Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout set for Montgomery

The weather forecast for Saturday is 50 degrees with a few showers, and that’s just fine with Kris Grundy. One year after his inaugural Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout was canceled by snow, the Montgomery High School boys basketball coach is giving it another try. The five-game slate takes place Saturday and pits Skyland Conference squads against non-league opponents.

“The forecast looks great – I’ve been checking it non-stop every day,” Grundy said. “I’m really excited because it’s a great cause, and great basketball’s going to be played all day.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the American Cancer Society. Attendees also will have an opportunity to contribute to the “Wall of Hope.” For a donation of any size, people can write the name of someone who has been touched by cancer on a paper heart, and the hearts will be displayed on the gymnasium wall all day. Grundy and his players will be manning the donation table.

The basketball itself promises to be intriguing. Unbeaten Bound Brook opens the action against Morris County power Mendham and Montgomery closes it versus East Brunswick, a Group IV title contender (see box for the complete schedule).

Four Skyland participants – Bound Brook, Watchung Hills, Hillsborough and Montgomery – are ranked in the Courier News Top 10. North Hunterdon coach Kyle Rehrig is co-organizer with Grundy.

“I’m hoping through the course of the day the community really comes out and supports it,” Grundy said.

Grundy first conceived the idea in 2011 when Hillsborough coach Ian Progin, his good friend, was diagnosed with brain cancer. Progin is coaching his second season between chemotherapy treatments and doing well. As an added bonus, this might be his best team ever.

“He inspires everybody – his team, and everyone who comes into contact with him,” Grundy said. “When the diagnosis first came down, Ian told me, ‘Kris, I just want to be an outlier.’ He is without question an outlier. He’s living proof.”

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20130107/NJSPORTS0150/301070050/Coaches-vs-Cancer-Shootout-set-Montgomery