Watch party for former UIS Olympic athlete Richard Oruche scheduled for August 2

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will hold a watch party for former standout guard Richard Oruche, who will be playing on the Nigerian basketball team in the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is believed to be the first UIS athlete to play in the Olympic Games.

WHEN: Thurs., Aug. 2, 2012 from 4 to 7 p.m.

WHERE: Stars Lounge, located in the Student Life Building on the east side of the UIS campus. Visitors should park in Lot B.

DETAILS: Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members are invited to come and watch Nigeria play Team USA. The game will be broadcast live on a large projection screen and several televisions. FREE wings, chips and salsa, quesadillas and other snack food, along with soft drinks, will be available to those in attendance.

Oruche, 24, graduated from UIS in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He has been playing basketball professionally in Portugal for two seasons. He holds dual Nigerian and United States citizenship and was invited to play on the Nigerian team earlier this year.

A Bensonville, Ill. native, Oruche led the Prairie Stars in scoring (19.8 points per game) and rebounding (5.8 rebounds per game) during the 2009-10 season, the inaugural year of Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) membership. Oruche was the first UIS student-athlete to earn postseason accolades from the GLVC by being named second team All-GLVC. He was also the first Prairie Star student-athlete to earn the league’s Player of the Week award in December 2009. He spent two seasons at Northern Illinois University as a red shirt freshman before transferring to UIS.

For more information, contact Derek Schnapp, director of public relations at 217/206-6716 or dschn3@uis.edu.