From homeless to community leader, 18-year-old student feeds hundreds this holiday season

The New York Knickerbockers have announced South Bronx humanitarianPatrick J. Alvarez as the winner of the Sweetwater Clifton “City Spirit” Award for the month of December. The award, named in honor of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, who was the first African-American to play for the Knicks, recognizes those who have made a significant difference in the lives of others. Each month, a winner is chosen by members of the Knicks front office staff and honored at center court of a Knicks game. Winners receive a $2,000 donation in their name to a charity of their choice from the New York Knicks.

 

Alvarez began Project Feed Me, a non-profit agency to feed the hungry, as a high-school senior after suffering through a childhood of violence and homelessness. Since its inception, Project Feed Me has fed hundreds, including, most recently, a Thanksgiving dinner for 110 Harlem families at the Children’s Aid Society’s Dunlevy Milbank Center. Alvarezhas taken his project and passion to Syracuse University, where he is a freshman, and created an executive board with classmates to further his mission. In addition, Project Feed Me is a finalist in retailer Best Buy’s nationwide contest, which awards $10,000 to 15 youth-led teams who are changing their communities.

 

At tomorrow’s game versus the Denver Nuggets, Alvarez will accept the City Spirit Award at Madison Square Garden. He will donate the award money to Project Feed Me.

 

To nominate your hero, or to read more about this month’s winners and other past winners, please visit nyknicks.com.

 

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Veteran Guard Averaged 16.0 Points Per Game During 11-Year NBA Career

New York Kn icks guard Cuttino Mobley has informed the team that he will retire from professional basketball following extensive medical evaluations. It has been determined that Mobley has a heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that has progressed to the point where he can no longer play.

 

“The specialists I have seen made it clear that my heart condition has gotten worse, and I cannot continue to play professional basketball without putting my health and life in serious danger,” Mobley said. “As much as I want to keep playing in the NBA, I have no choice but to follow the advice of my doctors and step away from the League.  I have had the privilege of playing in the NBA for 11 years, but my health and family must come first, and it is time to move on to the next stage in my life.

 

“This has definitely been a shocking situation for me, but I want my fans, friends and loved ones to know that I will be fine. My career has been a blessing and I am grateful to have had this experience.”

 

Mobley was acquired by New York, along with Tim Thomas, from the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 21, 2008 in exchange for Mardy Collins and Zach Randolph. Mobley never appeared in a game with the Knicks while undergoing additional medical testing prior to his retirement.

 

Mobley, 6-4, 215-pounds, was selected by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia, PA-native ends his NBA career with averages of 16.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 747 career games over 11 seasons with Houston, Orlando, Sacramento and L.A. Clippers.

 

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 Madison Square Garden has added three experienced sales executives in a continued effort to increase value for marketing partners and fans, it was announced today by Scott O’Neil, president, Madison Square Garden (MSG) Sports. Sean Barror joins MSG as senior vice president, sales; Ron Skotarczak as senior vice president, sales and Michael Ondrejko as vice president, suite sales. The announcement is part of MSG Sports’ strategy to maximize business assets and growth opportunities.

 

In their new roles, Mr. Barror and Mr. Skotarczak will be responsible for driving Founding-Level partnership sales efforts for the current and renovated Madison Square Garden, and will also develop large cross-venue and multi-platform integrated marketing deals. Mr. Ondrejko will work on suite sales for the current and renovated Garden, with a focus on event-level and mid-level suites.

 

“We are thrilled to add Sean, Ron and Mike to the Madison Square Garden Sports executive team. Each brings a diverse set of experiences from the most respected companies in the industry and will add immediate value to our sales team,” said Scott O’Neil, president, Madison Square Garden Sports. “These executives bring a competitive spirit, leadership skills and an intense will-to-win, while valuing a team-first approach.  This will help the world’s most famous arena realize the value of our unique assets.”

 

Mr. Barror comes to Madison Square Garden following a distinguished career with the world-champion Boston Celtics, where he was most recently senior vice president, corporate partnerships and business development, and was responsible for all team-controlled media revenue.  “Sean brings a championship attitude, has worked with and for world-class brands and understands how to leverage sports properties to the benefit of marketing partners,” said O’Neil.

 

Mr. Skotarczak joins MSG from Lightning Gaming, where he served as president and director for the company he co-founded. Prior to that, he was vice president at And 1 and HoopsTV, and held executive sales positions with the Philadelphia Eagles and Comcast-Spectacor.  Mr. Skotarczak also played a key role in selling two new buildings in the former CoreStates Center and Lincoln Financial Field. “Ron and I have worked side-by-side in the past and I have always been impressed with his smart, aggressive and process-minded approach to building marketing partnerships,” said O’Neil. 

 

Mr. Ondrejko spent the last six years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, most recently as vice president, sales and service.  “Mike is a recognized leader, revenue driver and developer of talent,” stated O’Neil. “He has an unmatched, relentless pursuit of improvement that will serve Madison Square Garden well.”  Prior to the Cavaliers, Mr. Ondrejko was with International Sports Properties (ISP) at Vanderbilt University, where he was responsible for creating revenue-enhancing marketing programs. He was also employed at Palace Sports & Entertainment in Tampa Bay and Detroit, working on corporate sales and new business development.

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