Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Year: 2013

Cedric Ceballos

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Angola
  • 2014  –  Democratic Republic of Congo

During a distinguished NBA career, All Star small forward Cedric Z. Ceballos played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat.

After achieving fame for winning the 1992 NBA Slam Dunk Contest with a remarkable blindfolded jam, Ceballos’ career highlights include leading the NBA in field goal percentage (57.6) in 1992-93 en route to an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Suns. With a 21.7 points per game average in 1994-95, he led the Lakers in scoring and made the Western Conference the All-Star team. During the 1995-96 season, Ceballos again led the Lakers with a 21.2 average, notching the Lakers’ first 50-point game in over 20 years.

Since retiring from the hardwood, Ceballos has worked with the Phoenix Suns as their in-arena emcee and host of a weekly webcast, “Nothin’ but Net.” In addition to his basketball skills, Ceballos earned notoriety as a musician, working on the album B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret, a 1994 record featuring tracks of an array of early 1990s NBA players. He is featured on multiple tracks performing with hip-hop star Warren G on “Flow On” and later on the track “Ya Don’t Stop” also featuring fellow NBA All-Star Dana Barros and rappers Grand Puba, Sadat X, AG and Diamond D. He has also hosted a morning music program for Phoenix, Arizona rhythm & blues radio station MEGA 104.3 FM.

Cedric Ceballos is an alumni of Ventura College and Cal State Fullerton. His daughter, Cyndee, recently signed to play basketball for Seattle University.

Brian Cardinal

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Malaysia

Brian Lee Cardinal (born May 2, 1977 in Tolono, Illinois), nicknamed “The Custodian” or “The Janitor”, is an American professional basketball player who has most recently played for the Dallas Mavericks. Prior to being drafted to the NBA, Cardinal played college basketball at Purdue University. Brian Cardinal attended Unity High School in Tolono, Illinois where he played basketball with his brother, Troy. He led the Rockets to an 86–25 record during his high school career, where he averaged 23.5 points during his Junior year and 24.1 points per game in his Senior year. He scored 40 points in two different games. On April 15, Brian was selected as the Coca-Cola All-American Most Valuable Player, where he scored 24 points and 13 rebounds for the West team.

After graduating from high school, Cardinal attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana to play under head coach Gene Keady and assistant coaches Frank Kendrick and Bruce Weber. Cardinal was redshirted during his Freshman season. During the 1996–97 season, Brian averaged 10.6 points a game and grabbed 182 rebounds on the season. He recorded his first collegiate double-double in only his second game against Western Michigan with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Along with Juniors Brad Miller and Chad Austin, he helped lead the Boilermakers to an NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance.

Brian was selected as a team captain for his Sophomore season, where he averaged 12 points and grabbed 178 rebounds, while leading Purdue to a 28–8 record. He helped lead the Boilers to a Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Averaging 11.4 points and grabbing 186 rebounds in his Junior season, he scored a career high 33 points in a game against Michigan. Along with teammate Jaraan Cornell, he was named a Third Team All-Big Ten selection and led Purdue to a second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance with a 23–13 record. Cardinal played his last collegiate season with career season highs with 203 rebounds and 13.9 points a game. The Second Team All-Big Ten selection helped lead the Boilermakers to an Elite Eight appearance in 2000 during his Senior year and to a 24–10 record.

Brian Cardinal is second in career starts at Purdue with 125, behind E’Twaun Moore. His career 259 steals at Purdue is the second most in school history behind Chris Kramer’s 260 (2006–2010). His Freshman record with 51 steals in the 1996–97 season was also surpassed by Chris Kramer’s 64 a decade later. He received the nickname, “The Custodian”, due to the way he cleaned the floor diving for loose balls. Brian left Purdue being the only Boilermaker to receive both the “Mr. Hustle” Award and the “Courage” Award four years in a row. On November 28, 2008, ESPN’s Jay Williams compared North Carolina’s Tyler Hansborough to Brian Cardinal’s style of play. While at Purdue, Brian won a Gold Medal at the 1998 Goodwill games; Team USA went 4–1. He was also a member of the 1997 22-and under National Team, which finished 5th in a 12-team field.

Cardinal was selected the 44th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. During his rookie season, playing in only 15 games, he had his best game against the Toronto Raptors on April 11, 2001, scoring a season-high 9 points, 4 rebounds and a game high three steals in 18 minutes. Playing in a total of 23 games for the Pistons in two seasons, he averaged 2.1 points a game and shot over 80 percent from the free throw line.

On September 11, 2002, he was traded to the Washington Wizards along with Jerry Stackhouse and Ratko Varda, for Richard Hamilton, Hubert Davis and Bobby Simmons. Cardinal was waived shortly after playing in only five games for the Wizards.

