The charity stripe
Sep. 8—The Mt. Juliet police and fire departments are set to square off in a charity basketball game next month to benefit the James Bess Foundation, and slated to spearhead each team are two familiar faces from the basketball world.
Belmont University's men's basketball coach Casey Alexander and women's coach Bart Brooks will manage the MJPD and MJFD teams, respectively.
The James Bess Foundation is an area nonprofit organization that grants wishes to adults battling a terminal illness. Both coaches indicated that being able to participate in a way to benefit the foundation's mission was an exciting privilege.
"We're excited to help any time we get asked to do things like this, that are for a great cause, and also with great people, like our first responders," Alexander said. "It was an easy answer for us to say yes."
All charity aside, Alexander wasn't holding back his competitive spirit.
"We're going in to win," Alexander said. "It should be pretty obvious that we are the odds-on favorite at this point. These guys are out there working it every day. They know the grind. They know what it takes to win. I'll take the boys in blue any day."
On Wednesday, Alexander was hesitant to give away any strategy.
"My only real job is to manage the oxygen intake for each player," Alexander said. "I want to make sure that the guys are healthy and make it out of there with no severe injuries."
There won't be any scouting reports or film to watch, so he mentioned that they might have to wing it but wouldn't rule out drawing up a play or two during a timeout.
"Most of the time in games like this, whoever has the best player wins, not necessarily the best coach," Alexander said. "Typically, guys ease into games like this, then, towards the end because it's competition, guys try a little harder to win."
For his part, Brooks is eager to see what his team can do. Like Alexander, as soon as the idea was pitched, Brooks was gung-ho.
"The timing worked out great," Brooks said about the schedule since his Lady Bruins remain in their offseason.
The coach admitted that he doesn't have all the reports on the MJFD team that are usually compiled when colleges are scouting players.
"I'm going to have to figure it out on the fly," Brooks said. "I don't really know the personnel. I assume they are going to be ready to compete against a quality opponent."
He acknowledged that he'll keep a few tricks up his sleeve, but that it will be a lot different than what he is used to.
"So much of what we do at our level is the preparation and the practice," Brooks said. "The games are a result of that preparation and putting our players in a position to succeed. This is a little different. Since the game is the event, there is no preparation or practice."
Brooks plans to feel the game out as it gets underway. As for the Bess Foundation, he had nothing but praise and indicated that its values aligned with Belmont University's values.
"It's just a really cool thing that they have going," Brooks said. "When you think about people struggling and going through getting that kind of news (terminal diagnosis), there are still things they can do to cherish the time they have left."
The game will take place on Oct. 3 at Mt. Juliet High School, located at 1875 Golden Bear Gateway in Mt. Juliet, at 7 p.m. Jack Womack of Nash Icon Radio will emcee the game, which will feature local singer-songwriter Amanda Page Cornett, as well as the Mt. Juliet High School cheerleaders, dance team, and JROTC. Tickets range from $10-15, with options for a family rate.
