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Villegas To Tryout With P.R. National Team… She’s Not Your Average Student… Growing Up On The Sweet Streets Of Puerto Rico


Sammy Villegas To Receive Tryout With Puerto Rican National Team And Chance To Participate In 2004 Olympics

May 19, 2004
Copyright © 2004 Official College Sports Network via M2 Communications Limited. All rights reserved.

The Official College Sports Network (OCSN)

May 19, 2004 TOLEDO, OH - Toledo sophomore guard Sammy Villegas is returning to his homeland this summer in hopes of landing a spot with the Puerto Rican National Team that will compete in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

A native of Carolina, PR, Villegas will train in Puerto Rico during the month of June with current members of the Puerto Rican national team such as the Utah Jazz' Carlos Arroyo and the Milwaukee Bucks' Daniel Santiago. Puerto Rico defeated the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games to earn a bronze medal.

If Villegas doesn't make the Olympic squad, he will become a member of Puerto Rico's entry for the Centrobasket Tournament. The Centrobasket is scheduled for July 7-11 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and will serve as a qualifier for the 2005 Americas' Tournament that will decide the spots for the 2006 World Championships.

"This is a great opportunity for Sammy and it's going to be a tremendous experience for him," Head Coach Stan Joplin said. "Sammy has made a lot of progress since he joined our program and I think this will only help him become a better player."

"I've always dreamed of playing for my country in the Olympics and now I have a chance to reach my goal," Villegas said. "It's a great honor to receive a tryout and I will do my best and see what happens."

Villegas earned honorable-mention All-MAC honors last year and ranked second on the team and 14th in the MAC in scoring (13.7 ppg). He also finished second in the conference in three-point field goals per game (2.58) and fourth in three-point FG% (40.6). In addition, Villegas was named the 2002-03 MAC Freshman of the Year and ranks third on UT's all-time list for most career three-point field goals (148) in just two years as a Rocket.


She's Not Your Average Student

Regina Medina

May 20, 2004
Copyright © 2004 The Philadelphia Daily News. All rights reserved.

MARIA RODRIGUEZ

Age: 45

Born: San Sebastian, Puerto Rico

Raised: Puerto Rico, New York and Philadelphia, where she moved when she was 14.

Calls home: Olney where she lives with husband, Rafael, and granddaughter, Jade, 7. The couple has two children, Jessica, 25, and Rafael Jr., 24.

Previous life: She and her husband co-owned Raffy's Furniture on Hunting Park Avenue near Marshall Street.

Life change: Maria decided to go back to school in September 2000 to become a nurse. She graduated with degrees in applied science and Culture, Science and Technology on May 4.

Reflection: "When I entered CCP, I wanted to do something more than just be a student." She became involved with the school's Peer Academic Leader program, assisting students in need of help with time management.

Award: During the CCP pinning ceremony, given to those who completed the nursing program, Maria received the Irene Schor Award for her volunteer work as a tutor at the Nursing Lab.

If She Ran the City: I would have two priorities:Trash collection because we have a beautiful city,and community-based programs in schools for teenagers.


Growing Up on the Sweet Streets of Puerto Rico - New Autobiography Describes Man's Vibrant Youth

May 20, 2004
Copyright © 2004 PrimeZone Media Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

SAN MARCOS, Calif., May 20, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- As a boy in Puerto Rico, CJ Sam had colorful and heartwarming childhood experiences. In his new book, Streets of Honey: The Emergence (now available through AuthorHouse), he offers a collection of memories from his birth to the day he left to join the U.S. Navy at age 19.

Streets of Honey: The Emergence is the first of a four book series chronicling CJ Sam's life. He began this undertaking after conversations he had with his aging parents. Wanting to learn more about their youth, CJ Sam received jumbled and hazy facts about their earlier years due to his parents' clouded memory. The Streets of Honey series is an accurate documentation of CJ Sam's life.

Packed with tales that are moving and funny, the book describes dozens of moments that molded his character and outlook on the world. He describes the homes where his family lived in Puerto Rico and those who raised him (mainly women). Even the women who worked in his mother's beauty parlor gave him invaluable advice about life. He vividly recalls the anticipation of watching a caretaker cook with fresh spices and beans, the joy of hopping in the car for an ice cream treat on a hot summer day and the sadness he felt after seeing the body of a classmate who had drowned.

The third of five children, CJ Sam was exposed to new ideas in this "unprotected and raw" environment. Early sexual experiences opened his eyes to the beauty of nature, and his horizons expanded as he and his friends submerged themselves in American music, culture and trends. With descriptions of rambunctious Friday nights as a teenager, fun times with his best friends and his time of departure to the U.S. Navy, Streets of Honey: The Emergence is a powerful collection of memories that will not only enhance his descendants' knowledge of their family's past, but may encourage any reader to soak up the experiences of their own life and cherish them forever.

CJ Sam was born in Puerto Rico in 1946. After attending the University of Puerto Rico and serving in the U.S. Navy in 1968, CJ Sam moved to California. He is currently a corporate executive and lives a quiet life in Southern California.

AuthorHouse is the world leader in publishing and print-on-demand services. Founded in 1997, AuthorHouse has helped more than 18,500 people worldwide become published authors. For more information, visit www.authorhouse.com.

For review copies or interview requests, contact: l Services Department 39-8640 ext. 244 61-3133 ssreleases@authorhouse.com ovide a street address for review copies.)


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