Tag Archive for: Zito Partners

Whitney Signs with IPZ…. Okert Traded to Minnesota…. Cliff Second in the Nation in Blocks Per Game

Kahlil Whitney Signs with IPZ

Kahlil Whitney, a former Roselle Catholic star and five-star recruit, 2019 McDonald’s All-American and co-MVP of the Iverson Classic after scoring 39 points, has signed with IPZ.  

After his Roselle Catholic career and a multi-year stint in the G-League, Kahlil has his sights set on a productive career overseas. IPZ is working with Players Group Italia to assist Kahlil in fulfilling his goals.  

“I met Kahlil when he was a senior in high school,” said Robert Zito, Managing Partner of IPZ. “A mutual friend introduced us and I was immediately impressed with his presence, not to mention his athletic ability. Given the right opportunity to showcase his talents, Kahlil will be a force.”  


Steven Okert Traded to the Minnesota Twins

Last week, Steven Okert was traded to the Minnesota Twins from the Miami Marlins in exchange for infielder/outfielder Nick Gordon.

Now entering his seventh year in the league, Okert posted a 4.45 ERA out of the bullpen for the Marlins during the 2023 season. He also posted the highest strikeout rate (29.6%) and lowest walk rate (9.7%) of his career.

He’ll join the Twins bullpen as one of the top left-handed options for next season.


Cliff Omoruyi Second in the Nation in Blocks Per Game

Cliff Omoruyi has been dominating the defensive glass all season. Currently, he is second in the nation in blocks per game, averaging 3.3 in 24 games played. In recent action, Cliff has amassed 20 blocks in his last 5 games, and 30 in his last 10 games.  

The senior has helped lead Rutgers to an overall record of 14-11, and turned the Scarlet Knights into a defensive powerhouse, as they hold a 91.1 Adjusted Defensive rating, which lands them second in the KenPom defensive rankings currently.  

Omoruyi and Rutgers face their toughest opponent for the second time this season as they hit the road to square off against #3 ranked Purdue on Thursday in Indiana.  

 



Omoruyi on Abdul-Jabaar Watchlist…Prudius Impact Wrestling Debut…Doughetry-Howard and San Diego Capture 2023 Shield

Cliff Omoruyi Named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabaar Watchlist

For the second season in a row, Rutgers star Center Cliff Omoruyi has been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabaar watchlist, an award which highlights the nation’s top 20 centers in the upcoming 2023-24 NCAA Basketball Season. This award comes just weeks after Omoruyi was named to the Preseason All-Big 10 Team. 

Omoruyi and his Rutgers’ teammates open regular season play on November 6th against Princeton in the “Jersey Jam” at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton. The Scarlet Knights did play a pre-season game this past weekend, an 89-78 double overtime loss to highly-rated St. John’s at Carnesecca Arena. The game raised money for the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at the Jimmy V Foundation. 

According to NJ.com’s coverage of the game, “Big Cliff” more than held his own against Joel Soriano, who is one of the best big men in the Big East. Omoruyi finished with a team-leading 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting (4-of-7 on free throws), nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 36 minutes, while holding Soriano to 12 points. 

“We need Cliff to be like that,” Rutgers’ coach Steve Pikiell said. “He’s so talented and he gives us an anchor in the middle, both defensively and offensively.” 


Oleg Prudius & His Impact Wrestling Debut

Oleg Prudius, a 6′ 8″ 302 lb wrestler and resident of Miami Beach, Florida, recently made his Impact wrestling debut on October 12th. It was the first on-screen appearance for Prudius since making a brief cameo in March of this year. During the episode, Prudius aligned himself with the duo of Dirty Dango and Alpha Bravo after aiding Dango in a five-way match that had implications for the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match at Bound for Glory on October 21st.

Prudius previously wrestled in the WWE where he won a Tag Team Championship with his former partner Santino Marella. The veteran will look to repeat this success with Impact wrestling and return to his past dominance in the sport.  

Make sure to catch Prudius in action Thursday nights at 8/7c on AXS TV!  


