Music blared and sneakers squeaked on the hardwood as teams of UCF students faced off in a charity basketball game on Friday to raise money for the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation.
Organized by Stop Cappin Entertainment, the event, held at UCF’s College of Community Innovation and Education, brought together cultural campus organizations for a night of competition, community and awareness.
Dressed in pink, a crowd of nearly 350 fans filled the stands, cheering as teams “Go Knights” and “Charge On” went head-to-head. The energy was loud, the purpose even louder — every basket brought the event closer to its $1,000 goal.
Packed with energy until the final buzzer, the game came down to the wire. Team Charge On edged out a 66-62 win, sparking cheers and high-fives across the court.
The teams Go Knights vs Charge On playing during the charity basketball match for the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation at the College of Community Innovation and Education on Friday.
Andrew Cherico
But for organizer Evence Eliassaint, a senior majoring in digital media, the real victory wasn’t on the scoreboard — it was seeing the event succeed for a cause that holds deep personal meaning.
“I did lose my cousin Lisa Lexine to breast cancer,” Eliassaint said, “As a young kid, I really didn’t understand what it was. As I grew up and I learned more about breast cancer, and that there is no cure for this.”
For Eliassaint, simply spreading awareness wasn’t enough. He wanted to make an impact, to give back in any way he could.
“I want to do something more than wear pink,” Eliassaint said. “Not only talk about it, but to put my foot forward to donate to people who get breast cancer treatment and can’t afford it.”
Eliassaint began organizing charity entertainment events at UCF four years ago, and he said that with each one, the popularity has grown along with his motivation to keep going.
Starting in his hometown of Port St. Lucie, Eliassaint wanted to bring his work to UCF, where he’s continued hosting events that support a variety of causes.
But Eliassaint isn’t the only one driven by a deeper purpose. Many players and participants have personal ties to cancer and said they were grateful for the chance to give back to the community in such an engaging way.
Jerin Jennings, coach of team Charge On and a UCF graduate, shared what the event meant to him.
“I’ve had people in my family who have had breast cancer before and had to have surgery,” Jennings said. “So it’s something meaningful to me, because I’m, in a sense, doing it for them.”
Competitive on the court but all smiles afterward, Luis Minaya, junior mechanical engineering major, played for his friend Ruthy Belleman, who lives in Pennsylvania and is currently fighting breast cancer.
“I feel like doing this fundraiser it was for a big cause today,” Minaya said. “I’m glad that I was part of it. I feel like part of my time being here is for her. Honestly, I’m glad I was able to do this.”
It was a successful event for a great cause, hosted by Eliassaint, but his cousin weighed on his mind more than anything else.
“She would be the loudest in the crowd,” Eliassaint said. “My cousin Lisa was loud and proud. She’d be the loudest one inside the crowd, yelling every single time. She probably didn’t know about basketball, but she’d be yelling as if she knew everything about the sport. I kind of imagine her being here, seeing how proud she would be.”
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, and when breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the five-year relative survival rate is 99%.
Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms.
Visit nationalbreastcancer.org for more information on breast cancer.