Enka boys basketball coach Brian Carver, right, presents a check to N.C. Basketball Coaches Association treasurer Gary Bowne from last year’s Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout in Asheville.
ASHEVILLE – Thanksgiving weekend for Western North Carolina basketball has never been the same since the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout began three years ago.
The N.C. Basketball Coaches Association isn’t messing with a good thing.
The Shootout has raised $54,000 for charity so far, the NCBCA has said in announcing the event’s 2016 field.
Avery County, Reynolds and West Henderson will represent WNC in boys with the outside teams being Lee County, East Forsyth, Jacksonville Northside, Greenville Conley and Ragsdale.
The girls field is made up of Avery, Hiwassee Dam and Reynolds along with Lee County, Jacksonville Northside and Greenville Conley.
Matchups are not yet set. As in the past, a full day of basketball (four boys games, three girls) will be played Nov. 26 inside UNC Asheville’s Kimmel Arena after a NCBCA banquet the night before.
From a fund-raising perspective, last year’s shootout was the most successful yet. It brought in $25,000 for cancer awareness.
Enka boys coach Brian Carver is the director of the Shootout.
“(The NCBCA) would like to say a very big thank you to the teams that participated (in 2015) and to UNCA and the City of Asheville for your support of the event,” Carver said.
“Without the support from our major sponsors, Southeastern Sports Medicine and Paramount Kia, along with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, none of this would be possible.”
Advance tickets for the Shootout will be available through the Kimmel box office, but are not on sale yet.
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