Members of 1998 NAIA national qualifying team from HLGU having reunion fundraiser for two teammates
HANNIBAL, Mo. β Members of the 1997-98 Hannibal-LaGrange University menβs basketball team will reunite April 26 for an all-star reunion and fundraiser for two former teammates stricken with serious medical conditions.
The event will be in the Mabee Sports Complex on the HLGU campus.
Players and guests will begin arriving at 1 p.m., with a 3-point shooting contest at 2, a halfcourt team contest at 2:30 and an all-star game at 3. T-shirts will be sold for $10 each, and donations will be accepted as an entry fee.
Proceeds will help with the medical expenses for two members of that team β Drew Quinn and Chad Ballinger. The Trojans were 9-10 at one point in the season, then won 11 consecutive games and reached the NAIA Division I national tournament for the only time in school history, losing 80-68 to eventual champion Georgetown (Ky.) in the opening round.
Quinn, a 1993 Monroe City High School graduate, played for HLGU from 1996-98. He taught math and coached boys basketball at Hannibal High School for two years before moving to South Carolina, then Florida, where he continued to coach and teach.
He was diagnosed in January with Grade 4 Glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. He has since had surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The disease has left him unable to work.
Quinn has two daughters, 14-year-old Audra and 12-year-old Ally, who live in Palm Gardens, Fla.
Balinger played at HLGU from 1997-99, finishing his playing career at Missouri Baptist.
A firefighter, he decided to stay at home to care for his daughter, Keely, who has a rare and severe case of Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that requires constant, hands-on care.
Ballinger recently was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. During his initial hospital visit, doctors discovered his kidneys were only functioning at 10 percent, creating a life-threatening situation. He already has begun treatment.
Ballinger and his wife, Erin, have two other daughters β 17-year-old Aubrey and 16-year-old Alex. Funds will help with mounting medical expenses as well as daily living expenses and caregiving support.
A GoFundMe page has been created. To read more about Quinn and Ballinger or to donate, click this link.
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