HAMMOND — Could the next generation’s most valuable player of Boston Celtics Paul Pierce’s caliber be a participant in the upcoming Purdue University Calumet basketball camp? Probably not, but most NBA players started their love for the game learning skills at summer camps.  

Peregrine basketball camp for boys and girls in 2nd through 8th grades begins July 14. The four-day camp starts at 8 a.m. to 11 in the Fitness & Athletic Center gymnasium. Cost is $75 per camper.

Head coach Tom Megyesi, along with players from both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, will teach participants offensive and defensive positioning and shooting, passing and ball-handling skills. Daily competitions include shooting contests and one-on-one, three-on-three and five-on-five games.

Parental permission must be submitted for all participants. For more information, contact the university athletic department at (219) 989-2540.

HAMMOND, Ind. - Purdue University Calumet’s Charles Cruz (Gavit) earned first team honors in Division II of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The junior forward shot 48 percent from the field and averaged 14.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 12 conference games last season. Cruz was the team’s leading scorer averaging 14.8 ppg. He finished the season scoring 296 total points and grabbed 107 total rebounds in 20 games. Read the rest of this entry »

HAMMOND, Ind. - Purdue University Calumet’s men’s head basketball coach Grayling Gordon has resigned after one season. The Peregrines finished 6-23 during 2007-08.

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health, Recreation and Sports/Athletic Director Robert Bunnell said a national search for Gordon’s replacement will begin immediately.

Gordon was hired last July to resurrect a Purdue Calumet program crippled by academic ineligibilities during the 2006-07 season. During Gordon’s lone Purdue Calumet campaign, all his Peregrine players maintained their eligibility.

Gordon, who prepped at East Chicago Washington, also previously served two seasons as a Purdue Calumet assistant under former head coach Gary Hayes (2000-02). In between his Purdue Calumet appointments, he was head coach at Purdue North Central for five seasons. He also coached three years at his collegiate alma mater, the University of Dubuque (IA).

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Peregrine freshman Joey Elabed (Morton) drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to close a valiant effort by the underdogs, but it was one-point short of sending the game to overtime. Third-seeded Cardinal Stritch University survived an opening round upset in a 74-73 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference playoff victory.

With 46 seconds left, sophomore guard Antonio McNeal (Gavit) penetrated the lane and found junior forward Charles Cruz (Gavit) alone at the 3-point stripe and flipped the ball to Cruz who splashed in a 3-pointer giving the Peregines a 70-69 lead.

After a Wolves timeout, Spencer Peck hit a 3-pointer giving the home team a 72-70 lead with 22 seconds to play. The Peregrines called a timeout to setup a final shot that missed with nine seconds left. Stritch’s Chad Dekker grabbed the rebound and passed to teammate Stephen Sorensen who hit a 12-foot jumper for the winning basket with four seconds left setting up Elabed’s final shot.

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HAMMOND, Ind. — The Peregrines open the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference playoffs facing Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisc., on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Cardinal Stritch won both regular season matchups; 65-42 in January and 85-72 last Saturday in the PUC Recreation Center.