News and Events

Please join us for our annual Basketball Coaches Clinic on Sunday, September 19, 2010, at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV. In addition to providing basketball coaching instruction at the highest level, the goal of our clinic is to promote Coaches vs. Cancer, to help fund our undergraduate cancer research program at Wheeling Jesuit University and to provide an OVAC scholarship for a senior son or daughter of a full-time OVAC boys’ or girls’ basketball coach.

We have assembled an outstanding faculty to address coaching philosophy, player development, offensive and defensive schemes and special situations. Our faculty includes some of the brightest and energetic coaches in the country to include John Chaney and Vivian Stringer (both Naismith Hall of Famers), Bob Huggins, Mike Rice and Joe Mihalich.

We are grateful for the support of Championship Productions, Inc. who will be filming and distributing this year’s clinic and Dixie Sporting Goods.

Sincerely,

Doc Merrick

Danny Sancomb

OVAC Basketball Scholarship

Applications may be obtained from your high school guidance counselor after March 1, 2011, and must be returned by April 1, 2011. The recipient will be determined by the OVAC Basketball Clinic Committee based on character, financial need, leadership, athletic participation and academics. The scholarship will be awarded at the OVAC Banquet of Champions in May 2011.

Clinic Schedule

7:30 a.m.	Mass at WJU Chapel (for those wishing to attend)
7:45 a.m.	Registration, McDonough Center Lobby
8:30 a.m.	Welcome Danny Sancomb/Doc Merrick
8:35 a.m.	John Chaney Coaching Philosophy and Player Development
10:15 a.m.	Vivian Stringer Drills for the 55 Defense
11:35 a.m.	Danny Sancomb Skill Development for Perimeter Players
12:20 p.m.	Box Lunch (included in registration fee)
1:00 p.m.	Mike Rice Zone Offense/Zone Set Plays
2:20 p.m.	Joe Mihalich Switching Man-to-Man Defense
3:40 p.m.	Bob Huggins 1-3-1 Defense
5:00 p.m.	Closing Remarks Danny Sancomb/Doc Merrick

June 29 , 2010

Basketball Coaches Clinic Faculty Announced

Event Sponsored by Wheeling Hospital’s Schiffler Cancer Center

Wheeling, W.Va. - The annual Basketball Coaches Clinic will be held Sept. 19 at Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU).

The clinic is inclusive for all men’s and women’s and boys’ and girls’ basketball coaches: college, high school, middle school, and recreational leagues.

Dr. Gregory Merrick, director of Wheeling Hospital’s Schiffler Cancer Center, a sponsor of the event, said, “We have assembled an outstanding faculty to address coaching philosophy, player development, offensive and defensive schemes and special situations. Our faculty includes some of the brightest and most energetic coaches in the country.”

Speaking during the clinic are: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers John Chaney (Temple University) and Vivian Stringer (Rutgers University); Bob Huggins (West Virginia University); Mike Rice (Rutgers University); and Joe Mihalich (Niagara University).

Dixie Sporting Goods is the major sponsor of the clinic, with Championship Productions Inc. filming and distributing the event worldwide. “Championship Productions is the internationally-recognized leader in producing the highest quality instructional videos featuring renowned professionals in over 20 sports,” said Danny Sancomb, men’s head basketball coach at WJU and co-director of the clinic. “We are pleased to welcome them to our event and university.”

“In addition to providing basketball coaching instruction at the highest level, the goals of the clinic are to promote the American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer program, to help fund the undergraduate cancer research program at WJU and to provide an OVAC scholarship for a senior son or daughter of a full-time OVAC boys’ or girls’ basketball coach,” said Merrick.

Cost of the clinic is $75 for pre-registrants and $85 at the door. For registration packets and information contact: gmerrick@urologicresearchinstitute.org or dsancomb@wju.edu.

