The Dee Park Basketball League (DPBL) is an independent recreational league that has played in Des Plaines, Illinois since FEB 1998.
One of people who was a part of both of these groups was Jason Marcus Waak. While in grad school at UIC he often would hear how many of his friends, now graduated, working, and off campus, missed playing organized ball through intramurals. Similarly, the TRU Crew, no longer working together, missed playing hoops together. OUR HISTORY: The origins of the league are found amongst two different groups of friends. One is a group of five guys who worked at the Toys R Us (Store #6006) at the corner of Golf & Milwaukee (across from Golf Mill Shopping Center) in Niles, Illinois. Starting in 1990 they would play basketball at the Lattof YMCA (300 E. Northwest HWY) in Des Plaines, Illinois after work Saturday nights.
This continued through the mid-1990s. The second was a group that were involved with various Asian American student groups at UIC including Asian American Collegiate Organization (AACO), Organization of Asian Students (OAS), and Kalahi Filipino Club. They played in the Campus Recreation’s intramural basketball program from circa 1990-1996. One of people who was a part of both groups was Jason Marcus Waak. While in grad school at UIC he often would hear how many of his friends, now graduated, working, and off campus, missed playing organized ball through intramurals. Similarly, the TRU Crew, no longer working together, missed playing hoops together. With this Jason spent 1997 researching solutions. Individually or the group of five from TRU could have joined something like a Chicago Sports and Social Club league but he was convinced that between these two groups and beyond, he knew enough people interested to stand up an independent league.
The TRU Crew had participated in rotisserie (now commonly called fantasy) basketball, baseball, and football leagues and Jason was adamant that this league would feature stats. By Fall 1997 the search for a location was in full swing with a possible Salvation Army church near Cumberland & Foster as a distinct possibility. Then Jason had a conversation with Dennis Silva who used Dee Park Friday nights for practice for his Philippine Basketball Association team. It seemed like a great fit, good access through major arteries like Golf Road, Milwaukee Avenue, Dempster Street, and the I-94 Expressway. The original rental time was 2030-2300 which permitted them to play ball and still head out clubbing (many of our original players were DJs and almost everyone had spent undergrad dancing at organizational parties from UIC, Loyola, DePaul, Northwestern, and NIU), to movies, or grabbing a late dinner at places like Hooter’s O’Hare, Omega Restaurant, Gene & Jude’s, Chicago Style Grill, Jack’s on Touhy, Ricobene’s, Greektown Gyros, or Seven Treasures in Chinatown. This meshed well with the nearly 24-hour pace of Chicago in the late 1990s. Operations began in FEB 1998 at Dee Park where an “all hands” open gym was held for the player pool to get to know each other and the captains to evaluate the talent. The initial draft was held in Room 816 Bravo located in UIC’s Single Student Residence (809 S. Damen). The scoreboard was hand crafted by Cathy Sioson in Student Center West also on the UIC campus. The first season ran FEB-APR the original four teams being the Bucks, Bulls, Cat Birds, and Condors. Among the captains were Dennis Silva, Mike McCarthy, Jason Waak, and Dean Manasses.
Jason Marcus Waak - Dee Park Basketball League Founder & Commissioner