NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Prior to the inaugural Coaches vs. Cancer Legends Gala, Jeff Jones said he wanted the event to not only be a home run, but a grand slam.
Those expectations were met as the gala raised more than $400,000 for the American Cancer Society. Now Jones is running it back for year two at Chartway Arena in September.
"It's going to be a star-studded event and we can't wait," Jones said. "We didn't know last year what we didn't know and so, while it was a big success, we think this year's event is going to be even better."
The evening will once again bring in some of the biggest names in the college basketball landscape. Legendary UConn women's head coach Geno Auriemma and UVA head coach Ryan Odom will be among the featured guests. Odom's father, Dave, who was a longtime coach at Wake Forest, will also join the group for a panel moderated by former Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg. Former UVA head women's coach Debbie Ryan, who is a cancer survivor, is also scheduled to attend, along with Ralph Sampson, Phil Martelli Taylor Heinicke, Tony Brothers and Michael Cuddyer.
"Nobody says you can't have fun and fight cancer at the same time," Jones noted. "We want to have a great time, but we want to raise as much money as we can to fight against cancer."
Jones is a cancer survivor himself, diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015. When last year's inaugural event was getting off the ground, the former Old Dominion head coach recalled a push to take the gala to a bigger city, but Jones insisted the event remained in Norfolk.
"We're going to do it here," Jones recalled of his reaction. "This is my community. This is our community and it's something that I certainly take pride in and I hope folks out in the community take pride in as well that we're doing this. This is our fight against cancer and we're doing everything that we can and raising as much money as we can to be part of that fight."
The idea for the gala hit Jones when he was thinking about retiring from coaching. He always knew he wanted to use his platform to make an impact and locked in on a cause that affected not just him, but so many others.
"It's almost a cliche these days saying 'I want to give back,'" Jones said. "Being a cancer survivor myself and knowing so many other cancer survivors, but unfortunately having family members and friends and acquaintances that have passed away from cancer, nobody is immune."
He's wasted no time. 2025's gala set a record for most money raised during a Coaches vs. Cancer debut event. The guests included Roy Williams, Gary Williams, Jim Boeheim, Tubby Smith and Nancy Lieberman.
"You can't have all hall of famers every year," smiled Jones. "But I think we've bounced back the second year with a pretty good group."
The 2026 Coaches vs. Cancer Legends Gala will be held September 18 at Chartway Arena. To learn more about this year's event, click here.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
