Article by News Leader Sports Writer Patrick Hite
LEXINGTON - When James Carter was first approached about bringing his Stuarts Draft Cougars to this year's Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout, the event organizer, Travis Patterson, had no idea that Carter was in the final stages of his own family cancer crisis.
For the past three years, Patterson has organized the basketball event at Rockbridge County High School to raise money for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. In that time he's raised $25,000 through Rock the Ribbon with the fourth-annual event scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21.
This will be the first year the Stuarts Draft girls team participates in the event. When Carter, the team's coach, first got word that there was interest in his team playing, there was more on his mind than basketball. His mom was battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and, within months, she would be dead. Mary Carter passed away on Nov. 11, 2015.
"I think it's a blessing that people have the insight and the desire to want to put something on like this for such a worthy cause," Carter said. "This is something that is really close to home with us."
Carter has also lost two uncles to cancer and, three months after losing his mom, Carter's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. So while getting his team the experience of playing in an event like the one in Lexington is important to Carter, it's more important to help raise money for cancer research. Carter, whose team will face Rockbridge County, said he's always been willing to play any team, anywhere, but the reason for playing in Rock the Ribbon was just bigger.
"To do something in a positive way ... on the local level is special and important," said Carter. "To be part of that is important."
Patterson began the event in 2014 after helping out with the Relay for Life in Rockbridge County. He knew people who had been affected by cancer, but it wasn't until his mom was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015 that it became very personal. Mary Patterson passed away exactly a year after Carter's mom, Nov. 11, 2016.
Patterson has had two friends die from cancer in recent years also.
"Those guys were less than 35 and that kind of touches you," the 31-year-old Patterson said. "Then when your mom's got it, it kind of compounds things even more."
There will be others involved in the tournament also who have been closely affected by cancer. Robert E. Lee boys basketball coach Jarrett Hatcher's mom, Judy Hatcher, was diagnosed with lung cancer last April. She has since been through treatments and, although not completely out of the woods yet, is doing better.
"Mom is a fighter and she's just really battled it," the Lee coach said.
Jarrett Hatcher, whose Leemen have participated in the Rock the Ribbon event since the first year, also had a cousin die last year after a battle with cancer.
"To be involved in as many of these activities as possible means quite a bit to me," Hatcher said.
Lee High, one of four teams from Staunton and Augusta County in the event, will play Martinsville. In addition to the Lee boys and the Stuarts Draft girls, the Stuarts Draft and Riverheads boys will also play in the 2017 edition of Rock the Ribbon. Riverheads will play Parry McCluer and Draft will take on the Rockbridge boys.
The Jefferson Forest and Parry McCluer girls will also participate, as will the boys teams from Northside, Spotswood, Broadway and Floyd County.
Patterson actually got the idea from Floyd County coach Brian Harman, who organized the Chance Harman Classic in honor of his 4-year-old son who died from cancer in 2007.
At first, Harman brought in eight local teams, but it's grown in recent years. A few years ago the tournament even featured Huntington Prep School from West Virginia and its star Andrew Wiggins, who would go on to play for Kansas and, eventually, get drafted as the top overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
Money raised by the Chance Harman Classic goes to Duke University Hospital for cancer research. In the last 10 years, the tournament has raised close to $350,000.
When Patterson was organizing his first event, he reached out to Harman for information on how to do it. Then he asked Harman if his Floyd County team would participate. Harman was more than happy to do so.
"Cancer research is a big thing for me right now because of what I went through," Harman said. "Before I wasn't that involved because I didn't know this world existed. That's a bad thing on me, but after I went through that, there's a need for it out there. After he called me, I said, 'No question. I'll be there and I'll play whoever.'"
The tournament will get underway at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21 and the final game is scheduled to tip at 8:30 p.m. That's a long day, but Patterson believes it's very much worth it. And he is thankful for everyone involved, from the coaches who bring their teams to play, to the fans who come to the games, to those who help him organize the event.
"We've got an army full of volunteers that come in and do everything the day of," Patterson said. "It's fun organizing it."
Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout
Rockbridge County High School, Saturday, Jan. 21
All day pass: $10
All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life
10:00 a.m. Riverheads boys vs. Parry McCluer
11:45 a.m. Jefferson Forest girls vs. Parry McCluer
1:30 p.m. Floyd County boys vs. Broadway
3:15 p.m. Robert E. Lee boys vs. Martinsville
5:00 p.m. Spotswood boys vs. Northside
6:45 p.m. Stuarts Draft girls vs. Rockbridge County
8:30 p.m. Stuarts Draft boys vs. Rockbridge County
LEXINGTON - When James Carter was first approached about bringing his Stuarts Draft Cougars to this year's Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout, the event organizer, Travis Patterson, had no idea that Carter was in the final stages of his own family cancer crisis.
