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Brigham Young guard Craig Cusick learned his father had been diagnosed with cancer just a few hours before playing in an in-state grudge match against Utah State on Tuesday night.
Cusick was able to end an emotional day with a smile on his face being mobbed by teammates after he grabbed an offensive rebound in the final second and in the same motion sent the game-winning shot back through the net giving his team a 70-68 victory.
It was the only shot Cusick made in the contest and it followed a long shot from Matt Carlino that bounced off the front of the rim into Cusick's hands near the foul line. Cusick did make two free throws earlier and finished with four points.
"As a player, you couldn't dream it any better," Cusick told the Deseret News. "I was just fortunate. … I saw that when Matt shot it there was a chance it would be a little bit short. I ran to where I thought it was going to come off and I was fortunate."
Cusick did not discuss his father's condition during his postgame news conference, but the Salt Lake Tribune provided some details. According to the paper, doctors found a cancerous tumor Tuesday afternoon, two days after Randy Cusick collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital with a then-unknown condition.
It had to bring a smile to the elder Cusick's face watching his son's heroics.
The game was originally scheduled Dec. 5 but the schools agreed to postpone it when Utah State junior Danny Berger collapsed in practice Dec. 4 when his heart stopped. He was revived by team athletic trainer Mike Williams.
Want to join the conversation? Follow @YahooDagger on Twitter and @KyleRingo and be sure to "Like" The Dagger on Facebook for basketball conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.
Cusick was able to end an emotional day with a smile on his face being mobbed by teammates after he grabbed an offensive rebound in the final second and in the same motion sent the game-winning shot back through the net giving his team a 70-68 victory.
It was the only shot Cusick made in the contest and it followed a long shot from Matt Carlino that bounced off the front of the rim into Cusick's hands near the foul line. Cusick did make two free throws earlier and finished with four points.
"As a player, you couldn't dream it any better," Cusick told the Deseret News. "I was just fortunate. … I saw that when Matt shot it there was a chance it would be a little bit short. I ran to where I thought it was going to come off and I was fortunate."
Cusick did not discuss his father's condition during his postgame news conference, but the Salt Lake Tribune provided some details. According to the paper, doctors found a cancerous tumor Tuesday afternoon, two days after Randy Cusick collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital with a then-unknown condition.
It had to bring a smile to the elder Cusick's face watching his son's heroics.
The game was originally scheduled Dec. 5 but the schools agreed to postpone it when Utah State junior Danny Berger collapsed in practice Dec. 4 when his heart stopped. He was revived by team athletic trainer Mike Williams.
Want to join the conversation? Follow @YahooDagger on Twitter and @KyleRingo and be sure to "Like" The Dagger on Facebook for basketball conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.