June 29 , 2010

Cancer Research Classic Basketball Line-up Announced

Wheeling Hospital-Sponsored Event Benefits Men’s Health, Cancer Research

Wheeling, W.Va. - Officials were on hand Tuesday at Wheeling Hospital to announce plans for the fourth playing of the Cancer Research Classic (CRC), set for Jan. 8 on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University.

Dr. Gregory Merrick, executive director of the Schiffler Cancer Center, Urologic Research Institute and Men’s Health Center, all at Wheeling Hospital, and of the CRC, said, “Basketball events are excellent venues to use as vehicles to promote the cause of men's health. Men are 24 percent less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the past year and are 22 percent more likely to have neglected their cholesterol tests. The CRC provides an opportunity for men not only to witness a day of great high school basketball, but also, obtain free health screenings.”

Perennial nationally ranked top 20 high school basketball programs participating in this year’s event include: Christ the King; DeMatha; Gonzaga; Mount Vernon; Neumann-Goretti; Northland; Rice; and St. Benedict’s Prep.

This year’s pairings are:

DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD) vs. St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, NJ)
Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) vs. Christ the King (New York)
Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) vs. Mount Vernon (New York)
Rice (New York) vs. Northland (Columbus)
Archbishop John Carroll (Philadelphia) vs. Wheeling Park
St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) vs. Wheeling Central Catholic

More than 100 players who have played in the CRC have gone on to play college basketball throughout the U.S., including in such prominent programs as Villanova, Temple, Pitt, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Maryland, North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Miami, Louisville, Memphis, Tennessee, Kansas State, Texas and Arizona.

Multiple players from this year’s line-up are being recruited by West Virginia University, Ohio State University and Pitt.

''When you sit and look where our kids are already playing, they're all through the ACC, the Big East the SEC. They're everywhere,'' said Merrick. “Tyreke Evans, who was last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year, participated in the CRC inaugural event.”

Proceeds of the CRC support Wheeling Hospital's men’s health programs, undergraduate cancer research and medical physics programs.

Schiffler Cancer Center is internationally recognized having treated patients from 34 states and 14 foreign nations. Wheeling Hospital was the first West Virginia hospital ever to be awarded the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (CoC). The CoC issued Wheeling Hospital a Three-Year Approval Award with Commendation – the highest ranking possible – and called the program “impeccable.”

December 15, 2007

It’s a Big Weekend in Wheeling for Hoops Junkies - Doug Huff, The Intelligencer

Wheeling, W.Va. - HOOPAHOLICS. If you are a serious high school basketball buff, Wheeling Jesuit’s McDonough Center will be your mecca for 10 hours Saturday.

And it’s for a good cause – cancer research. The first Cancer Research Classic event is the brainchild of Dr. Gregory Merrick, the executive director of the Urologic Research Institute at Wheeling Hospital and the head of the Schiffler Cancer Center, and a roundball fan.

After attending Temple U. in Philadelphia, the Wheeling resident was exposed to some of the better high school basketball play on the East Coast. So, the good Doctor decided to bring some of the better prep talent in that area, and elsewhere in the East, to Wheeling for a one-day showcase which would also help his professional mission – a cure for cancer.

The Caner Research Classic was created and a five-game event tips off at noon today with a game between two of the Ohio Valley’s more successful programs, Wheeling Park and East Liverpool.

The Philadelphia-area teams in the field include Neumann-Goretti, which was ranked No. 33 in last season’s Student Sports FAB 50 rankings; Simon Gratz, which was the 1991 FAB 50 national champion and the 1993 USA Today No. 1 team; and American Christian, a private school which features 6-foot-5 Tyreke Evans, one of the top five senior players in the land.

Than 4 p.m. game matches local favorite Wheeling Central against Philadelphia’s St. Joseph Prep, which is coached by legendary high school mentor Speedy Morris, who earlier earned fame at Roman Catholic High.

The other teams in the field all have strong roundball pedigrees – St. Frances of Baltimore, Archbishop Carroll of Washington D.C., and Patterson School of North Carolina.

