Rivalries are all fun and games, but there’s a point where rivalries end and simple human decency remains. When a coach or player of any sport at any school is facing a deadly disease or serious injury, that obviously is that point, and in that spirit, we’d like to wish UNC Women’s Basketball Coach Sylvia Hatchell a speedy and complete recovery in her battle with leukemia.
Coach Hatchell, who was recently inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, said in a release today that “[she] will remain very much involved with my team and day-to-day operations here at UNC and expect to return to my sideline responsibilities as soon as possible. My veteran staff and team will be well prepared and meet any challenges until my return.”
Coach Hatchell will be treated at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Care Center on the Chapel Hill campus, which is one of the nation’s leading cancer centers. She’ll be in good hands, too, as Dr. Pete Voorhees, an oncologist and associate professor in UNC’s School of Medicine, will oversee her treatment.
While the road that lay ahead for her will be a difficult, painful and emotional one, we send our best wishes that she travels it safely and comes out the other side free and clear of cancer. Good luck Coach.
