by Bea Peterson
During their pre-game practices Tuesday night the Hoosick Falls girls JV and varsity basketball teams sported hand decorated pink T-shirts. The shirts were emblazoned “Coaches Vs Cancer.” The JV team sported pale pink shirts. The varsity squad tie dyed their darker shirts and lettered “Coaches Vs. Cancer” on the front and inspirational messages on the back. Both teams wore pink socks during their games against Schuylerville. The basketballs used for the games were pink and white. In a continuation of the program, the boys will use the same basketballs at their home game on Friday, February 6.
HFCS Head Coach Mike Lilac said Coaches Vs. Cancer is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). According to the website, Coaches Vs. Cancer empowers basketball coaches, their teams and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. Lilac said it evolved from a concept championed by Norm Stewart, former head coach of the University of Missouri’s men’s basketball program, a cancer survivor and a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He started the program by challenging fans to pledge a dollar amount for every three-point shot made by his team during the season.
This is the first year Hoosick Falls has participated in the program. On Tuesday members of the boys basketball teams collected $1 from fans who signed their names to Coaches Vs. Cancer cards. The small cards were then placed on the walls around the high school gym. Fans will have another opportunity to add more cards to the wall at Friday’s game.
The American Cancer Society and the NABC adopted the Coaches Vs. Cancer concept in 1993 and transformed it into a nationwide effort to unite coaches across the country in the common mission to provide help and hope to all people facing cancer. Today, more than 500 Division I, II and III college coaches are involved in the program. Coaches Vs. Cancer has raised nearly $40 million since its inception to support the American Cancer SocietyŌ whose mission is to eliminate cancer as a life threatening disease. Additionally, more than 100 high school coaches also participate in the program.
The JV girls defeated Schuylerville 41-31. The varsity squad was not so fortunate. They lost 47-38.
