High school sports: Central Square girls basketball rallies behind Smith's fight
Jan. 20—CENTRAL SQUARE — The Central Square High School girls basketball team rallied behind Gavin Smith and his fight against cancer over the past weekend.
The Redhawks hosted back-to-back games last Friday and Saturday for their annual Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, using the platform to raise money intended to help Smith and his family as the fourth-grade student from Hastings Elementary battles synovial sarcoma.
Smith was on hand for both games — a Friday night loss to Auburn followed by a win over Whitesboro the next afternoon — excitedly taking in the scene with his cousin.
"It's so upsetting what he's going through, and he's just such a positive kid and he's so sweet, and for him to know what everybody is doing for him, he's just been so appreciative and he's staying positive through it all," said Central Square junior captain and scoring leader, Natalie Bush.
Smith was presented with a Redhawks jersey and other gifts as the tourney tipped off last Friday and he sat on the bench to cheer the team on for both games, enthusiastically interacting with players and coaches throughout.
He stood near Central Square head coach Kevin Brazell to shake hands with players from each team as starting lineups were introduced.
The young Syracuse men's basketball fan was also presented with a pair of front-row tickets to an upcoming game of his choosing. He told players that he is eager to attend every Central Square game from now on and was offered a spot on the bench for the boys and girls varsity teams moving forward.
"He was very appreciative, and he said that our team worked very hard," Bush said. "He was a very sweet little boy."
Area businesses and community members donated roughly a dozen raffle baskets to help raise funds, and a pack of four front-row tickets to the always-anticipated SU men's basketball game against Duke on Feb. 18 was a surprise addition to bid on.
Flat donations were also accepted for the family of Smith, who is still undergoing chemotherapy.
Raffle winners were announced during halftime of Saturday's game and a DJ was present both nights to provide entertainment during breaks in the on-court action.
"I think it's a touching moment for everyone, because I know everyone has gone through something with cancer, so knowing that he has other people that have gone through the same type of thing that he is, I think it's good that he knows he has all these people that appreciate him," Central Square sophomore Payton St. Clair said.
Central Square has conducted a benefit tourney to help in the fight against cancer for more than two decades, and over the past five years, the program has identified a community member directly impacted to receive the funds raised.
Brazell initially launched the event to benefit the American Cancer Society and later honored the memory of former player, Traci Morey-Zimmer, who died from breast cancer in 2010.
The 1993 graduate of Paul V. Moore High School was a former program mainstay under the 38th-year coach Brazell. She was a teacher and former Oswego State tennis standout, who later coached the girls basketball and boys and girls tennis teams at Pulaski High School.
Her father, Don Morey, spoke to the crowd ahead of Saturday's game and touched on his daughter's legacy while thanking those in attendance for supporting Smith.
The annual Central Square outing has raised more than $30,000 since it was first launched.
"Knowing we can help somebody in our community, the least we can do is try to get some money to (Smith) to make things easier for his family," Brazell said.
"We've done this for a long time, we feel really good about this tournament, and doing it to help somebody who needs it in our community."
Central Square (9-3) is scheduled to host Jamesville-DeWitt in a key game for Salt City Athletic Conference supremacy at 6:45 tonight. The Redhawks entered the week with the second-best record among Section 3 Class A teams.
