Robert Morris to host charity game against PSU to honor coach's lung cancer fight

MOON TWP. —When Robert Morris’ players hit the hardwood on Friday night against Penn State, even though it is just an exhibition game, they will be playing for a much larger cause at heart.

Back in March, Robert Morris’ Director of Basketball Operations, Matthew Sweet, was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. When the Robert Morris team heard about the diagnosis of one of its coaches, it put things in perspective for the Colonials as they processed the information.

“There are so many things that can interrupt what we think is going to be the next several years of our lives in the blink of an eye,” Robert Morris head men’s basketball coach Andy Toole said. “In the fragile nature of it, just to be thankful for the opportunity that we have and how every day you don’t know what can happen. Matt is healthy again but he was a 28-year-old in perfect health. Nobody thinks that they are going to walk into the doctor's office and be told that they have cancer. If someone like that can get cancer, everybody is susceptible to it.

"The fact that we can be out here practicing and be Division I athletes and be at a great university like Robert Morris and compete the way that we do, we should take advantage of that every day and Matt’s story is a great reminder of that.”

All throughout Sweet’s fight, the team was by his side every step of the way as he went through treatment, not only did that help keep his spirits up but the behavior that he exhibited throughout the process stuck with Toole and his team.

“Everybody has been touched by [cancer] in some way shape or form,” Toole said. “Whether that be immediate family or friends, there hasn’t been a person that has walked the earth that has not had an interaction with cancer. The emotions of Matt [Sweet’s] situation were extremely hard for us and he does so much for us and is a valued member of our program but the way that he approached it, [the diagnosis] he didn’t let anyone feel sorry for him. I think that our team and coaches did a good job continuing to support him when we knew that he was going through treatments and he has been very supportive through those things. He was active, upbeat and energetic throughout his entire treatment and he was modeling the behavior that he wanted us to exhibit. It is a credit to him at his age with the diagnosis that he received to remain so positive and to handle everything so bravely as he did.”

But through numerous rounds of treatment, Sweet is on the road to recovery as he is back coaching the Robert Morris team as they prepare for the beginning of the regular season.

After Sweet’s diagnosis, the Robert Morris men’s basketball program wanted to find a way to honor the fight and perseverance of one of its coaches. In June, assistant coach Dave Fedor approached Toole with an idea to put on an exhibition game in front of fans that benefited the American Cancer Society and Coaches Vs. Cancer.

Robert Morris has been a longtime supporter of Coaches Vs. Cancer. The organization was founded in 1993 by longtime University of Missouri men’s basketball coach Norm Stewart. During the Tiger's 1993 season, Stewart asked fans to pledge a dollar amount for every three-pointer that was made by his team during the college basketball season and money would go towards cancer research.

The organization has chapters all across the nation and one right here in Western Pennsylvania which hosts a multitude of different events throughout the year including the recent Coaches Vs. Cancer tip-off event was held this September which hosts all three Pittsburgh area programs with the proceeds raised benefitting the American Cancer Society.

“We have been doing the Coaches Vs. Cancer tip-off event for about 16 years now and it is nice that we have been able to keep the event pretty consistent besides COVID-19. To be able to get the amount of people that were able to come out this year at PNC Park was great because it was back to some of our pre-COVID levels in terms of dollars raised and number of guests attended. It is always great to see all the coaches in the city and great to bring all the fanbases together to raise money for the fight against cancer.”

After discussions with Athletic Director Chris King and other administration, Robert Morris began its search for an opponent. After reaching out to a few schools, it took almost no time at all for Penn State to agree to play the Colonials in a charity exhibition at the UPMC Events Center.

“Mike Rhodes has been incredible throughout this whole thing and it did not take any kind of convincing or sell by myself,” Toole said. “When we first communicated the idea of the game to our former assistant Jimmy Martelli who is Rhodes’ assistant, within three hours I got a text from coach Rhodes saying that we are 100 percent in. In his first season, he would love to do an event out here in Western Pennsylvania and there is a big chapter of Coaches Vs. Cancer in State College where they do a huge golf tournament every year. It really fit into a lot of the things that he wanted to do in his first year in terms of setting the tone of how he wants his program to be run. When they agreed to do it, we were ecstatic,” Toole said. “With the brand that they possess and the number of alums that are in Western Pennsylvania, we think this is as good of an opponent that we could have in a charity exhibition.”

The university expects a large turnout at the UPMC Events Center Friday night which seats 4,000. Toole is excited about the opportunity to participate in this charity exhibition while also having the opportunity to help and honor the fight of one of his assistants.

RMU is hosting a charity auction that is now open and closes on Friday, October 27 at 9:15 pm.

“For our program, it is a good opportunity to get fans into the building and play against a really good opponent as we prepare for the non-conference portion of our schedule so those are certainly big benefits for us. It will also give us more media coverage which in turn will hopefully shed more light on Coaches Vs. Cancer, the American Cancer Society and Matt’s story while also being a good reflection on our program and our university so in every way I think that it is a win for us.”

Friday night’s game tips off at 7 p.m. It will be the first time that these two schools will face off against one another since 2009 in State College.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Robert Morris to host charity game against PSU to honor coach's lung cancer fight