ICC's Pate is back on the sideline and not sweating the small stuff

Dec. 10—FULTON — In one way, cancer robbed Grant Pate of his sense of taste.

In another way, it's made everything he experiences taste much sweeter.

The Itawamba Community College men's basketball coach sat out the 2021 season while going through radiation and chemo sessions following a stage three cancer diagnosis in mid-December of 2020.

Now Pate is back leading the 9-1 Indians, who play Saturday at Lawson State.

It's Pate's second year back since his treatments, his ninth season overall at ICC.

There's no such thing as minor cancer. While the prognosis for recovery was always good, Pate was propelled into a world of uncertainty.

A Livingston, Alabama native, Pate coached at small colleges in Arkansas before becoming part of Rod Barnes' staff at Ole Miss. When that group dispersed in 2006, Pate, an Ole Miss graduate, was hired as an assistant coach by Tupelo High School coach David Ball.

Pate replaced Ball at THS and went 92-31 in four seasons. His last, in 2012, the Golden Wave lost to Jim Hill 76-74 in the state championship game in Jackson.

"Facing cancer made me realize that wins and losses are important, but there are things outside the wins and losses that are more important," Pate said. "It's about how you handle things."

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pate thought he was dealing with a sinus infection. He'd been through that drill many times. This time, reliable treatments weren't working.

Tests ruled out mononucleosis and COVID, and soon it was discovered that Pate had a golf-ball-sized growth in his throat. Confirmation came when Dr. Ryan Simmons called late one weekday afternoon.

"He said, 'Grant, you've got cancer,'" Pate recalled. "It was 5 o'clock. I was by myself sitting in my office. It was almost like God said, 'Look, you're about to get a phone call, and I want you to be in a place where you can handle it.'"

It was the first of many instances Pate would rely on his deep faith in his new journey.

After an emotional checklist, he went home and shared the news with his wife, Melissa Pate. Daughters Katherine Pate and Emily Pate, young adults, were brought into the circle.

"They really stood by my side," Pate said. "I thank God for his mercy and salvation. We have hope, and I could feel the hope at that time."

The circle would grow substantially.

"Everybody around there was very supportive of him, the team, the administration, the ladies that clean up the gym ... Everybody around was very supportive of Grant and very concerned about his health. When you've got that kind of support and those kind of people concerned about you, that just doesn't happen for everybody," said Eric Bozeman, who served as interim coach for the 2021 season.

Pate and Bozeman were on the same Ole Miss staff.

The decision to step away for the season came only after a trial run of radiation and chemo had begun.

Initially, Pate was hopeful he would be able to coach with only slight modifications to his daily schedule like arriving after lunch.

It was a plan approved by then-athletics director Carrie Ball-Williamson, but all parties left open the possibility that Pate would need extended time away.

"The support here at Itawamba was phenomenal," Pate said. "They very easily could have said, 'Oh well, we need to kind of move on. This doesn't look good, and we don't know how this is going to turn out,' but they got right in the corner with me. They made a commitment to me and my family that they were going to stand by me, by us. They were there the whole way."

Pate was comfortable that he was leaving the program in capable hands with Bozeman. The two spoke almost daily and often multiple times.

Bozeman believes Pate's concern for his players helped him push through treatments.

"There was a lot of prayer. Grant's a very religious guy, and his teams are all going to follow suit. Our whole team was praying for him ... the end of practice, the end of games, the beginning of games. Not only was I praying for him personally, but the team was praying for him as a whole," Bozeman said.

Pate's early treatments were complicated by a bout with shingles.

Eating and maintaining a recommended diet, even with the help of a nutritionists, became difficult.

In 2020 in response to COVID, the state's community colleges pushed their games to 2021 only.

Pate remained with the team for workouts and scrimmages in the fall semester, but over Christmas break it was clear that he needed time away. That ended up being about four months.

Their COVID season was complete, but Pate was back with the team in April of 2021 getting ready for off-season work and welcoming new players.

Pate hasn't required radiation or chemo since late February of 2021.

Some well-meaning friends suggested he came back to the game too early, but sometimes work is its own therapy.

"I just felt like it's what I needed to do because it's what I do," Pate said.

Now, much deeper into the journey, Pate is much lighter. He often has ice water with him, a result of the treatments' impact on his salivary glands. His energy level is a little lower, and what he used to consider some of the good things in life he can't taste so much anymore.

"Cakes, cookies and pies, I used to sit down and eat almost a whole one, I can't taste them," Pate said.

He finds that taste is better for natural foods, tea and coffee for example, than processed foods like sports drinks or sodas.

The taste problem may or may not get better. As with most aspects of cancer, there are no guarantees.

"Don't sweat the small stuff," Pate said. "If you lose some things, well, it's better than the other side. I'm quite alright. I have no complaints."

PARRISH ALFORD is the college sports editor and columnist for the Daily Journal. Contact him at parrish.alford@journalinc.com.