In December, South Carolina and Tennessee are lacing up for the 2023 Jimmy V Women’s Classic, and this game means more this year. With the losses of these two special coaches fresh in their minds and hearts, the focus is more than the game. It’s a time to honor Nikki and Tasha, and a time to spur change for the future.
An annual event featuring stellar teams, ESPN’s Jimmy V Classic honors the life of late hall of famer Jim Valvano, former college men’s basketball coach and commentator. The games focus on Valvano’s legacy, fundraising for lifesaving cancer research, as part of V Week, an initiative between ESPN and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
“I know what Jimmy V represented,” Coach Staley said. “I know the strength that he utilized to his last breath and bringing awareness to cancer research. So, for us, anytime that we can lend our voices to actual people who we love that are no longer here with us to raise money, we have to find a cure. I know it’s a lot better than it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago.”
Research has made progress, but there is a long way to go.
“Research is important because we’re not there yet,” Coach Harper said. “We don’t have everything we need yet. There are still things we have to learn. And if we can’t fund the research, we’re not going to be able to get to that next step. We’re not going to be able to figure out what the answers are. Hopefully it’s in my lifetime. But if it’s not, we’ve got to continue this fight so that one day, whenever that is, we get the answers, we find the cure.”
“Victory Over Cancer® means that so many people won’t experience what we have to endure every day – not having our loved ones,” Staley said. “It means that you get diagnosed and you don’t immediately think death. You think fight.”
Photos courtesy of Georgetown Athletics, South Carolina Athletics, Tennessee Athletics and Georgia Tech Athletics.
