Life can take many turns, it’s never consistent. Even so, having a team that you can count on makes a difference, and the Utica junior varsity basketball team is a great example of that. The girls’ basketball team came together to commemorate Andrea Tisch by having another “Pink-Out” basketball game. The team made pink shirts and wore them on January 28th to spread awareness about breast cancer.
“The best way for me to describe the impact of Andrea Tisch is to share a story of one of my last interactions with her. I bumped into Andrea while attending one of the Utica baseball team’s games, played at Jimmy John’s Field,” Coach Jay Muchortow said. “Andrea was showing up to support the team and the program. When she saw me, she greeted me with a warm smile and asked how the basketball season went. I would later find out from Johnny, her son, that around that time was when doctors had first suspected she had cancer and were performing tests to confirm the diagnosis.”
Through Muchortow and Tisch’s interactions, it’s clear to see that he will continue to memorialize her, making the pink-out game a valued tradition.
“You would’ve never known she was carrying that difficult news of her diagnosis,” Muchortow said. “Her positive attitude and how excited she was to learn about what was going on in the life of the person she was talking to. Caring for and thinking of others like that is becoming a rare trait these days, so Andrea’s legacy is one that we are excited to honor and remember.”
The profits made from pink-out shirt sales will go to Tisch’s charity of choice: the Capuchin Retreat Center. Theteam fights as Chieftains, but also as ‘Team Tisch’ on the court. Andrea Tisch was an outstanding contributor to the sport; she felt as though the girls’ basketball team was underappreciated and donated money in support of them.
“She believed in the program,” junior Kylie Condon said. “Her kids went through the school, and she also did it for her loved ones.”
This basketball game was set up to payback Tisch for all of the good she has done for the program itself. Tisch had always been a team player and a helping hand for Utica. “She always helped us buy things we might need to support the girls’ basketball team,” junior Avery Lewis said.
The girls’ basketball teams went up against L’Anse Creuse North High School on January 28th and won the game 41-28. This victory was felt throughout the entire gym as they had honored Andrea Tisch’s legacy.
“The games will continue in our program for a really long time,” Condon said. “Along with the pink jerseys we received.”
The game’s commemoration of Andrea Tisch was powerful enough to make a long-lasting impact on the team. The game was memorable and the tradition of keeping Tisch’s name alive will continue for years to come.
