McDermotts Help Fight Cancer

Iowa State head men's basketball coach Greg McDermott and his wife Theresa will join forces with the Division I men's basketball coaches in Iowa and their spouses to host “Hoops for Hope,” a fundraising gala benefiting the American Cancer Society. The event is set for Saturday May 5, 2007 at the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona, Iowa.

This premier event is a gathering of the state's basketball coaches/wives along with community leaders and dedicated supporters for a night of fun, entertainment and basketball-themed excitement. During this unique and first-time event, attendees will be able to socialize with the coaches and enjoy sports-related commentary.

This event, which is a part of the Coaches vs. Cancer program, will raise funds to attain goals set by the American Cancer Society which include: reducing cancer incidence by 25 percent, reducing cancer mortality by 50 percent and measureably improving the quality of life for people with cancer.

The decision to participate in this event was an easy one to make for the McDermotts. Theresa was diagnosed with breast cancer in November of 2005. She had surgery to remove the cancer a week later and started chemotherapy in late December. She completed her final set of chemotherapy treatments in June and has made a wonderful recovery, thanks to a yearly mammogram that caught the disease early.

“We had an event last year in Cedar Falls during the Coaches for Cancer weekend where we were able to raise over $30,000 from people all over the country,” McDermott said. “I was approached by a number of people from the American Cancer Society and the Coaches vs. Cancer program about getting more involved, and Theresa and I were willing to do that. The more we talked about it, we felt like it was an event we needed in the state of Iowa. We felt it would have more punch if we could get all four schools from the state of Iowa involved. Fortunately for us, (Iowa head) coach (Steve) Alford and his wife, (UNI head) coach (Ben) Jacobson and his wife and (Drake assistant coach) Keno (Davis) and his wife agreed to take part in it as well and join Theresa and I as honorary chairpersons for the event.”

Mac McCausland and Susan Heun will be co-chairs of the fundraiser and will be joined on a committee with a number of former Iowa State, Iowa, Drake and UNI players and coaches. For information about the event, call 1-800-688-0147 or visit online at www.cancermw.org/hoopsforhope.

“I think it will be an evening where people will have a lot of fun,” McDermott added. “It should be a fun event, but the important thing is we are going to raise a lot of money for a very important cause, and that is the fight against cancer. With the research Theresa and I have done since she was first diagnosed, it is amazing to me how far treatment has come in the last five years. It is our hope we can make a difference by raising some funds so the treatment and detection plans will be even better five years from now.”

Iowa State University Athletics

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