U of M men’s and women’s basketball teams to play in inaugural Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is encouraging fans to come out and enjoy some basketball while supporting a great cause.

The University of Memphis men’s basketball team takes on the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the women’s team will take on the reigning NCAA National Champions, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks at the FedExForum on October 15.

“We’re going to go watch a basketball game but at the very same time, we’re doing good,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., the President and CEO of ALSAC. “You buy a ticket to that game (and) you’re going to watch great basketball but you’re also going to be helping the kids at St. Jude because we get 100 percent of the proceeds from ticket sales.”

Excitement is here despite the college basketball season not starting quite yet.

“You can just feel the momentum building,” Shadyac said.

Momentum ahead of next Tuesday when the Memphis Tigers tip off at FedExForum.

They’re calling the pre-season double-header the ‘Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic.’

“It all started in a partnership with the University of Memphis and we’ve had this vision,” Shadyac said. “A gentleman who works with me, Chris Boysen, and I have been talking about creating a basketball tournament here, making it a destination event.”

Large events like the marathon and the FedEx St. Jude Championship golf tournament draw tens of thousands of people.

The hope for Shadyac and other organizers is that these games do the same and will be broadcast on ESPN.

“So the world is going to hear about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the world is going to hear about our great community, Memphis,” Shadyac said. “Because I want to shine a spotlight on our community of Memphis, with a goal of making this a regular season game (and) tournament down the road where Memphis becomes that destination where people want to come and they want to play the Memphis Tigers.”

All this while shining a spotlight on St. Jude.

“I want them to know about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I want them to know about this global problem that pediatric cancer is,” Shadyac said. “I want them to know that 400,000 kids around the globe are going to get cancer, the survival rates in these low and middle-income countries is 20% or less and we’ve got a plan to try to raise that to 60% in the next decade.”

The University of Memphis basketball teams recently visited the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to see the work happening on campus.

The University of North Carolina and University of South Carolina teams will visit the hospital too.

Now, St. Jude hopes the public comes out to enjoy great games while making a difference.

“(These games) will allow us to stay true to that foundational promise that no family will ever receive a bill from St. Jude, not for treatment, travel, housing or food so mom and dad can focus on helping their child live,” Shadyac said.

The men’s game is set to start at 6 p.m. and the women’s game is set to begin at 8:30 p.m.

For more information about buying a ticket, click here .

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