For the past three years, Patterson has organized the basketball event at Rockbridge County High School to raise money for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. In that time he's raised $25,000 through Rock the Ribbon with the fourth-annual event scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21.
This will be the first year the Stuarts Draft girls team participates in the event. When Carter, the team's coach, first got word that there was interest in his team playing, there was more on his mind than basketball. His mom was battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and, within months, she would be dead. Mary Carter passed away on Nov. 11, 2015.
"I think it's a blessing that people have the insight and the desire to want to put something on like this for such a worthy cause," Carter said. "This is something that is really close to home with us."
Carter has also lost two uncles to cancer and, three months after losing his mom, Carter's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. So while getting his team the experience of playing in an event like the one in Lexington is important to Carter, it's more important to help raise money for cancer research. Carter, whose team will face Rockbridge County, said he's always been willing to play any team, anywhere, but the reason for playing in Rock the Ribbon was just bigger.
"To do something in a positive way ... on the local level is special and important," said Carter. "To be part of that is important."
Patterson began the event in 2014 after helping out with the Relay for Life in Rockbridge County. He knew people who had been affected by cancer, but it wasn't until his mom was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015 that it became very personal. Mary Patterson passed away exactly a year after Carter's mom, Nov. 11, 2016.
Patterson has had two friends die from cancer in recent years also.
"Those guys were less than 35 and that kind of touches you," the 31-year-old Patterson said. "Then when your mom's got it, it kind of compounds things even more."
There will be others involved in the tournament also who have been closely affected by cancer. Robert E. Lee boys basketball coach Jarrett Hatcher's mom, Judy Hatcher, was diagnosed with lung cancer last April. She has since been through treatments and, although not completely out of the woods yet, is doing better.
"Mom is a fighter and she's just really battled it," the Lee coach said.
Jarrett Hatcher, whose Leemen have participated in the Rock the Ribbon event since the first year, also had a cousin die last year after a battle with cancer.
"To be involved in as many of these activities as possible means quite a bit to me," Hatcher said.
Lee High, one of four teams from Staunton and Augusta County in the event, will play Martinsville. In addition to the Lee boys and the Stuarts Draft girls, the Stuarts Draft and Riverheads boys will also play in the 2017 edition of Rock the Ribbon. Riverheads will play Parry McCluer and Draft will take on the Rockbridge boys.
The Jefferson Forest and Parry McCluer girls will also participate, as will the boys teams from Northside, Spotswood, Broadway and Floyd County.
Patterson actually got the idea from Floyd County coach Brian Harman, who organized the Chance Harman Classic in honor of his 4-year-old son who died from cancer in 2007.
At first, Harman brought in eight local teams, but it's grown in recent years. A few years ago the tournament even featured Huntington Prep School from West Virginia and its star Andrew Wiggins, who would go on to play for Kansas and, eventually, get drafted as the top overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
Money raised by the Chance Harman Classic goes to Duke University Hospital for cancer research. In the last 10 years, the tournament has raised close to $350,000.
When Patterson was organizing his first event, he reached out to Harman for information on how to do it. Then he asked Harman if his Floyd County team would participate. Harman was more than happy to do so.
"Cancer research is a big thing for me right now because of what I went through," Harman said. "Before I wasn't that involved because I didn't know this world existed. That's a bad thing on me, but after I went through that, there's a need for it out there. After he called me, I said, 'No question. I'll be there and I'll play whoever.'"
The tournament will get underway at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21 and the final game is scheduled to tip at 8:30 p.m. That's a long day, but Patterson believes it's very much worth it. And he is thankful for everyone involved, from the coaches who bring their teams to play, to the fans who come to the games, to those who help him organize the event.
"We've got an army full of volunteers that come in and do everything the day of," Patterson said. "It's fun organizing it."
Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout
Rockbridge County High School, Saturday, Jan. 21
All day pass: $10
All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life
10:00 a.m. Riverheads boys vs. Parry McCluer
11:45 a.m. Jefferson Forest girls vs. Parry McCluer
1:30 p.m. Floyd County boys vs. Broadway
3:15 p.m. Robert E. Lee boys vs. Martinsville
5:00 p.m. Spotswood boys vs. Northside
6:45 p.m. Stuarts Draft girls vs. Rockbridge County
8:30 p.m. Stuarts Draft boys vs. Rockbridge County
