Coaches vs. Cancer: A team effort

Now that the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Basketball Tournament has ended, after its quadrupleheader-doubleheader whirlwind weekend, let's recognize one of the winners.

No, not that one.

Not that one, either.

The final score wasn't in yet, but the American Cancer Society earned another "W" on Friday and Saturday, adding to its impressive streak over the last half-dozen high school basketball seasons.

As the orange T-shirts and blue bracelets available for sale at the four semifinals at Friends' Central and two finals at Penn State Abington showed, the ACS has become quite involved in the high school sports scene, through the Coaches vs. Cancer of Philadelphia's school initiative.

Spearheaded by a half-dozen volunteer committee members, the initiative helps run the independent-school tournament and sponsors other events for the cause, and gets high school administrators and students involved in raising money.

The initiative gave $234,000 to the ACS in the last fiscal year, and has collected about $160,000 this year, committee member Bill Campo said. The initiative includes mostly high schools but also grade schools and youth groups.

Coaches vs. Cancer, a collaboration between the ACS and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, began in the 1990s at the college level. The school initiative here started about 2004, and sets the group apart from other chapters across the nation, Campo said.

"We have become the model right here in Philadelphia," Campo said. "Mike Brey out at Notre Dame does a few things. Jamie Dixon at Pitt does a few things. None of them have what we have here, where we have a committee and we have the involvement that we do on the high school level in this area.

Members of the initiative committee reach out to leagues and teams in the area, attending meetings of the Suburban One, Catholic League, and others. Once a school comes on board, the committee provides a game-day kit. Through the kit, the schools can order items such as wristbands, T-shirts, and backpacks to sell at games.

From there, schools and groups decide how they will raise money. Those ideas vary:

Central Bucks East held a daylong program in January that included talks by St. Joseph's basketball coach Phil Martelli and Drexel coach Bruiser Flint. The school also collected funds at a boys' and a girls' basketball game, two basketball games involving teachers, and a concert by high school students, among other events. Finally, a donor contributed almost $15,000 on the condition that he remain anonymous, said Mike Reilly, a parent who oversees the fund-raising.

Overall, East donated more than $51,000.

"They just blew us all away with the money they raised this year," Campo said.

Buff Radick, Council Rock South athletic director, ran the Suburban One Challenge on Jan. 22, with 21 boys' and girls' games at six sites. More than $4,100 was raised, Radick said.

The Central League designated a leaguewide game day, Feb. 4, to raise money. Springfield (Delco) athletic director Glenn Mallon, who organizes the effort, said that the 12 league schools decide how to raise funds, and that the goal is for each to collect $1,000.

The charitable work goes beyond basketball teams.

Central Bucks South's ice hockey coach, Tom Coyne, organized an eight-team tournament in September at the Rinks at Warwick and raised $9,000.

And led by two officials, a group of basketball referees in District 1 has donated over the last few years. With each official asked to give up one game fee, the refs contributed $4,300 last year and hope to top $5,000 this year, Campo said.

Coaches vs. Cancer has received checks from 37 schools so far, Campo said, adding that the Suburban One and Central League had yet to donate. The goal for this fiscal year, he said, is to surpass $250,000.

"We're fortunate here," Campo said, "because between [PIAA] District 1 and District 12, we have a lot of schools."