Central coach Mike Clemente Jr. , who has overcome non-Hodgkin lymphoma, presented the check to the cancer unit at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, where he was treated Stephen Edelson
BERKELEY - It was an emotional evening for Mike Clemente Jr. on Tuesday inside the gym at Central Regional.
Sure, the Golden Eagles boys’ basketball coach was happy his team is playing better, overcoming Shore Conference A South rivals Toms River South, 50-36, on this night.
But Clemente, who battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma last year and is now cancer-free, was just as focused on the events that played out at halftime.
Prior to the third quarter, Clemente was joined on the court by Dr. Seth Cohen, the oncologist who treated him, and nurses at Monmouth Medical Center, who helped him through six brutal rounds of chemotherapy, which began last July.
And it was then that Clemente presented the cancer unit at the Long Branch hospital with a $20,000 check, the money raised at Central’s Coaches vs. Cancer showcase event, featuring five boys basketball games, on Jan. 20.
"To be able to give back to the Monmouth Medical Center cancer unit is amazing. These nurses, I’m so happy they came tonight, were there for me, along with Dr. Seth Cohen. I’m really just glad to see them and Dr. Cohen.’’
It was the second year Clemente had organized a day of hoops to raise money. The final total was about $2,500 in 2017, but when word that Clemente himself was battling cancer, the community rallied around the coach, and the event.
``I can’t believe it. It’s unbelievable,’’ he said. ``It’s like, I can’t even put it into words, the outpouring of support that was from everybody. Not just the Central community, but everybody who heard about it really did an incredible job.’’
Stephen Edelson: sedelsn@gannettnj.com; @SteveEdelsonAPP