Life can take many turns, it’s never consistent. Even so, having a team that you can count on makes a difference. The JV Basketball team is a great example of that. The team came together to The girls’ basketball team wanted to commemorate Andrea Tisch by having another Pink-Out game. The team made pink shirts and wore them on January 28th to spread awareness about cancer in the Pink-Out game 2025.
The girls’ basketball team wanted to commemorate Andrea Tisch by having another Pink-Out game. The team made pink shirts and wore them on January 28th to spread awareness about cancer in the Pink-Out game 2025.
“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 coach Jay Muchortow and Andrea Tisch’s’ interactions, it’s clear to see that he will commemorate her for however long he is coaching, 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 girls’ basketball team sold shirts in the lunchroom and the profits of the shirts they sell will go to Mrs. Tisch’s charity of choice: the Capuchin Retreat Center. The girls’ basketball team fights as Chieftains but also Team Tisch in the 28th game. Andrea Tisch was a great contributor to the sport; she felt like the girls’ basketball team was underappreciated and donated money in support.
“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 pay back Tisch for all of the good she has done for the team themselves. Tisch had always been a team player and a helping hand at Utica.
“She always helped us buy things we might need to support the girls’ basketball team,” junior Avery Lewis said.
They went up against L’Anse Creuse North at 7:00pm on January 28th and won the game 41-28. This victory was felt throughout the entire court as they had honored 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 Utica sport. The game was very memorable and the tradition of keeping Tisch’s name alive will continue.
