TUCSON, Arizona — Even if the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team wasn't ranked No. 1 in the country, they would still hold the undisputed top spot in the hearts of the children and families at Diamond Children's Medical Center in Tucson.
In a heartfelt community event, members of the Wildcats basketball program visited the hospital to paint custom Nike sneakers alongside young patients. The specially designed shoes will be worn by Arizona's coaches and staff during the January 24 Coaches vs. Cancer game against West Virginia.
Among the players taking part were Dwayne Aristode, Ivan Kharchenkov, Tobe Awaka, and Koa Peat. They temporarily set aside their basketballs to pick up paintbrushes and spend meaningful time creating one-of-a-kind designs with the kids.
One especially touching moment came when Ivan Kharchenkov gave extra attention to 10-year-old Michael Estrada, who is bravely battling leukemia. As they worked together on Michael's shoe, Kharchenkov was impressed by the young artist's clear vision.
"He has a great vision of what he wants to be on the shoe, what colors," Kharchenkov said, later encouraging Michael to "make it as pretty as possible."
With Kharchenkov's assistance, the design came together beautifully. Michael was thrilled with the final product, especially because he intentionally incorporated plenty of orange — his dad's favorite color.
"It's got orange in it which is his favorite color and I wanted to make it stand out so during the game we can spot it," Estrada explained.
For Michael, the experience went far beyond the art project. Meeting his favorite players in person was a dream come true.
"Seeing all the people I love to watch, my Dad loves to watch, just in person was amazing," he shared.
Michael plans to watch the January 24 game alongside his dad and look for the shoe he helped create on the sidelines.
Tobe Awaka, known for his relentless rebounding on the court, drew a powerful comparison between the battles he faces in games and the courage he witnessed in the hospital.
"These kids are warriors. These kids are soldiers," Awaka said. He added, "There are people that have completely different lives that are going through things that we may not have to deal with so to give back to the community one way means a lot."
Meanwhile, Koa Peat demonstrated that he possesses an artistic brush stroke to complement his smooth shooting stroke, contributing his own creative flair at another table.These custom-painted sneakers are part of an ongoing tradition that has made a real impact. Last year, the auction of similar player- and patient-designed shoes raised $4,500 to benefit the hospital's cancer programs and services.
