ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) -- Cancer impacts everyone. That's why, for the 19th year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches teamed up with the American Cancer Society for the Coaches Versus Cancer Basket "Ball", to help raise money to fight this horrible disease.
The event was hosted by Siena head coach Gerry McNamara and his wife Katie, and UAlbany head coach Dwayne Killings and his wife Ana. While this was McNamara's first year as host, he was honored at the event back in 2022. For one night, McNamara and Killings are united on the same team in the fight against cancer. "This disease impacts all of us," said McNamara. "It's taken family members of mine. I have current ones in the fight. It means the world that I can be here. This is my third time here. This event was kind of the introduction for me to this area. To be back here now as the host and coach of Siena, paying it forward and trying to do the right thing and making sure we raise as much money we can for a disease that's going to impact every one of us."
"My wife, her aunt who raised her, unfortunately we lost her about seven or eight years ago to cancer," said Killings. "I think it's a reminder of the bright days she had in the family, but then also I think it's our way of giving back to make sure that more families don't go through some of the things that we experienced when we went through some of the adversity, losing her life years ago. Also, I think it's a great moment for the community. I think this community comes together for such great causes with so much strength. I think strength in numbers, strength in resources, and I'm just honored to be a small part of such a big, big, big production."
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas was honored with the inspiration award for his work in the fight against cancer. What inspires him? Hope. "What buoys me and I think most other people that are involved is how many gains we've made," said Bilas. "The people that are on the front lines, the doctors, the researchers, the scientists have made incredible gains over the last several decades. Survivability rates are way up for different kinds of cancers. There's hope now, and I think there's a finish line in sight. For my wife, Wendy, who lost her father to cancer, and for me, that's our cause of choice. That's where all our dollars go. The way I look at it, the doctors, the scientists, the researchers, those that are on the front lines in the fight against cancer, that's their role. But our role is to provide them with the resources that they need."
