On a Saturday afternoon when the focus was on fast breaks and three-pointers, cancer awareness quietly took center stage.
As thousands of fans filled the People’s Bank Arena in Hartford on Saturday, January 24 to watch the UConn men’s basketball team take on Villanova for an exciting overtime win, few arrived expecting to think about their own health. But thanks to UConn Health’s continued partnership with UConn Athletics, the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game once again transformed a Huskies matchup into an opportunity for education, connection, and potentially life-saving conversations.
Throughout the afternoon, doctors and outreach staff from the UConn Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center engaged with fans throughout the arena. Inside the concourse, experts answered questions and shared information about breast, lung, colon, and blood cancers, helping attendees understand screening guidelines and determine appropriate next steps for care. Fans were able to scan a Fast Pass QR Code to get direct access to scheduling screenings.
New this year, members of UConn Health’s bone marrow transplant (BMT) team were on site, offering education about blood cancers, transplant options, and the importance of early diagnosis bringing awareness of highly specialized, life-saving care directly into a community setting.
Coaches vs. Cancer is a nationwide initiative that unites basketball coaches, teams, and fans in the fight against cancer, with a mission centered on education, prevention, and fundraising. For UConn Health, the game provides a powerful platform to meet people where they already are outside traditional clinical settings and lower barriers to learning about cancer care.
“It’s not just about medicine it’s about access,” says Dr. Omar Ibrahim, service chief, Cancer Center. “When you bring health care into community spaces like this, you create opportunities for conversations that might not happen otherwise and those moments matter.”
Among the many conversations throughout the afternoon were deeply personal stories, as patients stopped by to share how early detection led to timely treatment and remission reinforcing why awareness and access to screening opportunities matter. Moments like these underscored the idea that even a single conversation can have a life-changing impact.
“Education and early detection remain some of the most powerful tools we have,” says Kim Hamilton, program coordinator for Community Outreach and Engagement at the Cancer Center. “By raising awareness and connecting people to care, we can make a meaningful impact well beyond the walls of the hospital.”
Before tipoff, fans also stopped by a table hosted by Andrea Hurley, wife of head coach Dan Hurley, who created memorial buttons honoring loved ones impacted by cancer offering a space for reflection amid the excitement of game day.
“The Community Outreach and Engagement team was thrilled to once again be part of this event,” says Julie Dudek, academic administrative manager at the Cancer Center. “Hundreds of fans stopped by to learn more, ask questions, and connect with our teams. We’re proud to support UConn Athletics as the official health care provider of the Huskies.”
From concourse conversations to moments in the stands where a fan’s wore UConn Health t-shirts displaying the UConn Husky alongside the words Official Health Care Provider of UConn Athletics the message resonated clearly: cancer awareness doesn’t stop at hospital doors.
Sometimes, it starts with a basketball game.
