UNC basketball legend Phil Ford and Kenan-Flagler team up to fight obesity

Just minutes after North Carolina basketball legend Phil Ford spoke Tuesday about his newest life passion, the sound of shoes squeaking and basketballs bouncing filled Woollen Gym.

Ford, a former UNC point guard and the 1978 NCAA National Player of the Year, is no stranger to filled gymnasiums — but this time, Ford was the one cheering from the sidelines.

“I cannot thank you all enough for coming out tonight and for supporting the Phil Ford Foundation,” Ford said. “Your support just means the world to us.”

A crowd of over 100 UNC undergraduates, graduates and faculty members came to support the Phil Ford Foundation Charity Basketball Tournament and, of course, watch some basketball. 

The Phil Ford Foundation works with the North Carolina Children’s Hospital to fund research and prevention of childhood obesity — a growing problem in the United States.

About 17 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. are obese. Additionally, obese youth have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.

“This is a serious problem,” Ford said. “And if it’s not solved, this could be the first generation of children that may not outlive their parents.”

Ford said events like the charity basketball tournament help to raise awareness about the issue of childhood obesity, one that even he wasn’t familiar with in the past. 

Mike Christian, an assistant professor at Kenan-Flagler Business School, believes there is no better time than college to learn about this growing issue.

“I think that this is a critical age for students to become aware of this issue,” Christian said. “These are the future leaders of tomorrow, and we hope to expose this problem to a lot of people at UNC tonight.”

The event was planned by Kenan-Flagler's MBA Leadership Immersion Capstone Course. 

The course, which focuses on developing students’ leadership skills through experiential learning and feedback from industry professionals, required students to go outside of their comfort zones with this project.

The students were tasked with organizing the analytics of the event, finding corporate sponsors and even scouting and recruiting players for the tournament — all in the last three weeks.

“To be honest, when I saw what the students had to do, I was kind of doubtful,” Ford said. “But they did such a great job, and they really exceeded my expectations.”

For the players drafted, who were recruited from basketball courts around campus, the event was all about friendly competition and supporting Ford’s cause.

Graduate student Stefan Valley dribbled at the top of the key. Valley cut to his right, splitting two defenders on his way to the rim. As he raised up for the layup, Anton Buchanan met him at the mountaintop. 

The play ended in a foul sending Valley to the hardwood. Before reacting to the whistle or arguing the call, Buchanan’s first instinct was lending a hand. After a pat on the back, play went on as usual. 

“I think it’s really fun to play in an event like this,” senior Erica Brownlow said. “We can still compete, but it doesn’t really matter what the final score is.”

When the teams are playing to support a cause, everybody wins.

university@dailytarheel.com