Illinois Heart announces General Manager and Head Coach

Feb. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Chicago, IL

Meet the General Manager:

Patricia Harrison, MBA is a native of Chicago, IL. She brings several years of experience in business administration and management to the Illinois Heart. Her experience ranges from a long career in athletics, sports management, and coaching. She contributes to the mix, her professional expertise from the corporate boardrooms, in the areas of business management and accounting. She spent several years at work for one of the top four public accounting firms in the nation, with a primary focus on auditing the financial statements and SEC filings of large, publicly traded companies. Her area of concentration in the accounting field was in the banking industry, where she audited the financial statements of a large company that reported $68 billion in assets.

Patricia Harrison started out at Bogan High School, and was one of the team’s key players and top performers. She led the team in scoring for three consecutive seasons. Harrison began her collegiate career in basketball at Olive- Harvey College before transferring to Kennedy- King College in Chicago, IL. She received several NJCAA honors including ALL- Regional recognition. She finished her collegiate career at Tuskegee University, where she played two seasons with the Crimson Tigers.

During her first season at Tuskegee University, Harrison led the SIAC in scoring, rebounding, and block shots. She received acclaims such as the team’s MVP Award, the SIAC First-Team ALL-Conference, and ALL-Tournament Awards. In the same season she was a candidate nominee and running contender for the SIAC Player of the Year honor. Harrison helped to propel the team from last place in the SIAC conference standings, making a run that clinched the regular season championship title.

While at Tuskegee, Harrison once served as the Interim Intramural Sports Coordinator. As Interim Intramural Sports Coordinator, she managed, and facilitated the intramural basketball season, and playoffs schedules for over 20 teams. Her jobs duties included, but were not limited to team management, coaching, scheduling games, as well as hiring and recruiting players, and staff.

Patricia Harrison holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree from Tuskegee University, and both a Master of Science in Accounting and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Liberty University. She has worked with, taught, coached, and mentored children in foster care and group homes, as well as individual with special needs. As an educator, she has taught and provided classroom instruction to students at the college, secondary, and primary grade levels. She devotes some of her spare time volunteering with programs such as Habitat for Humanity, and providing services and donations to underprivileged youths and families.

Harrison stated that, she really enjoys the sport and has a fond love for basketball. She concluded that, “physical injuries have prevented me from playing the game. I am thrilled to return to the sport in the front office as the General Manger for the Illinois Heart. I believe that we have assembled a great coaching staff that will work well together and gel perfectly with the players, and team owners."

      Meet the Head Coach:

Kenyon Gamble is no stranger to Illinois. Gamble, is a former professional basketball player and has played all over the world. A native of city, he grew up playing basketball on the Westside of Chicago, IL.

Kenyon Gamble attended John Marshall High School, and earned an athletic scholarship to Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech). After spending one year at Florida Tech, Gamble made the decision to transfer to Tuskegee University, where he had the opportunity to play under the legendary Coach Oliver Jones. Under the Jones brother’s tutelage (Caldwell, Charles, and Major), Gamble excelled on the court and received many accolades over his collegiate career. He was named to the SIAC First-Team ALL- Conference and led the NCAA in block shots. For his hard work and stellar play, Gamble was invited to play in both the WBA’s Black College All Star Game and the HBCU All Star Game.

At the culmination of his senior year at Tuskegee University, Gamble opted to play professional basketball. He was the no. 1 overall pick for the World Basketball Association (WBA), from that point on; his professional career began to flourish. After competing in the WBA, he was drafted in the second round of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), to the Rockford Lightning. After leading the CBA in block shots, and earning a spot on the ALL Defensive Team as a rookie, Gamble was invited to NBA camps with the Atlanta Hawks, and Boston Celtics.

Gamble’s second season proved to be just as special, earning him recognition of the Defensive Player of the Year, breaking into the CBA record books as no. 8 all time for block shots in a single season. The success of the Minot SkyRockets, and Gamble’s performance caught the attention of the Indiana Pacers.  This earned him an invitation to join the Summer League camp of the NBA’s Pacers.

Gamble played a total of 8 years, in countries such as Turkey, Cyprus, Argentina, Syria, Qatar, and Germany.  He was able to see many successes along the way; winning championships domestic and abroad, winning international tournaments; while jolting his team to the top rankings of the various leagues.  Kenyon Gamble was named the Defensive Player of the Year numerous times over his career, while consistently ranking in the first or second positions for block shots, and is regarded by many as the best defender in the world.

Gamble has coached Showtime, an AAU team out of Chicago, for one season and also assisted the Tuskegee University Women’s Basketball Team in the 2011 season. Gamble holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Tuskegee University.

Gamble has achieved a list of collegiate and professional accolades and honors, which include:

Led the Nation in bpg (top 20 in rpg) -04

Number 6 in the nation for bpg (top 25 rpg) -05

All-SIAC 2nd Team -04

All-SIAC 1st Team -05

Black College All-Star Game -05

WBA HBCU All Star Game -05

Led the CBA in total blocks, 2nd in bpg, and 2nd in FG% -06

Runner up in their conference in the CBA -06

CBA All-Star Game -06

CBA All-Defensive Team -06, 07

Placed on #8 on all time list of blockers in single season -08

WBA Regular Season Champion -06

WBA Champion -06

CBA American Conference Runner-Up -07

USBL Regular Season Champion -07

All-IBL Team -08

Qatar Emir Cup Winner -09

Qatar League Champion -09

PBL Atlantic Division Champion -09

Asia-Basket.com All-Syrian League Defensive Player of the Year -10

Asia-Basket.com Syrian League All-Defensive Team -10

Syrian League Semifinals -10

IBL Regular Season Runner Up -11

IBL Winter League Champion - 11

We are honored to have the former, professional powerhouse center, and the enormous amount of diversity and knowledge that he brings, as a member of our organization.  Kenyon Gamble will lead the team in his first season as Head Coach, and we are confident that he will move the team in the right direction. We welcome Kenyon Gamble to the Illinois Heart as the Head Coach.

Follow the Illinois Heart on the following social media:
Facebook: Illinois Heart
Twitter: @IllinoisHeart
Instagram: illinoisheart

More information can be found online at www.bikinibasketball.com/illinoisheart