Meggie Dougherty-Howard and the San Diego Wave Capture the 2023 NWSL Shield

Meggie Dougherty-Howard and San Diego Wave FC captured the 2023 NWSL Shield. The NWSL Shield is a trophy awarded to the team with the best regular season record in the league.  

San Diego Wave FC enter the NWSL Playoffs as the No.1 overall seed and will host OL Reign in a semifinal match-up on November 5th at Snapdragon Stadium at 9:30 PM EST. 

Dougherty-Howard and the Wave look to bring San Diego Wave FC their first NWSL Championship in franchise history.



Latin American Fashion Designers Show + Party This Sunday…Alexey Oleynik Earns First Professional Boxing Win…Meggie Dougherty Howard 1st in NWSL

Latin American Fashion Designers Show + Party This Sunday

The Latin American Fashion Designers, which provides visibility for the top established and up-and-coming fashion designers from Latin America (and beyond) will stage its New York Fashion Week show this Sunday, with an “after-party” that evening at New York’s Limelight. 

The fashion show runs from noon – 6:30 p.m. at Canoe Studios, 201 West 26th Street in Manhattan. It will feature 13 Latin American designers and is expected to be attended by celebrities and sports stars. 

For tickets and more information, visit: https://www.fdla.co/access  


Alexey Oleynik Earns First Professional Boxing Win with KO

MMA sensation Alexey Oleynik (a.k.a. “The Boa Constrictor”) stepped into the ring for his first professional boxing match last Saturday night in Kazan, Russia. Hosted by the M-13 Company, the tournament was held in the entertainment complex “Pyramid” and was a dedication to International Boxing Day. The evening featured a total of 13 boxing matches, with Alexey’s fight being the featured event on the card.

Oleynik matched up against Russian Heavyweight fighter, Tagir Dzoblaev, taking him down by “KO” in Round One, moving him to a perfect 1-0 in his professional boxing career. Oleynik is the only fighter to win professional bouts in four different decades.  



Meggie Dougherty Howard and the San Diego WaveFC Take Over 1st Place




Meggie Dougherty Howard and San Diego Wave FC moved into first place in the NWSL standings with a 1-0 win over the Houston Dash this past weekend in front of 25,000 home fans at Snapdragon Stadium.  

Dougherty Howard, a key contributor to the Waves’ success with over 100 NWSL appearances, is enjoying her first season in San Diego as one of the team’s top playmakers. Meggie’s creativity, vision, and passing ability has led to San Diego being one of the highest scoring teams in the NWSL.

San Diego Wave FC will try to remain at the top of the table with just four games to play in the NWSL regular season as they host KC Current at home on Saturday, Sept. 16.




Discrimination in plain sight: College athletes on F-1 visas are missing out | Opinion

College athletes now have a well-deserved opportunity to earn money from their name, image and likeness.

Except for about 20,000 of them.

There are about 187,000 college athletes, of whom about 20,000 student-athletes are attending U.S. colleges on F-1 visas. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress passed The Patriot Act, which forbids students from outside the United States from earning money while attending school, unless they are employed by their school and on campus.

You’re not going to get any arguments from me about strengthening national security. I was in the South Tower on 9/11, having coffee with a friend before the first plane hit the North Tower. By the time both planes hit, I was just three blocks away at the New York Stock Exchange.

It turned out that one of the hijackers, who lived in Paterson, New Jersey, was earning money while here on an F-1 Visa. He evidently didn’t attend classes; he just worked and earned money to help fund the attack.

Fast forward to 2021, and the NCAA decides it’s time to allow athletes to capitalize on their name, image and likeness. Except for those 20,000 students who aren’t allowed to earn a dime here in the U.S.

”While I understand the intent of the law surrounding F-1 visas, the application of that law, as written, to F-1 visa foreign born athletes creates a discriminatory environment where these athletes are precluded from receiving the same benefits under NIL as non F-1 visa athletes,” says Jose Linares, the former chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. “This unintended result discriminates against these athletes (who are often the most financially challenged and thus most needy of the financial benefits of NIL) in a way that was never intended, foreseen or justified. This unintended consequence needs to be remedied.”

