Dubbed the Dribble for Victory Over Cancer program (and hosted annually since 2008 by UCLA and St. John’s University), this charity event is now expanding to include Triangle collegiate basketball programs, with the next event hosted at NC State on Oct. 15.
Each event involves community members gathering to dribble through a brief campus course while meeting collegiate basketball players, coaches, various student-athletes and other notable alumni en route. To dribble up support, participants can set up fundraising pages to ask friends and family to fund the cause. How baller is that?!
“The enthusiasm for Dribble for Victory Over Cancer proves what I have always believed,” says Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation Executive Director Jeri Wilson. “We are stronger together. And this is certainly the case when it comes to raising money for pediatric cancer research, which has been underfunded for too long, leaving kids with cancer few modern treatments.”
By uniting to raise money and recognize the needs of the community in such a visible and motivating way, Wilson says “North Carolinians are telling children with cancer, ‘We see you, and we are going to help you take back your futures.’”
In the 15 years since its formation, Dribble for Victory Over Cancer has raised over $2 million for pediatric cancer research (!)—with Aug. 28 UNC’s event drumming up over $75,000… meaning “the ceiling is the roof” for this charity cause.
“We are dedicated to funding the most innovative cancer research projects, and the funds raised by Dribble for Victory Over Cancer will benefit the world-class scientists who are working every day to defeat pediatric cancers,” says The V Foundation Chief Executive Officer Shane Jacobson. “Together, we are committed to learning more about the disease, improving treatments and giving all children the bright futures they deserve.” Get ready for another slam-dunk!
March Madness may be cooling down but the action on the court is as hot as ever—and this weekend’s games are sure to end the month with a slam dunk as Tobacco Road rivals Duke and UNC meet for their first-ever tourney NCAA matchup in the Final Four Saturday with allll the emotion on the line. Coach K’s final season. A chance to punch your ticket to the National Championship against your arch-rival. So either all your swishes come true or you just dribble. Feel the drama.
So whether you’re feelin’ Devilish or hollerin’ for the Heels, court is officially in session at these six local sports spots—aka, drink (er, watch) here to celebrate a W or forget an L!
Get ready for a good shuckin’ time with food and drink specials (including $1 oysters!) at this “tide-to-table” resto. You won’t miss a single shot thanks to multiple TVs all programmed to the NCAA Final Four.
A hoppy evening is in store at My Way Tavern, one of RM reader’s fave sports bars to enjoy the game + grub (plus beer, natch). No matter your crew’s food preferences, the popular neighborhood joint has something for everyone—from wings and nachos to mac ’n cheese and ribs. NTM 22 beers on tap. Now that’s what we call a stella good time.
Despite the name, Carolina Ale House isn’t for just the Carolina fans. No matter which blue you’re reppin’, the ale house will cure what ales you with its flat-screen basketball frenzy—either out on the terrace or bellied up to the high-energy bar.
Born from a dream to combine good food and good sports, Tobacco Road Sports Cafe has exactly what you need to get your head in the game for the Final Four. Can we get a cheers?
All kinds of players retreat here, so whether your team wins or loses, at least you’ll have PR’s famous sausage dip—and a local brew or two—to keep you satisfied.
Local sports fans may have a hard time catching ACC games soon. Next season, both ACC football and basketball games will no longer be televised on WRAL, or any other local stations, as, in August, ESPN will launch its ACC Network, dedicated to broadcasting virtually all conference games. This means that ACC games will only be available on cable or satellite going forward and if you don’t subscribe to a cable package, well, you’re pretty much screwed. The ACC Network will be a 24/7 platform broadcasting an estimated 1,300 live events in its first year, including regular season football games, men’s and women’s basketball games, regular-season competitions and tournament games, and news and information shows. The change heralds the end of a 37-year partnership between the ACC and Charlotte’s Raycom Sports, which offered WRAL a package of 21 games this season. Though Raycom will still help ESPN produce the games—some of the channel’s programming and staff will be based in Charlotte—the move is just the latest blow to add to the decline of local television.
1. Keatts had his first coaching experience as a college basketball player at Ferrum College in Virginia. When the team’s head coach had a major accident, Keatts offered to help out the assistant coach. “That was really my first taste of coaching, and it helped me realize what it was what I wanted to do,” he says.
2. Keatts welcomes the challenge of developing chemistry between team veterans and the players he recruited this season. “Six new players is a lot to have on one team, so there are plusses and minuses,” he says. “There will be guys sitting out [due to NCAA transfer rules] who can see what we want them to become and can use the year to get better. There is a certain amount of excitement to it. We have versatile guys that can play multiple positions. That is something I always look for when recruiting players.”
3. In August, Coach Keatts took a trip to Italy with the basketball team, touring historical sites in Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome and playing a few games to prepare for the season and bond with the players. The experience “allowed us to learn about each other on and off of the court and also to build some trust in one another,” Keatts says.
4. Keatts’ two sons, K.J. and Kaden, are also huge basketball fans. “They love being around the team and the program,” Keatts says. “They’re around the team a lot.”
5.Keatts prefers college sports to professional sports. “I appreciate professional sports, they are the best athletes in the world, but I’ve always been more into college sports,” he says. “I’m a big college football fan, college basketball fan. My team is NC State. They’re who I root for in everything.”
The Wolfpack Men’s Basketball team will play all home games at the PNC Center while Reynolds Coliseum undergoes massive renovation.
NC State’s season kicks off against Cal State Los Angeles November 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $7 (parking passes cost $10). Team members will sign autographs on opening day.
We talked with head coach Mark Gottfried about the 2015-2016 season.
Q: What’s the biggest challenge you anticipate?
A: We need to replace our 3-point shooters. The question will be if we can be a good 3-point shooting team.
Q: What are some of the team’s biggest strengths this coming season?
NC State basketball game
A: I do think we are athletic, and we have some quickness. We also have some very versatile players.
Q: What would your players say is your “catchphrase” in the locker room—something you say all the time to motivate?
A: “They gotta guard us too, pal!” Although I save that for our bigger games.
Q: Do you have a favorite after-game spot in Raleigh?
A: That’s a really tough one. I have a lot of favorites in Raleigh and a lot of great friends in the restaurant business here. That’s one of the great things about Raleigh. There are so many great choices.
Pack plays Broughton
The women’s basketball team will play all home games at Broughton High School during the Reynolds reno. Well-heeled basketball aficionados know that some good bball has been played at this historic Raleigh high school. NBA players Pete Maravich and Shavlik Randolph were graduates as was former NC State player and NCCU coach Phil Spence. We feel sure the women Wolfpack will honor the tradition.
The men and women will play a doubleheader Friday, November 13 at the PNC Center—the men against William & Mary; the women against Villanova. Gopack.com
