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YOUNGSTOWN -- Cancer.
It's a word no one wants to hear and it brings despair to those affected.
Saturday, the Youngstown State men's basketball team honors three men who succumbed to the illness -- Dan Peters, Bill Dailey and Carmine Cassese -- at the second-annual northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer tournament at the Beeghly Center.
Cleveland State vs. Kent State opens the night at 5 p.m., while Akron vs. YSU starts at 7:45 p.m.
The nightcap is where these men are slated to be honored at halftime of the game.
YSU coach Jerry Slocum said more than 30 members of Peters' and Dailey's families are expected to be in attendance for the ceremony.
Slocum added all ticket sales and proceeds go to the American Cancer Society because of Medical Mutual sponsoring the event.
Then, the Penguins players have a CC embossed on their jerseys to honor Cassese, a longtime YSU supporter and former MVR owner. He died at age 57 of complications related to pancreatic cancer in June 2013.
Peters, like Cassese, died in October 2014 of the same illness at age 60.
Peters was YSU's coach from 1993-99 and later became an assistant at the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State.
"When I thinking about taking the job here, he and I spent a couple of hours on the phone," said Slocum, who first met Peters when he was Walsh and Slocum at Geneva. "I stayed in contact with him when he was at Cincinnati, Ohio State."
He finished his career as the University of Akron's Director of Basketball of Operations with current Zips coach Keith Dambrot.
"It's going to be a special night for both programs," Slocum said.
Dailey was on YSU's staff throughout most of the 1980s and was interim coach for Dom Rosselli during the 1980-81 campaign.
Dailey was slated to take over for Mike Rice Sr., but died of a heart attack in his early 30s before taking over as the Penguins coach heading into the 1987-88 season.
YSU is doing something to honor these three men who were taken too young and bring awareness to cancer.
"It's a fight against cancer and we're trying to do something special," Slocum said.