Loopholes? A non-U.S. athlete can go “offshore” to take photos, post on social media, sign autographs and appear in television, print and social media advertising and keep his or her earnings. The result is that more and more colleges are scheduling preseason trips to Europe, the Caribbean Islands, and other locales to give their non-U.S. athletes the opportunity to earn NIL money.

“There is no reason for this,” says attorney Peter Till. “The athletes should at the least be allowed to have someone put the money in a trust so that when their Visa status changes, or they return to their home countries, they can benefit from the earnings. There has been considerable and scholarly discussion on this topic.”

The NCAA has more to consider regarding rules around NIL. Are schools offering athletes “confirmed” NIL compensation if they attend that school? Are college boosters (now legally) sending money directly to athletes, in exchange for an appearance at the booster’s company or for a social media post about the booster’s business? It’s a work in progress … and the NCAA will need to develop hard and fast rules, so schools better understand what is and isn’t permissible.

But the NCAA might start with leveling the playing field for all its athletes. Start with the low hanging fruit? It shouldn’t take much for an NCAA delegation to visit Capitol Hill and show why this law needs to be updated.

“This application of this law is outdated and misdirected,” says attorney Charles M. Lizza of the law firm Saul Ewing LLP. “We understand and abide by laws, but as times and practices change, laws need to be consistent with those changes. Students should all have equal rights.”

While not being able to earn money for themselves, some non-U.S. students have used NIL to help others thanks to the NCAA’s rule changes.

Take Clifford Omoruyi for example. The starting center for the Rutgers basketball team, who hails from Nigeria and is attending the school while on an F-1 Visa, “Big Cliff” has helped several companies with appearances and social media posts, but never asked for a penny. Instead, his marketing agent asked the companies to give a donation to the “Books & Basketball” program at the Salvation Army’s West Side facility in Newark. Clifford volunteered at the program during his off-seasons, while he lived with the family of the program’s founder, Muhammad Oliver.

“He’s been an amazing role model for so many young children in Newark,” says Oliver. “And the contributions companies have made in his honor, have helped us provide equipment for these children that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”

The NCAA has a long way to go to take the wrinkles out of NIL. But it — and Congress — can start by making it a level playing field for every athlete, regardless of his or her country of origin. The discrimination needs to end.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/2023/04/13/college-athletes-f-1-visas-name-image-likeness-rules/70107139007/

Cliff Omoruyi & Knight Society Raise $10k for Newark Salvation Army… Meggie Dougherty Howard PK Secures 1-0 Win… Brad Smith Ends Regular Season Hot as Whipsnakes Secure #1 Seed

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Cliff Omoruyi Named One of NJ’s Most Influential Athletes…18 Birdies Highlights Sheenah Pegeron…Brad Smith Selected to PLL All-Star Game

Ramiir Dixon-Conover Signs With IPZ…Paul Racks Up Awards…Alex & Omaha Set For Round of 16…Cento Amici Golf Outing

Chris Silva Featured in Spurs and Feathers Magazine

DREAMSCAPE: Chris Silva fulfills lifelong quest, enjoys NBA rookie season with Miami Heat

Some days Chris Silva stands on the balcony of his high-rise apartment in downtown Miami and peers right, over the rollerbladers below and past American Airlines Arena. He gazes over Bayside Marina, beyond the docked cruise ships and out onto the horizon.

Somewhere in the distance lies his past, in Gabon, Africa, where he was an unknown youth with untapped potential — on the basketball court and in life — and a dream.

Read more here.

Bob Zito in ROI-NJ on How COVID-19 is Impacting Sports and Entertainment

At IPZ, diversity of clients — and sectors represented — always is on display

How Warren-based agency continues to represent athletes, entertainers from around the world during coronavirus crisis

 

The diversity of clients the agency represents is worth noting. And it’s not just having basketball, baseball and soccer stars along with mixed martial arts competitors. Or a Ukranian actress, bilingual Hispanic TV personality from Colombia and a voice-over specialist from Florida.

No, it’s the total mixture of sports and entertainment that makes Warren-based IPZ different, founder and Managing Partner Bob Zito said. And he said he wouldn’t have it any other way…

 

Read the full story here.