After beating pancreatic cancer just a few years ago, Head Coach Dave Rose is lucky to be alive, and now he's using basketball to help save the lives of others.
The BYU men's basketball team is 2-0 so far in this year's 'Coach's Verses Cancer Classic'. They face stiff competition in Brooklyn, but the games are about more than just X's and O's for Coach Rose.
'The cause for the tournament is really special to me and our family and hopefully we can just continue to raise funds and bring awareness and someday we'll have a cure for this thing,' said Rose.
The Cougars beat their last two opponents by a combined total of 33 points including a solid 80-62 home victory against Georgia State earlier this week. Senior forward, Brandon Davies is focused on leaving the East Coast with another victory.
'We're just going out there and trying to get our next win: win number three. That's most important. The rest of the trip doesn't really matter if you go out there and lose, so obviously that's first on our mind: getting wins and having a good time,' said Davies.
That doesn't mean basketball is the only thing on the Cougars' agenda.
'We're going to a hospital to see some cancer patients during the day,' said Rose, 'We've got a fireside that we're doing that night in Manhattan and so we'll be busy.'
Coach Rose is in good company. Other coaches that participated in the program include Jim Boeheim from Syracuse, North Carolina's Roy Williams, and Duke Head coach Mike Kryzewski.
The official 'Coaches Verses Cancer Classic' website said they raised nearly 85 million dollars since 1993. When the Cougars put their unbeaten record on the line against Florida State, they can feel better knowing they are doing more than just scoring points; they are helping to beat cancer.