Martelli and Gottlieb to Attend Hoops for Hope
St. Joseph’s Coach and ESPN Analyst to Join Iowa’s 4 Division 1 Basketball Coaches 

DES MOINES, IA—February 25, 2008 The American Cancer Society is pleased to announce that St. Joseph’s University basketball coach and 2004 Consensus National Coach of the Year Phil Martelli, along with ESPN basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb, will be attending the American Cancer Society’s “Hoops for Hope” on Saturday, May 10 at the Meadows Ballroom at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino beginning at 5:30 p.m.  Martelli will be the evening’s keynote speaker, and Gottlieb will emcee the event.

Hoops for Hope, in its second year, is the only Coaches vs. Cancer Premier Gala held in Iowa and is being hosted by the four Division 1 Men’s basketball coaches and their wives, Keno and Krista Davis, Ben and Dawn Jacobson, Todd and Joez Lickliter, and Greg and Theresa McDermott.

"I'm very pleased to be a part of the growing Coaches vs. Cancer event in Iowa,” said Martelli, one of the leaders of the Philadelphia chapter of Coaches vs. Cancer, and a four-time Atlantic 10 Conference Coach-of-the-Year.  “I'm looking forward to visiting with my four colleagues, their spouses, and the wonderful people of Iowa who support the fight against cancer."

“Having these two nationally renowned basketball experts demonstrates the magnitude of this event,” said Al Lorenzen, event chair. “It shows how our state is becoming one of the leaders in Coaches vs. Cancer, and it shows the character of these two gentlemen who are willing to come to Iowa and join us in the fight against cancer.”

Coaches vs. Cancer is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches that empowers basketball coaches, their families, their teams, and communities to join the fight against cancer. Hoops for Hope offers an exciting evening of fellowship, dinner, celebrity appearances, and unique live and silent auctions to support the American Cancer Society’s mission to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease.

For more information about Hoops for Hope, please contact Julie Kiefer at 800-688-0147 or Julie.Kiefer@cancer.org.

The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-227-2345 or visit http://www.cancer.org/.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Charles Reed, Media Relations
American Cancer Society
Phone: 800-688-0147 (office)
515-490-1150 (cell)
Email: Charles.Reed@cancer.org