VMHS, MVHS Basketball Game Fights Cancer

On Jan. 19 when the Vista Murrieta High School varsity boys basketball team plays Murrieta Valley, it will not be just a regular league game.

Players, parents and coaches are dedicating the game to help the Coaches Vs. Cancer organization, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, their teams and local communities.

Coaches vs. Cancer originated with Norm Stewart, a former University of Missouri men's basketball coach who battled cancer, according to the American Cancer Society website. He challenged his audience to pledge $1 for every three-pointer made during the season.

Today, more than 2,000 college basketball programs and 100 high schools participate in fundraising for Coaches vs. Cancer. To date, more than $50 million has been raised through the program, according to the American Cancer Society.

They can now add Vista Murrieta Coach Andy Rucker to the list.

The game—usually a big one because it is a cross-town rivalry—starts at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at

Admission is $5. For sale will be memory stars; small stars are $2 and large ones are $5. White cancer ribbons will go for $1. The team is also auctioning off a ball that players from both teams will have signed. There will also be a 50/50 raffle, will all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

For those who would like to mail in a donation, they may send checks to Vista Murrieta High School, 28251 Clinton Keith Road, Murrieta, CA, 92562, and write "Coaches vs. Cancer" in the memo line.