Foundation bringing former NBA player to speak to students about addiction, recovery

David Hurst, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read
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Apr. 4—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — As a Denver Nuggets point guard, Chris Herren's rookie highlights included an 18-point night in an overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks in 2000.

But it's Herren's story about the lowlights he has overcome that will bring him to Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland Township.

Herren, 47, will address area students about a struggle with addiction that cost him his basketball career and almost did the same with his family, through a program by the Anthony Swalligan Memorial Foundation.

The foundation honors a 2011 Bishop McCort Catholic High School graduate who died in 2016 of a heroin overdose.

The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, according to foundation founder Shane Michael Downey, Swalligan's friend.

Drug- and alcohol-free since 2008, Herren said that he has spoken to more than 1 million students across the nation about his recovery journey.

"Herren empowers the audience and guides students to rethink how we look at the disease of addiction, from the last day to the first," Downey wrote in a release to media.

The goal is to spark informed, "honest discussions" about the realities about addiction and recovery.

Herren, of Fall River, Massachusetts, was a high school All-American who played for Boston College and Fresno State before being drafted in 1999.

He's spoken to area students on behalf of the foundation before, including a 2019 visit.

Downey said students from Bishop McCort, Central Cambria, Richland, Westmont Hilltop, Greater Johnstown and Forest Hills will attend the program, but it's also open to the public.

The foundation holds an annual golf outing each fall to raise funds to host speaking engagements, Downey said.

To become a partner or participant for the 2023 Swalligan Golf Tournament, contact The Anthony Swalligan Memorial Foundation at AnthonySwalliganFoundation@gmail.com or via Facebook at Anthony "Bearcat" Memorial Foundation.