Despite the early Saturday morning start, the falling snow, and the slushy roads, Jumbos who made the trek to Cousens Gym this weekend for the 2005 Boston Hoops Against Cancer Tournament found something worth getting out of bed for. Fifty-five participants and 30 volunteers braved the weather to join a city-wide effort to raise money and awareness for cancer research.
The annual fundraiser, held at each of 16 participating schools across the city during early March, came to Medford on Saturday. The event, which included a three-on-three basketball tournament as well as three-point shooting and free throw contests, was co-sponsored by the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS), Theta Chi, and the Brothers McWilliam Foundation, a Boston-based non-profit event planning group that organizes athletic and other social events that benefit charities.
Scott McWilliams, who founded the Foundation along with his brother Kendall when their mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, is a Tufts alumnus and began working with LCS last year to establish the program as a yearly event on campus. This year, the planning was spearheaded by Cancer Outreach, one of the many focused community awareness groups under the LCS umbrella.
Charging a $5 registration fee per team member, the event raised $275 from Tufts to benefit the Gillette Center for Women's Cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Last year's version of the event, the Boston 2004 Shoot for the Cure, raised over $21,000 across the city for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Over 1,500 participants are expected to take part in the tournament around the city, up from 1,200 in last year's event.
LCS co-president Erin Poth, who organized the event in 2004, commented on the fundraiser's success and its message about the role of community service at Tufts.
"[The event] is a good example of how LCS collaborates with other organizations, whether it's a fraternity or a culture group, in events for a good cause like this," she said. "There's a lot of overlap in membership between LCS and Greek life, and I think it was especially great that we can incorporate athletes as well."
The winning three-on-three tournament team, Team James, consisted of senior James Kim, sophomore Jamil Ludd, and freshman Kenny Kang, as well as UMass senior Clay Chan, who won all five of their first-to-15 games to claim the title over the field of 12, including the final game against a senior-packed Winthrop Ballers team. The team was formed at the last minute when Kang, who was scheduled to help out at the event, jumped on one of the few open spots available.
While they didn't get to cut down the nets, the foursome did leave with gift certificates to popular Davis Square venues like The Burren, J.P. Licks, Nick's Roast Beef, and the Somerville Theatre, including a coupon for three large pizzas from Mike's Restaurant which they used Saturday night in a victory dinner. All 55 participants received a week's free membership at the Boston Sports Club in Central Square, a tournament shirt, and Reebok wristbands.
"It's fun to get a bunch of your friends together to go play pick-up for a day," Kang said. "It was definitely a fun experience, especially in a tournament that raised money for a good cause."
The team also earned a spot in the final round, a tournament of the 16 individual school champions, which will be held at Cousens Gym on Apr. 10 and will feature some of Boston's best collegiate ballers. In addition to bringing some city-wide pride back to Tufts, at stake in the final round are tickets to the Boston Celtics' last game of the season, a home match-up against New Jersey, and a pair of Reebok's new basketball sneakers.
Kim also won the three-point shooting contest, sinking 13 of his 15 shots and piling up the day's honors. Junior Mark Robinton and freshman Ian McClellan tied for the top spot in the free throw contest, each hitting 10 of 15 from the line.
"The basketball tournament is one of Theta Chi's biggest and most successful fundraisers," said junior Jason Galvin, Theta Chi's coordinator for the event. "And it's always good to work with LCS planning events like this one to help raise money for charities."
Freshman Arlen Spiro, who spearheaded the planning along with classmate and co-president of Cancer Outreach Jordan Thomas, commented on the positive role that LCS plays in the Tufts community in involving students in community activism.
"I think there's a lot of genuine caring and compassion on this campus," he said. "And LCS is a great outlet for that energy."
