2008, February 11: Jalen Rose Foundation Night Scheduled For U-M vs. Illinois Game
June 24, 2008
February 11, 2008 — (ANN ARBOR, Mich.) The University of Michigan
Athletic Department and Michigan basketball program have announced they
will honor the contributions of former U-M All-American Jalen Rose and
his Jalen Rose Foundation during pregame and halftime ceremonies at the
Wolverine’s home game against Illinois, Saturday (Feb. 23) at Crisler
Arena.
"We are extremely excited about honoring Jalen Rose and what he has
been able to do for the university," said U-M Athletic Director Bill
Martin. "We have always taken great pride in seeing former Wolverines
make a difference in the community and Jalen Rose has done just that."
The Jalen Rose Foundation (JRF) was established to create life-changing
opportunities for underserved youth through the development of unique
programs and the distribution of grants to qualified nonprofit
organizations. Grants focus on sports and education and are distributed
in Rose’s hometown of Detroit and other communities in need.
Primarily funded through generous donations from Jalen, JRF has
distributed over $1 million to charities. In addition to supporting the
endowment of a scholarship at the University of Michigan, the
foundation distributes five $10,000 scholarships annually to Detroit
high school seniors. JRF received more than 230 applications last year
from qualified students looking for financial assistance.
"I want to thank the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor community
and all of the fans who will be joining me on the 23rd," said Rose. "I
am very excited about this opportunity to come back to Ann Arbor for
this event. As a Detroit native, I was bred to bleed Maize and Blue,
and having the opportunity to attend the University, be a part of the
Michigan family and contribute to the many accomplishments of the Fab
Five, was the experience of a lifetime. I am humbled and honored to be
acknowledged in this manner."
Throughout the game day, Rose, along with his six scholarship
recipients at U-M, will be honored in a private pregame reception and
halftime ceremony. The first 2,000 fans coming to the game will receive
a t-shirt honoring the event. In addition there will be a special game
card created for the events and Rose, along with selected U-M
basketball players, will be available for autographs following the
game.
Rose, a 1992 and 1994 All-American, played three seasons for the
Wolverines (1992-94) where he started 101 of his 102 career games,
scoring in double figures in 98 of those contests. He ranks eighth
all-time scoring 1,788 career points. He also collected 478 rebounds,
ranks seventh all-time with 401 assists and had 119 steals making him
just the second U-M player, after Gary Grant, in school history with
1,500 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals in a career.
After his junior season, Rose left early to the NBA where he was the
13th pick in the first round by the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 Draft.
Rose enjoyed a 13-year career playing with Denver (1995-96), the
Indiana Pacers (1997-2002), the Chicago Bulls (2002-04), the Toronto
Raptors (2004-06), the New York Knicks (2005-06) and the Phoenix Suns
(2006-07). He played in 923 career NBA games with 572 starts. He closed
his career scoring 13,220 career points, grabbed 3,193 rebounds and
dished 3,527 career assists. During the 1999-2000 season in Indiana,
Rose was honored as the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Rose is currently
an NBA analyst for ESPN.
Tipoff for Michigan’s game against Illinois is scheduled for 4 pm.,
with the game broadcast on the Big Ten Network. For further information
on the Rose Foundation, please visit www.jalenrose.com.
Contacts:
Beth Moceri, U-M Development (734) 615-6924
Kenan Smith, U-M Marketing (734) 615-2025
Tom Wywrot, U-M Athletic Media Relations (734) 763-4423