He spent the rest of the 2002–03 season playing in the Spanish league for Pamesa Valencia. He was instrumental in leading Pamesa to the ULEB Cup Championship.

After returning to the NBA, he signed with the Golden State Warriors. Cardinal had a breakthrough season with the Warriors, averaging nearly 10 points and 4 rebounds per game, appearing in 76 games. He was a finalist for the NBA Most Improved Player Award, eventually won by Zach Randolph. On February 11, 2004, Cardinal scored a career high 32 points against the Phoenix Suns and just three weeks later he had his career high of 14 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls on February 28.

After a breakthrough season in personal numbers and playing time, Cardinal signed as a free agent with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he posted similar numbers from the previous season, averaging almost 6 points and 2.5 rebounds in the four seasons with the Grizzlies, while injuries diminished playing time. During the 2006–07 season, Brian held career highs of field goal percentage (.494) and free throw percentage (.926).

In June 2008, Cardinal was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of an eight-player deal. Teamed with fellow forward Kevin Love in his eighth season in the NBA under head coach Kevin McHale and assistant coach Jerry Sichting, a former Boilermaker, Brian averaged 3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists a game for the 2008–09 season. He recorded his career high three blocks in a game against the New York Knicks on March 13, 2009. In the 2009–10 season, while appearing in 27 games for the Wolves, he averaged a team-low 9 minutes per game and went 21–21 from the free-throw line. On February 17, 2010, Cardinal was traded to the New York Knicks for Darko Miličić.[1] He was subsequently waived by the Knicks.[2] On March 23, he was re-signed by the Timberwolves.

On September 27, 2010, Cardinal was signed by the Dallas Mavericks.[3] On May 8, 2011, Cardinal hit the 20th three pointer in Game 4 of the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers series. His three pointer tied the record for most three pointers by a team in one playoff game with 20, which hadn’t been done since the Seattle SuperSonics did it against the Houston Rockets on May 6, 1996. Cardinal won his first NBA championship with the 2011 Mavericks in a six game playoff series against the Miami Heat. He agreed to sign a new one-year contract worth the veteran minimum on December 12

Brian’s father, Rod Cardinal, was the Illini’s head basketball trainer at the University of Illinois for three decades, from 1973 to 2003; he remains with the Illinois men’s basketball team as their special projects coordinator. Brian served as a towel boy for the 1989 Illinois Final Four team. Brian is married to former walk-on Purdue standout, Danielle Bird. The couple is currently involved with donations to the Purdue University athletics, along with former Purdue quarterback, Drew Brees.

Joe Logan

Baseball

Served as envoy

  • 2008  –  Colombia
  • 2010  –  Taiwan
  • 2011  –  South Korea
  • 2011  –  Philippines
  • 2012  –  Ecuador
  • 2013  –  India
  • 2015  –  Lithuania

Joe Logan was All American pitcher for Florida Southern College when the Moccasins won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1988. He had previously played for Chipola Junior College where he also won All American honors.

The Montréal Expos took him in the 28th round of the 1989 amateur draft. Joe played minor league ball in the Montréal Expos organization from 1989-1991, then played one year in the independent Northern League in 1993. He was 4-7 with a 2.88 ERA in his pro debut for the Jamestown Jammers to help them to the New York-Penn League title. He split 1990 between the Rockford Expos (10-2, 2.63) and West Palm Beach Expos (1-0, 1.88). Had he qualified, he would have been 5th in the Midwest League in ERA, just ahead of Pat Rapp. Back with West Palm Beach in 1991, he fell to 6-12, 3.18. In 1993, he was 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA for the Sioux Falls Canaries to finish with a 21-22, 3.13 record in pro ball.

After his Major League Baseball career ended, Joe was a minor league pitching coach for the Anaheim Angels from 1994-2000. Since 2002, Joe Logan has served as coach for the Orlando Reds AAU organization and he continues to work with collegiate and professional baseball players on a regular basis.

Barry Larkin

Baseball

Served as envoy

  • 2008  –  Colombia
  • 2010  –  Ecuador
  • 2011  –  India
  • 2012  –  Lithuania
  • 2013  –  South Africa
  • 2015  –  Taiwan

Barry Larkin a 19-year Major Leaguer, 12-time National League All-Star, 1995 N.L. Most Valuable Player and MLB Network studio analyst, spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds. Larkin served as Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Washington Nationals, specializing in player development and scouting. Larkin also participated in Major League Baseball’s efforts, led by Jim Lefebvre, to develop and train the Chinese National Baseball Team in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Larkin was selected by the Reds in the first round (fourth overall) in 1985 following a standout career at the University of Michigan. Larkin batted .353 in the 1990 World Series to help lead the Reds to a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics. He won three consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards from 1994-96. He earned 1995 N.L. MVP honors by hitting .319 with 15 home runs, 66 RBI and 51 stolen bases. In 1996, Larkin became the first Major League shortstop to join the 30-30 club when he hit 33 home runs and stole 36 bases. Larkin was named the Reds’ captain before the 1997 season.