It’s a basketball mecca for area hoopaholics. And it’s for a good cause.

November 6, 2007

Premiere High School Players Expected at Inaugural Basketball Tournament

Urologic Research Institute, WJU Sponsoring Event That Will Also Raise Men’s Health Awareness

Wheeling, W.Va. – Interest continues to grow in the Cancer Research Classic, set for Dec. 15 at Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU), which is being co-sponsored by the Urologic Research Institute (URI) at Wheeling Hospital and the university.

“We will have at least 50 future D1 players and six or seven of the top high school players in the country, including Tyreke Evans, the number 1 rated player” said Dr. Gregory Merrick, tournament director and director of the URI. “At least four or five of them are possible future NBA players. Information on the tournament has been sent to college conferences and we expect a few coaches will attend.”

But Merrick is also excited about the opportunity the tournament will provide to promote men’s health awareness, including such issues as prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, benign prostatic hyperplasia, testicular cancer and overall wellness.

“Sports in general, but specifically basketball, are being increasingly used to raise awareness and funds for men’s medical issues,” Merrick said. “Pharmaceutical and medical supply industries are supporting the event, and medical informational booths will be in place in the concourse of the Alma Grace McDonough Center on the WJU campus.”

Dan Sancomb, men’s head basketball coach at WJU, also is looking forward to hosting the event. “This is going to become one of the premier events across the country for high school basketball,” he said. “It is for a great cause and we are honored to be part of the classic."

Slated match ups at the inaugural Cancer Research Classic are:

Noon - Wheeling Park vs. East Liverpool

2 p.m. - St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) vs. Simon Gratz (Philadelphia)

4 p.m. - Wheeling Central Catholic vs. St. Joseph’s Preparatory (Philadelphia)

6 p.m. - Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) vs. Archbishop Carroll (Hyattsville, MD)

8 p.m. - The Patterson School (Lenoir, NC) vs. American Christian School (Philadelphia)

July 9, 2007

New Basketball Tournament to Feature Some of Nation’s Best Players

Urologic Research Institute, WJU Sponsoring Event That Will Also Raise Men’s Health Awareness

Wheeling, W.Va. – A new sports event planned for Wheeling will give high school basketball fans a chance to watch nearly 50 future college Division 1 players compete, and at the same time raise awareness of men’s health issues.

The Cancer Research Classic, set for Dec. 15, is being sponsored by the Urologic Research Institute (URI) at Wheeling Hospital and Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU). While both public and private schools are participating in the inaugural event, organizers expect it to grow into of the nation’s premiere Catholic high school basketball tournament.

“We will have at least 47 future D1 players and six to seven of the top high school players in the country,” said Dr. Gregory Merrick, director of the URI. “At least four or five of them are possible future NBA players. Information on the tournament is being sent to college conferences, and we expect quite a few scouts to attend.”

But Merrick is also excited about the opportunity the tournament will provide to promote men’s health awareness, including issues such as prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, BHP, testicular cancer and overall wellness. Pharmaceutical and medical supply businesses are supporting the event, and medical informational booths will be in place at the concourse of the Alma Grace McDonough Center.

“Sports in general, but specifically basketball, are being increasingly used to raise awareness and funds for men’s medical issues,” Merrick said.

Half of the gate receipts will benefit ongoing research at URI while the other half will go to the undergraduate medical physics program at WJU. Merrick said the event will help fund faculty research.

Chad Dickman, men’s interim head basketball coach at WJU, said, “We are very excited at Wheeling Jesuit University to be in the position to host such a prestigious event. The tremendous high school talent we'll have coming to Wheeling is great for the city and the university. We have an outstanding facility here and are honored to host this event, not only because of the excitement that the basketball tournament will bring, but also the awareness that we can generate with men's health issues. We are delighted that we have the opportunity to take part in this tremendous tournament that supports such a great cause."