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2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Did You Know?

Princeton, NJ (November 10, 2003) - Below you will find a number of interesting facts and figures about the history of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

• For the second straight year, five of the eight teams participating in the Classic are ranked in the pre-season ESPN/USA Today Top 25 coaches poll. Gonzaga, Saint Joseph's, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and Marquette are ranked in the Top 25. No other event has more than one ranked team in its field.

• Teams participating in the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic had a combined record of 188-65 (.743 Winning Percentage) in 2002-03.

• In 2003, five players participating in the Classic are candidates for the John R.Wooden Award, given to the top player in college basketball:
- Travis Diener, Marquette
- Jameer Nelson, Saint Joseph's
- Julius Page, Pittsburgh
- Blake Stepp, Gonzaga
- Cory Violette, Gonzaga

• The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic is one of the most highly attended preseason college basketball events in the country with an average attendance of 15,891 since 1999.

• 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).

• Last year's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic field included three eventual Final Four teams from the 2003 NCAA tournament -- Marquette, Syracuse and Texas.

• The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic has been a showcase for some major early season upsets, including:
- 2002 - Alabama (8) over Oklahoma (3)
- 2001 - Arizona (NR) over Maryland (3) & Arizona (NR) over Florida (6)
- 2000 - St. John's (NR) over Kentucky (12) & UCLA (17) over Kentucky (12)
- 1999 - Stanford (13) over Duke (10) & Iowa (NR) over UConn (1)
- 1997 - Princeton (NR) over Texas (22) & NC State (NR) over Georgia (19)

• The PAC 10 Conference has the best all-time record in the event at 5-1.

• 33 student-athletes who have competed in the Classic since 1999 have been selected in the NBA Draft, including five of the Top 10 in the 2003 draft.

Match-ups for the event are as follows:

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.