Larkin batted .295, with 2,340 hits, 198 home runs, 960 RBI, 1,329 runs scored and 379 stolen bases. Baseball historian Bill James has called Larkin one of the greatest shortstops of all time, ranking him #6 all-time in his New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.

In 1993 Larkin won the Roberto Clemente Award, Major League Baseball’s highest off-field honor, for his philanthropy. In 2008, Larkin released a charity wine called “Barry Larkin’s Merlot,” with 100% of his proceeds supporting Champions Sports Foundation.

Jessica Mendoza

Softball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Nicaragua
  • 2015  –  Panama

Jessica Mendoza’s softball accomplishments are almost too vast to comprehend: After an incredible career at Stanford where she was a four-time First-Team All-American Outfielder and led the Cardinal to their first ever Women’s College World Series Appearance (she still holds 5 Stanford school records, including batting average & career home runs), Jessica became a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. From 2001-10, she won both a Gold (Athens, 2004) and Silver (Beijing, 2008) Medal, in addition to being a three-time World Champion (2002, 2006, 2010) and World Cup Champion (2006, 2007, 2010).

Natasha Watley

Softball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  India
  • 2014  –  Mexico
  • 2014  –  Cuba

Natasha Watley has mastered softball on every level she has played and competed in; from travel ball from a very young age, all the way through her professional career by taking home a gold medal from the 2004 Olympics & a silver medal from 2008 Olympics.

During the 2004 Olympics, Watley, assisted the US Softball Team on their third consecutive gold medal in Athens, by breaking the Olympic record for stolen bases, and was third on the team with a .400 batting average, with 9 hits and 10 RBI. During the 2008 Olympics, Watley hit .321 in the leadoff position with two home runs and six RBIs.
Also internationally, Watley is a two –time Pan American Gold Medalist (2003 & 2007), three-time World Champion (2002, 2006, 2010), and a four-time World Cup Champion (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010).
As a four-time All- American short stop, Watley, led her UCLA softball team to three straight Woman’s College World Series and the NCAA Divsion 1 Softball Championship title in 2003. She was awarded the Honda- Broderick Cup for top collegiate female athlete, as well as PAC 10 Player of the Year award, in 2003. She was a starter for the Bruins all four years and finished top three in career his (395), top five in career runs (252), top ten in career batting average (.450) and top ten in career stolen bases (158). Watley holds the single season record for hits (112) and is currently ranked fourth in Pac- 10 history; as well as seventh on the all –time NCAA record books with 112 hits in a single season.

In Watley’s high school years, she was named second team Louisville Slugger All- American. She hit over .445 in her last three seasons of high school softball, in addition to stealing over 20 bases stolen each season.

Though, she was a superstar on the softball field, Watley managed to balance her education, and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a minor in Afro- American Studies from UCLA. She received her Masters Degree in Business from Saint Leo University.
Currently Natasha Watley is playing professionally in Japan for Team Toyota, competing in the National Professional Fastpitch league with the USSSA Pride.

The Natasha Watley brand is expanding daily. Natasha runs many camps and clinics throughout the nation, has an instructional DVD on the market titled “The Art of Slapping”, and sponsors a 12U Team Watley, in Southern California. Watley is very concerned with the development of today’s youth and cares deeply for underprivileged children.

The Natasha Watley Foundation (NWF) is her newest expansion; which is a public, non profit, national community service organization. Watley uses NWF as a vehicle to help bring the sport of softball to young girls in the nation’s inner cities. The foundation provides an opportunity for young women to compete in leagues and on teams when financial resources are limited; and provides a positive alternative to the every day struggles they may endure in the inner cities.

Ruby Rojas

Softball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Nicaragua
  • 2015  –  Venezuela
  • 2015  –  Colombia

• Kinesiology Professor/Head Softball Coach @ Mt. SAC College
• Health and Nutrition Professor at University of Phoenix
• 2008 Olympian-Beijing, China
• 13 year veteran on Venezuelan National Team
• BackSoftball Athlete Ambassador 2008
• Currently pursuing a PhD in Sports Management @ United States Sports Academy
• B.A. in Sociology & Women Studies @ University of Virginia 03’
• M.A. Kinesiology & Physical Education @ Long Beach State 05’

• Coaching Experience
• Head Softball Coach at Mt. SAC 2012-Present
• Assistant Softball Coach at Mt. SAC 2010- 2011
• Previous Head Softball Coach at Orange Coast College 2007-2010
• Assistant Softball Coach at Orange Coast College 2006-2007

