Sept. 11, 2017
Washington, D.C. – Georgia Tech head basketball coach Josh Pastner is joining three other Division I college basketball coaches who will team up with hundreds of cancer-fighting advocates in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 12 to call on Congress to make cancer a national priority and help end a disease that still kills 1,650 people a day in this country.
The event is part of the annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Leadership Summit and Lobby Day, which will bring more than 700 cancer patients, survivors and volunteers from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district to Washington, D.C., to urge Congress to increase funding for cancer research and prevention programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Pastner will participate in the effort along with head coaches John Gallagher from Hartford, Jeff Jones from Old Dominion and Jack Murphy from Northern Arizona, as well as ACS CAN CEO Gary Reedy and president Chris Hansen.
“Everyone has a personal story about how cancer has impacted them and their family,” said Pastner, who is entering his second year at Georgia Tech after being named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2016-17. “My grandparents were cancer victims. I’m proud to be associated with Coaches vs. Cancer® and always want to help their efforts wherever I can. Federal government funding is very important toward ending this disease.”
The coaches will take the stage to share their personal cancer stories and address why the federal investment in cancer research is vitally important to helping people prevent and fight the disease.
The coaches are members of Coaches vs. Cancer®, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This group of more than 2,000 Division I, II and III college basketball coaches has made the commitment to beat cancer, raising more than $100 million since its inception to fund cancer research.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its second year under head coach Josh Pastner. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram.
For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.
