming back to down Amherst, 71-68, in the third place game.
Senior Keelan Amelianovich averaged 18.6 points per game while Zach Freeman scored 16.2 points and grabbed a team-high 7.6 boards per game. Senior Adam Dauksas averaged 13.6 points per game and set a school season record with 204 assists.

1996 (28-3, captains - Brady Knight and Chris Simich) - Where Are They Now?
John Baines – Head basketball coach at Elmhurst; Andy Boyden – U.S Navy, Virginia Beach, Va.; Bryan Crabtree – Financial planner in Bloomington-Normal; Brian Green - Financial planner in St. Charles, Ill.; Nathan Hubbard - Country Financial agent, Rantoul, Ill.; Brady Knight – Sales, Commercial Packaging in Bloomington; Jon Litwiller - Anesthesiologist, Indianapolis; Matt Mann – Homeowners Claims Manager at AAA, central Illinois; Brent Niebrugge – Salesforce, Chicago area; Tony Pacetti – owns internet-based business, lives in Bloomington; Scott Peterson - Orthodontist in Bloomington-Normal; T.J. Posey – Belleville (Ill.) East High School; Chris Senica – Weldon Springs, Mo.; Chris Simich – Alabama state executive director, Farmers Insurance Group, Birmingham, Ala.; Matt Swingler – Manager, State Farm; Kyle Tudeen – Caterpillar, Peoria; Seth Zeller – President/CEO of Zeller Electric, Inc.; head coach Dennie Bridges- retired; assistant coach Dennis Martel – Illinois Wesleyan head baseball coach; assistant coach David Steinbrueck – State Farm Insurance, Bloomington

2006 (25-7, captains - Keelan Amelianovich, Adam Dauksas and Cory Jones) - Where Are They Now?
Keelan Amelianovich – Senior manager, Ernst & Young; Matt Arnold – Completing a neonatology fellowship at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville; Jason Bloom – Sales leader at State Farm Insurance; Kevin Bryant - deceased; John Caywood – State Farm insurance agent, Champaign, Ill.; Brett Chamernik – Atlanta, Ga.; Adam Dauksas - Attorney at Scariano, Himes and Petrarca, Chicago; Jason Fisher – Business analyst in systems at State Farm; Andrew Freeman – Marketing at State Farm, Bloomington; Zach Freeman – Teacher, Washington Grade School, Blloomington; Darius Gant – Executive recruiter, Garelli Wong & Associates, Chicago area; Andrew Gilmore – Attorney at Katten Muchin Rosenman in Chicago; Mike Harrigan – Vice president, Societe Generale Investment Bank, Chicago; Chris Jones – Quality analyst at McMaster-Carr; Cory Jones - Westhill Financial/Insurance Services; Mike McGraw – McDonald's owner/operator in Springfield, Ill., area; Jordan Morris – Executive Consultant, Morris Bixby Group; Brian Nussbaum – Attorney, Chicago; Anthony Pavone - Associate Attorney at Loss & Pavone, P.C.; Steve Schweer – Asst. Basketball Coach, Head Men's Golf Coach, Monmouth College; Tyler Smith – Investments, State Farm Insurance; head coach Scott Trost – head coach, Lewis University; assistant coach Chad Hutson – Systems at State Farm Insurance