Marietta basketball to sponsor Coaches vs. Cancer activities
Activities will begin on Saturday against Wilmington

Jan. 28, 2009
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College men's and women's basketball teams will be joining forces with the American Cancer Society when they participate in a series of Coaches vs. Cancer programs during the first week of February.

The Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend, a collaborative initiative of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the American Cancer Society, is slated for Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Participating NABC-member college men’s basketball coaches, including Coach Jon VanderWal and his staff, will wear sneakers instead of dress shoes with their usual game attire during Saturday’s (Jan. 31) game against Wilmington College to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and the fight against cancer.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of college and high school coaches across the country, Coaches vs. Cancer participants have raised nearly $45 million since 1993. Since 1996, Marietta has raised over $50,000 for the American Cancer Society through their Three Point Attack on Cancer, a program brought to campus by former coach Doug Foote.

The money has helped the Society save lives by educating and empowering people to avoid cancer or find it early, helping people facing cancer make decisions and overcome obstacles in their personal fight investing in research that yields groundbreaking discoveries into cancer’s causes and cures and helping pass laws that fight cancer and keep our communities healthy.

More Coaches vs. Cancer activities are planned for Marietta’s doubleheader against Heidelberg College during Winter Weekend on Feb. 7. The Pioneers will be taking pledges, beginning on Jan. 31, for three-point shots made during both the men’s and women’s games against the Student Princes. Marietta will also be selling Coaches vs. Cancer t-shirts for $8 and paper basketballs to mount on Wall of Hope under the north basket for $1.

In addition, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has agreed to donate the proceeds from the 50-50 raffles that will take place at all home games during the week of Jan. 31-Feb 7 to the American Cancer Society.

Donations are used exclusively to fund the American Cancer Society-approved research, education and patient services in Ohio.

All donations will be presented to the American Cancer Society in the name of Mike Kubachka, Leslie Frye and Linda Marshall. Mike was the father of current Pioneer player Matt Kubachka, while Leslie and Linda were foster parents, former Marietta employees and friends. Their memories serve as a perpetual inspiration for the Pioneers to continue the battle of Coaches vs. Cancer.

To learn more, visit http://cancer.org/coaches or call 1-800-ACS-2345. You can also stop by the Coaches vs. Cancer table in the lobby of Ban Johnson Arena on game day.