Where We Stand: Basketball teams can be pretty in pink
Coaches, of all people, are inclined to take the business of winning and losing quite seriously.
But this week, South View High School basketball coach Nathan Faulk was reminding his players there are other, more important things to worry about.
"I try to tell my kids that as important as our season is,'' he said, "there are people dealing with a lot more serious issues.''
That's the motivation behind South View's second annual Coaches vs. Cancer basketball game, which will begin at 6 p.m. Friday in Miller Gym at South View. The Tigers will take on Jack Britt.
The event will feature quite a bit of hoopla, including a raffle and half-court shooting contests. T-shirts and remembrance basketballs will be available for purchase. All proceeds from the evening will go to the American Cancer Society.
Cancer survivors will be honored at a halftime ceremony with pink flowers. Everyone attending the game is asked to wear pink.
The Coaches vs. Cancer, a joint venture by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, is a concept that has been adopted all over the country. An annual Coaches vs. Cancer college basketball tournament started in 1995 and takes place every November.
Faulk first organized such an event when he was coaching at South Columbus. He said that the folks at South View helped make last year's event his most successful.
"We're trying to make this year's the biggest yet,'' he said.
So find your pink shirt, your pink scarves, your pink jackets. And show up to cheer.
No matter who you're cheering for, we think everyone who attends and supports such a good cause can certainly consider themselves winners.