MEN'S BASKETBALL JOINS COACHES vs. CANCER

Weston, Mass.-Second year head coach Nathan Hager along with his men's basketball staff will join a nationwide fight against cancer by taking part in the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer initiative January 31 at 3 pm.

To raise awareness about cancer, each teams basketball staff will be asked to wear white sneakers during its game against Wentworth Institute of Technology. Hager said of the event, "Although we won't be televised, people will notice the coaches wearing white shoes." Each division of the NCAA will participate in Coaches vs. Cancer this weekend.

He went on to say, "It will bring about awareness that this (cancer) is a terrible disease affecting many people."

Approximately 565,650 Americans are expected to die of cancer, more than 1,500 people a day. The 5-year relative survival rate between 1996 and 2003 is 66 percent, as stated by the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts and Figures 2008 edition.

Norm Stewart, former head coach of the University of Missouri's men's basketball program, is a cancer survivor, and provided the original concept for Coaches vs. Cancer by challenging fans to donate a dollar for every three pointer made by his team during the season.

Coaches vs. Cancer is collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches. Since 1993 coaches have raised more than $50 million to support the American Cancer Society's fight against cancer, as stated on the Coaches vs. Cancer Web site.