Ortiz was able to hold off Adam Hadwin

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Luol Deng has never once forgotten home. He has spent much of his adult life trying to give back to his native South Sudan, the war-torn African nation the Cavaliers forward and his family fled when he was a young boy. And while Dengs contributions have touched many, he knows the work will never end. "I wish I could wake up tomorrow and nobody needs help," Deng said. "But we all know thats not going to happen. Im just happy to be in the position that Im in to be able to do the things that Im able to do." On Tuesday, Deng was commended for his compassion and dedication when he was named the winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, given annually to an NBA player, coach or trainer for outstanding community service. Deng has had a long commitment to philanthropic work in South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011 but has been ravaged by ethnic violence. The two-time All-Star, who came to Cleveland in a trade from Chicago in January, recently recorded a public service announcement for EnoughProject.org, urging peace in his homeland. In a video directed at the nations youth, Deng says, "Look around you, and reach out. Make peace among those who are fighting. Forgive one another and encourage others to forgive. Build trust with people who fear each other. You are young, and if you are wise, you will build bridges with people your age that will last a lifetime." The video is a small sample of Dengs attempts to help others. The 29-year-old also has established The Luol Deng Foundation, a global non-profit organization using basketball as a platform to bring hope to those less fortunate in Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. His work in Africa has focused on the construction of outdoor courts and initiatives to bring together local communities. His charity work in the U.S. has been focused primarily on his two NBA homes -- Chicago and Cleveland. He has funded holiday events in the cities, providing meals and toys to the needy. He has served as a mentor to the "Lost Boys of Sudan" and supported the NBAs "Basketball Without Borders" program. Deng is the third Cleveland player to win the award, joining Austin Carr (1979-80) and Eric Snow (2004-05). He also joins an illustrious list of past winners, including Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett and Steve Nash. The award is named after the leagues second commissioner. Dengs journey to pro stardom is almost unbelievable. One of nine children, he and his family left Sudan and lived as refugees in Egypt before going to England. Cavs coach Mike Brown was fully aware of Dengs background before the forward came to Cleveland. Brown was thrilled that Deng was honoured. "Its well-deserved," Brown said after practice. "From what hes come from and his life experience is off the charts. He told me about it and I was touched. To see where he is now, and for him to know my job is not done, I was one of the fortunate ones. Because of where I am, I have a platform to help bring awareness for others. "Its a remarkable thing. I dont know how he does it. You applaud him. Obviously, you applaud his parents for raising him the way they did. Its an amazing story. I would be surprised if his life story doesnt turn into a Hollywood movie deal someday. Its that special." Deng finds greater reward in helping others. "Its one of those things when I talk to my parents about it, theyll be very proud," said Deng, who has been slowed by a sore back. "I dont have any kids, but its one of those things where, when you have a kid and your kid calls home and tells the parents what award he won, theyll be proud that theyve done a good job. "Its all about helping other people and just doing what makes you happy in life." Christian Jones Lions Jersey . He never mentioned anything about his hitting. The 33-year-old right-hander had success with both Sunday, pitching six solid innings and helping the offence-starved Mets with an RBI single as New York salvaged a doubleheader split with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Levine Toilolo Lions Jersey . Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff underlined the squads enormous potential on the Rettenbach glacier in Austria. http://www.shopdetroitlionsnfl.com/lions...r-black-jersey/. The Blueshirts hope to stay alive once again when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Sundays Game 6 battle at Madison Square Garden. Tracy Walker Lions Jersey . Huntelaar also had a penalty saved by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. The two goals brought Huntelaars total for the season to 18, level with Bayern Munichs Mario Gomez for most in the league. DaShawn Hand Lions Jersey . Rajne Soderberg, the director of the Stockholm Diamond League event, said in an email Friday that the ban still holds. Euromeetings, the organization representing Europes top track events, "will continue to recommend that members do not invite athletes who we believe cause disrepute to our meetings and our sport.