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2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Team Previews

Princeton, NJ (November 6, 2003) - Below you will find a brief outline of each team participating in the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. For more information on each team, simply click on the school's name in the left hand column and you will be linked to that school's official athletic web site.

School '02-03 record '02-03 Conference Finish Postseason Finish Player of Note
Memphis 23-7 1st Place - Conference USA (National Division) NCAA First Round

Antonio Burks - An All-Conference USA Third Team selection last season, he was second in the conference in assists with 5.6 apg.
Wake Forest 25-6 1st Place - ACC NCAA Second Round Vytas Danelius - An All-ACC Second Team selection last season, he is the leading returning rebounder in the ACC with 7.5 rpg.
Marquette 27-6 1st Place - Conference USA (American Division) Final Four Travis Diener - Named 2003-2004 Pre-Season Conference USA Player of the Year by the Sporting News. Ranked third on the team in scoring last season with 11.8 ppg
St. John's 21-13 5th Place - Big East (East Division) NIT Champions Elijah Ingram - Ranked second on the team in scoring with 10.5 ppg and assists with 2.6 apg last season.
Pittsburgh 28-5 2nd Place - Big East (West Division) NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" Julius Page - A Pre-Season All-Big East Second Team selection, he led the team in scoring last season with 12.2 ppg.
Alabama 17-12 4th Place - SEC (Western Division) NCAA First Round Kennedy Winston- Named to the SEC All-Freshman team last season after averaging 11.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg.
Gonzaga 24-9 1st Place West Coast Conference NCAA Second Round Blake Stepp - The West Coast Conference Player of the Year and Gonzaga's leading scorer with 18 ppg last season, he is a Pre-Season Wooden Award Candidate
Saint Joseph's 23-7 1st Place - Atlantic 10 (East Division) NCAA First Round Jameer Nelson - A Pre-Season First Team All-American selection, Nelson led the team in scoring with 19.7 ppg and was a First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection last season.

Match-ups for the event are as follows:

Thursday, November 13th - 7 p.m. EST Friday, November 14th - 7 p.m. EST
Memphis vs. Wake Forest Pittsburgh vs. Alabama
Marquette vs. St. John's Gonzaga vs. Saint Joseph's

All four games will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

Last year's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic field included three eventual Final Four teams from the 2003 NCAA tournament -- Marquette, Syracuse and Texas. In addition to featuring 14 preseason Top 20 teams over the past four years, the event has opened the season with the last two eventual national champions competing at the Garden (Maryland in 2001-02 and Syracuse in 2002-03).

The Coaches vs. Cancer ® program, created by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches exists to leverage the strength, community leadership and celebrity of our country's basketball coaches to raise awareness and in turn, reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society.

Since 1995, Gazelle, producer of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, has raised over $2 million for Coaches vs. Cancer ®. Tickets for the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic are on sale now through the Madison Square Garden Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at (212) 307-7171 or by logging on to the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic page of Ticketmaster.com.

For more information about the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, please contact Michael Matkowski at (609) 921-1300 or mmatkowski@gazellegroup.com. General information about the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic can be found by logging on to www.cvcclassic.com.

Members of the media can download a Credential Application and visit the Media Page for event history and records, logos, and photos. visit the Media Page for event history and records, logos and photos.
The Gazelle Group
475 Wall Street
Princeton, NJ 08540
phone • 609.921.1300
fax • 609.921.2332
www.GazelleGroup.com