Basketball tournament honors tragic youth diseases

Friends will return to the basketball court to raise money for St. Jude Children's Hospitals in remembrance of Sean Toedman and Jamie Wise.

"My wife and I just tried to look for something good to do to raise money for (Sean), and I had a basketball connection from my past," said Dave Schultz of West Dundee, the event's creator. "It really started from nothing. It didn't raise that much money the first year, only about $3,500."

Organizers of the 5th annual Jamie Wise and Sean Toedman 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, scheduled for Sunday, June 28, are aiming to raise $15,000 when about 50 teams take the court at Lions Park in East Dundee.

Sean, who died of brain cancer in 1996 at the age of 12, was the cousin of Schultz's wife, Teresa. Jamie, another Schultz cousin, died last year of liver failure at 19. Afterward, her name was added to the event.

Last year the event raised about $11,000, more money than all previous years combined. Much of the money came from a raffling off donated items including a 50-inch television, a $500 landscaping package, and a weekend golf excursion to Galena.

The tournament started with only adults competing, but it has since spawned legs, reaching to middle schoolers last year and high schoolers this year.

"People are getting older, so it's hard to get them to come out," Schultz said. "People know there's a lot of good competition here, a few ex-(NCAA Division I) players. So we know that's definitely the future of the tournament, middle schoolers and high schoolers."

Along with the expansion of divisions, the event has broadened its reach throughout neighboring towns. Jeff Beck, a recent Libertyville resident formerly from Algonquin, has been recruiting members of his new community. In his days playing point guard for Dundee-Crown High School, his team finished 4th in state in 2009.

"It's cool that it's not just people from one high school or one town," he said. "It really draws people in from all the surrounding areas for a fun day of basketball that supports a great cause. It's really a neat thing."

Beck has been participating in the event since its first year in 2011. He and Schultz are longtime friends from Dundee-Crown and have played together in men's leagues.

Dundee-Crown's Varsity basketball coach Lance Huber, of Carpentersville, will be announcing at the event. His son Kyle, an incoming eighth-grader at Dundee Middle School, will be a participant.

"My favorite part hanging out friends, playing, and watching the older guys play," he said.

Along with the basketball tournament and raffle, radio station 103.9 The Fox will be broadcasting from the event.

The registration fee for each team is $130 and includes T-shirts to play in. Visit jamiesean3on3.myevent.com for mor information.

If you go

What: 5th Annual Jamie Wise and Sean Toedman 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

When: Register at 9 a.m., competition at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 28

Where: Lions Park, 570 Penny Road, East Dundee

Also: Early registration by Sunday, June 21; website <a href="http://jamiesean3on3.myevent.com/">http://jamiesean3on3.myevent.com/</a>; email davidschultz45@gmail.com; call (847) 269-0640