MIGUEL MELENDEZ COLUMN
This column appeared on page 3B of the Star-News sports section on Friday, April 24
They say that behind a good man stands a great woman.
For many of us, it’s our mother.
After all, who are we without them?
The last couple of weeks have been particularly tough on Pasadena High School boys basketball coach Tim Tucker. He, along with former Blair boys basketball coach Gamal Smalley, helped put together the first-ever Rio/Pac All-Star Basketball Game, to be played Saturday at Pasadena High.
The game will benefit Steven Adams, the Pasadena junior forward who in February underwent 10 hours of brain surgery to remove a mass behind his right eye that put pressure on the brain, causing double vision and headaches.
The mass was not found to be cancerous, but not many can count themselves as lucky.
In helping organize the event, Tucker is constantly reminded of the ordeal he went through the week of Thanksgiving last year. As a result, he’s hoping this game becomes something bigger than area high school fans watching two well-known leagues compete against one another.
Adams spent nearly two months at Children’s Hospital recovering from surgery. He started school Monday, walking and talking — simple acts that surprised many, including Tucker.
“There’s a lot of stories out there where kids won’t play again,” he said.
“To see Steven walk is crazy for me, because if you saw him when it first happened … I didn’t think he’d ever be able to do this again. We’re blessed.”
Proceeds from the event, co-organized by the Rev. Coy Turentine from Deliverance Tabernacle Church in Pasadena, will help pay for Adams’ hospital bills and months of rehab that lie ahead.
Adams’ cause, however, snowballed into something bigger.
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