College Basketball Team Moves Game to Let Dying Player Play

Sometimes, sports goes beyond the game. This is one of those times.

The NCAA, which isn't exactly known for having a soft spot, will let the Division III Mount Saint Joseph (Ohio) women's basketball team move up its season opener by two weeks to let a terminally ill player to play.

Freshman Lauren Hill learned she had an inoperable brain tumor last fall, shortly after she committed to play for the Lions. Despite the diagnosis, she continued to play while in high school:

I never gave up for a second even when I got a terminal diagnosis; never thought about sitting back and not living life anymore."

Last month, doctors told Hill she wouldn't survive past December, but she was determined to play at least one college game, so Mount Saint Joseph successfully petitioned the NCAA to bump up the team's first game against Hiram College on November 2. Tip-off was initially scheduled for November 15.

"She's a special person," Mount Saint Joseph coach Dan Benjamin said. "This girl is so strong, she's dealing with death and all she's thinking about is everyone else. Her team first her family first, and just to give her that one last wish would be incredible for our program and our players."

Categories: Basketball, Sports

College Basketball Team Moves Game to Let Dying Player Play [VIDEO]