International Playing Experience
• 2008 Beijing Olympics- 5th in the World
• Participated in ISF Women’s World Championships 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012 – 5th in the 2010 World Championships
• Participated in ISF Pan American Games 2003, 2007- Silver Medalist
• Participated in ISF Central American Games 2002, 2006, 2010- Gold Medalist
• Participated in ISF Women’s World Cup-2007
• ISF Canada Cup-2002, 2003, 2008, 2009- All Tournament Team, 2012
• Member of the PFX (Professional Fastpitch Xtreme Tour) 2011

Collegiate Experience (University of Virginia 99-03’)
• Easton All-American 2001
• 1st Team All Southeast Region- 2001
• 1st Team All-ACC- 2001-2003
• 1st Team All ACC Tournament Team- 2000 & 2003
• 50th Anniversary All ACC Team- 2003
• ACC Rookie of the Year- 2000
• UVA MVP Award- 2003
• Highest batting average in ACC, .401- 2001
• Top 25 Highest Div. 1 Batting Average in the Nation- 2001

Personal Life
• Originally from Maracay, Venezuela
• Lives in Santa Ana
• Hobbies include salsa dancing, reading, writing and traveling

Alice Moat

Special Olympics Swimming

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Egypt

I have been a Special Olympics swimming coach for more than 25 years, serving as Head Coach of the Bethlehem Pennsylvania team for the 20 years. I am also the Pennsylvania Aquatics Sport Director, providing a liaison between the state competition staff and other volunteer aquatics coaches. In this position, I provide Special Olympics skills certification training to coaches, write articles on coaching tips, and help coaches with training and competition issues. I have been Aquatics Venue Coordinator at sectional and state competitions for the past 20 years, and I was the Head Aquatics Coach for Team PA USA at the 1999 World Games in North Carolina, and for the Pennsylvania team at National Games in 2010.

I am also a member of the local Bethlehem Special Olympics management team, currently serving as Manager, and previously as Volunteer Coordinator, Database Coordinator, Sports & Competition Coordinator, and Fundraising Coordinator.

I am currently retired, but previously worked for 31 years at PPL, Inc. (electric utility company) in the Fossil Fuels, Environmental and Information Services Departments.

Outside of Special Olympics, I am a lifetime member and volunteer for Girl Scouts and I help with science lessons at a local elementary school.

I have a sister with Down Syndrome who is a Special Olympics athlete in Virginia.

Denis Crean

Special Olympics Swimming

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Egypt

Denis is an active marathon open water swimmer and the founder and CEO of WaveOne Swimming, an internationally recognized open water swimming organization. Denis organizes races, swim clinics, and events and develops swim programs for teams and organizations worldwide. Denis is a USA Swimming and USMS certified Coach. His 25 years of pool and open water training and racing give him the experience and expertise to cover a broad range of swim topics, including the fundamentals of swimming; stroke technique and proper body positioning; advanced pace/interval/distance training; and open water race preparation, safety, and strategy techniques.

Denis is an avid open water swimmer and competitor, with an accomplished race record of over 250 racing miles including:
• 1st place: Tampa Bay 24-mile Marathon Swim (2004);
• 2nd place (male), 3rd place (overall): 28.5 mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (2006);
• 2nd place (male), 4th place (overall): 41k Lake George Marathon Swim (2007);
• 1st place (age group), 5th place (overall): 5.85 mile Little Red Lighthouse Swim (2009);
• 5th overall Swim Around Governors Island (2012);
• 1st place (age group) Frogman 5K (2013)
2013 highlights:
• Handpicked to participate as a coach in USA Swimming’s National Team open water training camp.
• Creator of the Inaugural Aloha Splash Pool Open Water Race on April 6, 2013

Kester Edwards

Special Olympics Swimming

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Egypt

Kester Edwards became involved in Special Olympics at age eight and has participated in aquatics, athletics, football, basketball, volleyball and floor hockey. Being a disciplined athlete he did well and was selected in 1987 and 1991 to represent Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago at the International Special Olympics Games where he won a gold medal in football and both silver and bronze in aquatics.
In 1995, he served as an official at the Aquatics venue at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Connecticut. He has also excelled as a trainer, working to condition Special Olympics athletes in Aquatics.
As the first Special Olympics athlete from Trinidad and Tobago appointed to Special Olympics Inc. Board of Directors, serve on the Rules committee and the first class of Special Olympics Former International Global Messenger.

In June 2001, Kester accepted an offer from Special Olympics Inc. as a Coordinator for Special Olympics’ Health and Research Initiatives, as well as the Regional Growth Division and now my position is Sport department and a member of the Washington DC (Special Olympics) Lions Club.