ONEONTA, N.Y.– On Saturday, Jan. 29 the coaching staff of the SUNY Oneonta men's basketball team will show their support in the fight against cancer by wearing sneakers on the sidelines as a part of the national Coaches vs. Cancer Awareness Weekend.

In conjunction with the event, the athletics department will run a 50/50 raffle with half the proceeds donated to the local branch of the American Cancer Society.

This weekend's seventh annual event, college and high school basketball coaches across the country will be wearing sneakers in support of the cause, which is to put a spotlight on the fact that while cancer is still a major health concern, everyone can take steps daily to reduce their risk of the disease.

Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaborative initiative of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers coaches, their teams and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. It came about after former North Carolina State men's basketball coach, Jimmy Valvano, succumbed to brain cancer in 1993.

In the U.S., overweight and obesity contribute to 14-to-20 percent of all cancer-related deaths. Increasing evidence also points to being overweight as raising the risk for cancer recurrence and decreasing the likelihood of survival for many cancers. The prevalence of obesity in the United States more than doubled between 1976-80 and 2003-04, and although rates appear to have stabilized by 2005-06, more than one third of U.S. adults - more than 72 million people - are obese.

For more information on the national event, view the official release on the NABC website.