APSU Sports Information
Nashville, TN – Austin Peay State University head men’s basketball coach Matt Figger was part of a panel of coaches supporting the American Cancer Society at Thursday night’s Coaches vs. Cancer Tennessee Tip-Off.
Additionally, former Governors head coach Dave Loos was a guest speaker and was awarded the first-ever Coach Dave Loos MVP Award, given to an individual displaying their dedication to the fight against cancer, with an introduction from former APSU player and current Martin Methodist head coach Scott Combs.
Figger spoke on a panel with nine other Tennessee-area coaches, including a trio of Ohio Valley Conference peers in Rick Byrd (Belmont), Anthony Stewart (UT Martin) and Dana Ford (Tennessee State), as well as Vanderbilt’s Bryce Drew, who will be on the opposite sideline in Memorial Gymnasium when the Governors tip off the regular season against the Commodores, November 10th.
Other coaches on the panel included Combs, ETSU’s Steve Forbes, Memphis’ Tubby Smith, Lipscomb’s Casey Alexander and Middle Tennessee’s Kermit Davis.
“For me, it’s an honor to be with those guys up there,” Figger said. “You get to be with so many of the great coaches within this state, and I don’t think people realize how great the coaches are in this state. I realized what tremendous company I’m in. it’s a great night, in a great state for basketball.”
ESPN’s Sean Farnham served as the event’s emcee, with 102.5 the Game’s Braden Gall and Jason Fitz helping out. At press time, the auction items and on-site contributions had raised nearly $100,000 for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge.
The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). This initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.
Since 1993, coaches have raised nearly $100 million for the American Cancer Society.
