Walker Heading Back to the 'Charity Stripe' on January 26
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- A year ago, Moravian College Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Walker spent an hour a day in Johnston Hall shooting free throws for 24 consecutive days, finishing with 16,022 made free throws and raising over $3,300 for the National Association of Basketball Coaches - Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- A year ago, Moravian College Head Men's Basketball Coach Jim Walker spent an hour a day in Johnston Hall shooting free throws for 24 consecutive days, finishing with 16,022 made free throws and raising over $3,300 for the National Association of Basketball Coaches - Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society.
Walker has decided to do his shooting marathon again in 2015 and will start on Monday, January 26 and shoot an hour each day until February 18. Based on his effort a year ago, Walker estimates that he will make between 15,000 and 20,000 free throws during the marathon. He is asking friends, family and fans of the Greyhounds to pledge $1 for every 1,000 free throws made over the course of the marathon to be donated as part of the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer.
"Our NABC Suits and Sneakers Week and Coaches vs Cancer program gives me a unique opportunity to join basketball coaches around the country to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living among students, faculty, school staff, fans, and the community at large," commented Walker. "Last year's Free Throw Marathon gave me a great deal of satisfaction to be able to raise funds to support an organization like the American Cancer Society. For years I have watched others make significant efforts to participate in efforts to battle this awful disease. Having lost many family members and friends to cancer, I felt that I needed to do more in memory of their lives.
"It was time for me to do more and I decided to do the Free Throw Marathon," continued Walker. "I was impressed with the support that I received in the form of donations but also the willingness of players, coaches and other staff members to be rebounders and counters for the daily hourly sessions. Those volunteers and donors became my heroes. Together we were able to exceed our goals. This year my goal is to increase awareness and interest in the program, make more free throws and raise more money for research. The American Cancer Society invests more in research to find, prevent, treat, and cure cancer than any other non-governmental organization. As a result, they have played a role in most cancer research breakthroughs in recent history."
This year's NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Day at Moravian College is scheduled for Saturday, January 24. The men's basketball coaches from both teams will participate in the NABC Suits and Sneakers Cancer Awareness Week when the Greyhounds play host to Juniata College at 4:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall. Coach Walker and his staff also wore sneakers for their game at The University of Scranton on Wednesday, January 21.
Walker is in his 35th year on the Moravian bench and has won 440 games in his career leading the Greyhounds.