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - For the first time since 2009, the 2014 Web.com Tour season had a three-time winner in Mexican Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz, who automatically qualified to play on the PGA Tour during the 2014-15 season with his incredible year, became the first player since Michael Sim in 2009 to take home three titles in one season on the Web.com Tour. Ortiz and Adam Hadwin, who picked up two victories on tour, were the only multiple winners, meaning there was quite a bit of parity throughout the 25 events in 2014. In his first professional start, Sebastian Cappelen earned a 1-shot victory over Matt Weibring at the Air Capital Classic in June. Steven Alker and Dawie van der Walt battled in a playoff for hours to decide the Cleveland Open. Entering the finals series, which featured the final four events of the season, the top-25 players on the regular-season money list earned their PGA Tour cards for the 2014-15 season, with another 25 handed out at the conclusion of the season. Now lets take a look at who else did what in 2014: PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- CARLOS ORTIZ There was little doubt that Ortiz would earn Player of the Year honors after hoisting three different trophies throughout the 2014 season. Ortiz began his season with a third-place finish at the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship, but things only got better from there for the now 23- year-old Mexican. Following a missed cut at the Chile Classic and a tie for 22nd at the Brasil Champions, Ortiz cruised to a 4-shot victory over Jason Gore at the Panama Claro Championship. Ortiz improved on his score all four days, going 70-68-66-64 to finish the week at 12-under-par 268. Two events later, Ortiz went on to win on his home soil at the El Bosque Mexico Championship in April for his second victory in three tournaments. Ortiz started the week with a 2-over 74, but three straight rounds in the 60s helped him pick up a 2-shot win over Justin Thomas. It was over four months between wins before Ortiz took home the WinCo Foods Portland Open title, his third of the season. Ortiz started the week on fire with rounds of 66 and 63. While he cooled down to finish 70-71, Ortiz was able to hold off Adam Hadwin and Gore to win by one shot at 14-under 270. Along with his three wins, Ortiz had six top-10 finishes, but he did miss eight cuts in 19 starts, although five of those cuts came over his last six events to go along with his win in Portland. While he did not earn any money in the finals series, Ortiz finished the regular season atop the earnings list with $515,403. He ended second overall at the conclusion of the finals series. Hadwin was the only other player to be considered for Player of the Year. TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR -- CLEVELAND OPEN The 2014 Web.com Tour season featured five tournaments that went to a playoff, but none were as riveting as the marathon between Steven Alker and Dawie van der Walt at the Cleveland Open. While the Cleveland Open was an event on the PGA Tour in 1966 and 1968, this was the first time it was played on the Web.com circuit and it did not disappoint. Afteer Alker fired a final-round, 6-under 65 and van der Walt carded a 66, the duo finished regulation tied at 14-under-par 270.dddddddddddd The tournament was not even close to over, however, as the duo went on to play a Web.com Tour record 11 playoff holes before Alker finally closed things out with a birdie. Alker appeared to be in firm control heading to the finish of regulation, but his 3-shot lead fell apart when he made a pair of bogeys on 17 and 18 at Lakewood Country Club. In the meantime, van der Walt used a huge back nine to catch Alker. Van der Walt made all pars on his first nine holes in the final round, but he started his way up the leaderboard with birdies on 10 and 12. After a par on 13, van der Walt drained four gains on his final five holes from 14, with a bogey on 16 sandwiched in between. Van der Walts final birdie of the day on 18 forced a playoff. The duo went on to play the 18th hole twice in a row to start the playoff, and then played Nos. 16 through 18 three times until Alker finally ended it on the par-4 18th. After exchanging pars with van der Walt on the first 10 playoff holes, Alker stuck his second shot on 18 to about three feet. Van der Walt was unable to convert his 15-foot birdie try and Alker tapped in for his birdie and his fourth career victory on the Web.com Tour. Alker only had two other top-10 finishes on the season, including a runner-up finish at the Boise Open. Van der Walt picked up a win on the European Tours Nelson Mandela Championship in December, but he has never won on the Web.com Tour. GOOD YEAR - Adam Hadwin was the only other multiple winner on tour this season along with Ortiz. Hadwin earned a 1-shot victory at the Chile Classic and a 2-stroke win at the Chiquita Classic. He also tied for second behind Ortiz at the WinCo Foods Portland Open. Hadwin had nine top-10 finishes on the year and he ended atop the cumulative money list at $529,792, which is the third most all time. - Derek Fathauer took home his first career victory at the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship. He also finished runner-up to Roger Sloan at the Nova Scotia Open and tied for third at the Panama Claro Championship. Fathauer had eight top-10 finishes and missed just four cuts all year. - Justin Thomas had seven top-10 finishes and missed just two cuts in 20 events in 2014. Thomas won the penultimate event of the season when he defeated Richard Sterne in a playoff at the Nationwide Childrens Hospital Championship. Thomas was also a runner-up to Ortiz at the El Bosque Mexico Championship and a third-place finisher at the Boise Open. BAD YEAR - Fernando Mechereffe made just seven cuts in 21 starts on the Web.com Tour in 2014. His lone top-10 finish of the season came at the Boise Open, where he tied for 10th. - Despite losing in the Cleveland Open playoff, Dawie van der Walt made just eight cuts in 17 events on tour. The runner-up at the Cleveland Open was van der Walts only top 10 of the season. - Jared Wolfe missed the cut 15 times in 17 events on tour in 2014. His best overall finish was a tie for 33rd at the South Georgia Classic in May. 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