Those competing in Tuesday night’s boys basketball showdown between Chartiers Valley and host Montour will be battling for more than just prime real estate in Section 4 of the WPIAL’s Class 5A.
In addition to featuring two teams with a combined one loss in section play, the 7:30 p.m. matchup at the Montour Athletic Center will serve as a fundraiser for Brad “Pooky” McGowan, a lifelong member of the Montour community and a proud 1994 graduate.
McGowan is currently battling stage 4 renal cell carcinoma and is undergoing intensive treatments including chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy. Despite the challenges, he remains strong and hopeful, said Matt Gubba, who’s been friends with McGowan for more than 40 years.
Pooky’s deep roots in the Montour community extend through his family; his son Dennis – known to many as “Jummers” — graduated from Montour in 2009 and Pooky’s son Zach followed in 2017. Pooky and his wife, Stacey, also have two grandchildren – Quinn and Xander.
The Montour and Chartiers Valley communities will come together Tuesday night to show support for Pooky and his family with the hope of raising much-needed funds to help ease the financial burden of his care.
The goal is to raise funds to assist with medical bills and ongoing treatments as well as daily living expenses while Pooky is unable to work.
A GoFundMe campaign that Gubba and others launched late last year had a goal of raising $100,000. As Monday, 434 people had donated to the cause, and those donations totaled $72,859.
The outpouring of help, financially and otherwise, comes as no surprise to Gubba.
“A lot of people out there care about Pooky and Stacey and they’re willing to pitch in and help at a time like this,” Gubba said. “This is such a wonderful, close-knit community with a lot of deep ties and connections. We all graduated from Montour; their kids graduated from Montour and they’ve been involved with the community for 45-50 years.”
Brad McGowan grew up in Kennedy Township and still resides there. Prior to his diagnosis, he was a driver for UPS but he’s been unable to work since he began receiving treatment.
Gubba said the Montour School District has been instrumental in putting together Tuesday night’s “Pook Strong” benefit basketball game. The school’s National Honors Society class, in particular, has been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, Gubba said. The school organization printed T-shirts and sold several hundred of them, with the proceeds going to the McGowan family.
“Others from the community have stepped up, both individuals and businesses, to make gift baskets for donation,” Gubba said. “And the basketball boosters have agreed to donate their portion of the 50-50 raffle.”
Montour Spartans rally towels also will be available for a donation.
“There’s a lot going on, and hopefully we’ll be able to raise some much-needed funds,” Gubba said. “And it should be a great basketball game – a battle for the top of the section.”
Indeed, Montour enters the game unbeaten in section play at 6-0 and 12-1 overall, while Chartiers Valley’s only loss in section play came in a 60-44 decision on Dec. 17.
Although the two schools will be fighting it out on the court, they have worked together on the off-the-court aspects of Tuesday night’s game. “It’s really been a collaboration,” Gubba said. “Chartiers Valley has been selling T-shirts and putting out information to make their community aware of what’s happening.”
Gubba said McGowan has been handling his treatment as well as could be expected.
“Obviously it’s a devastating diagnosis that no one wants to hear, let alone a 48-year-old guy going about his business,” Gubba said. “But he’s handing it wonderfully with regard to his spirit, and his attitude has bene wonderful.
“We’re all hopeful that his doctors have put together a good plan. And knowing Pooky, he’ll battle as hard as anyone.”
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