Organized by the American Cancer Society, “Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers” is a nationally recognized event that took place during the week of January 27-February 2. The American Cancer Society puts on this event for the country to come together under a common goal: to end cancer. During this week, coaches of both men’s and women’s college basketball are encouraged to wear dress apparel along with their most bold, eye-catching sneakers during their games to bring attention to the cause. For instance, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team coaches wore custom designed shoes that were made by children receiving cancer treatment at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison.
Viterbo University hosted their annual Coaches vs. Cancer event Saturday, February 1 at the men’s and women’s basketball games. Throughout each game, Viterbo athletics collected donations for a 50/50 raffle, with proceeds going to help end the fight against cancer.
In these games, both teams faced off against conference foe, the Trinity Christian College Trolls. For the women’s game, players on the team replaced their normal shoelaces with pink lace, in honor of the event, no matter what color the shoe was. In addition to this honorable display, the V-Hawks won in dominant fashion, with a final score of 82 to 47. First-year Carly Drew led the team in scoring with 11 points, while sophomore Marley Hughes was passing the rock, dishing up four assists. As a team, the V-Hawks shot 44% from the field and an impressive 35% from three. This win improved the team to an overall record of 12-10 and a conference record of 5-9.
For the men, Coach David Mlachnik sported a pair of Nike “Pure Platinum” dunks, while student assistant Jackson Schuh wore a pair of the “Stealth” Air Jordan 12s. To enhance their sneakers, all coaches also dressed in their snazziest attire. For the game, the V-Hawks were able to pull off the win over Trinity Christian with a final score of 77-64.
Both starting big men paved the way for the team. Junior Forward Colin Adams led the V-Hawks in points and rebounds with totals of 15 and 9. First-year Center Christian Rohde distributed the ball like a guard, racking up four assists. Firs-year Landon Thousand was close behind Adams with 13 points, while draining three three-pointers. This win improved the V-hawks to a season record of 6-15 and a conference record of 4-10.
With the conclusion of this game, both teams now have three weeks of regular season remaining, for a total of six games. Each game will prove to be crucial, as both teams are in pursuit of a conference tournament trophy, which leads to a conference championship.
