Third annual St. John's Dribble for the Cure a major success

Dribble for the Cure has grown into a major event for the St. John's basketball teams and pediatric cancer during its time at the University, and this year was no exception.

Many St. John's athletics teams were in attendance for the event on Saturday morning, gathering outside Carnesecca Arena.  The players were joined by their coaches as well as alumni and star guests, such as third-year New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson along with St. John's legends Lou Carnesecca and Jack Kaiser.

Now an annual tradition, the basketball teams were out in full force for Saturday's Dribble festivities aimed to raise money for pediatric cancer research.  Numerous men's basketball players were on hand, such as reigning Big East Rookie of the Year Jakarr Sampson, first year player Max Hooper, defending NCAA blocks leader Chris Obekpa as well as veterans Sir`Dominic Pointer, D`Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene.

There was a very strong turnout of St. John's fans and supporters, as the event saw more than 500 come out to the Queens Campus.  At last count, more than $55,000 had been raised for pediatric cancer research, the most donated in the event's three years.

A St. John's official gave an early estimate of potentially "$70,000 or more" in total fundraising this year, just about what the first two Dribble for the Cure events raised combined.

When asked what his players can learn from Dribble for the Cure, head coach Steve Lavin said:  "Often times the most rewarding and meaningful opportunities in our life are when we're focused on something other than ourselves. And we benefit from that because we learn the gift of giving, which is an important thing to learn at a young age."

Coach Lavin talked about how compassion is a major part of what he hopes his players learn while at the University.

"[Giving] is implicated through the curriculum here at St. John's and we emphasize it on a daily basis in our team activities," Lavin continued.  "Then you hope when they leave St. John's, they carry the baton and pass that gift on as well."

The event has become a growing tradition for St. John's as the fundraising and attendance levels have expanded each year.  Dribble for the Cure will continue to impact lives for years to come.

Though the event generates funding for Dr. Mitchell Cairo and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, donations do not begin and end there.  If you missed the event or want to continue your support of the foundation, you can click here to contribute to PCRF.