JimBob
02-21-2008, 10:55 AM
As you wish, Josh
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
2/21/2008
Oklahoma State team fulfills teen fan's last request
Sean Sutton and the Oklahoma State University basketball team treated Haskell's Brenda Honeycutt to the best day of her life since her son passed away.
Cancer victim and OSU fan Josh Honeycutt, 15, died Aug. 22, 2007. Two months earlier, Sutton and the Cowboys had visited Josh and other kids at the St. Francis Children's Hospital Clinic and Pediatric Oncology Unit.
Josh was asked if there was anything the Cowboys could do for him. He said he wanted them to beat Baylor.
When OSU played a home game against Baylor last week, Josh's mom and other family members were invited to Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Following a 10-point victory over the Bears, Brenda and her crew were ushered into the locker room.
She was given a game ball, players cheered Josh's name and, one by one, the Cowboys shared hugs or words with her.
Said Brenda, "If anything good could come out of our son's death, it definitely has been that night with all the support that OSU athletics has given us, especially the basketball team since our son was so big into basketball.
"It was so tremendous with them giving us the opportunity to be there and, treating us the way they did, it was really special."
Sutton said he wishes other people could have been in the locker room "to see just what a great group of guys that we have and the way they conduct themselves in settings like that. They made that family feel really, really special. It was a great scene and I know it's one that Josh's family will never forget. I also know it meant a lot to our players."
OSU point guard Byron Eaton, who was among the players that visited Josh at St. Francis, was asked to describe the emotion in the locker room.
He said Brenda's eyes "just lit up."
"Her smile was so big and the rest of the family started crying," he said. "That's always good when you can do something for someone else to bring them joy."
Sutton said Kendria Cost, who heads OSU's Coaches vs. Cancer campaign, has done an unbelievable job of organizing special events like hospital trips over the years.
Why did Sutton feel the need to re-establish contact with the Honeycutts?
"Just because that was one of Josh's final wishes was for us to beat Baylor," the coach said.
"Just being over there that day and seeing how big of a basketball fan he was and how he was around our players and how our players were around him, it was important to us because it was important to him."
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
2/21/2008
Oklahoma State team fulfills teen fan's last request
Sean Sutton and the Oklahoma State University basketball team treated Haskell's Brenda Honeycutt to the best day of her life since her son passed away.
Cancer victim and OSU fan Josh Honeycutt, 15, died Aug. 22, 2007. Two months earlier, Sutton and the Cowboys had visited Josh and other kids at the St. Francis Children's Hospital Clinic and Pediatric Oncology Unit.
Josh was asked if there was anything the Cowboys could do for him. He said he wanted them to beat Baylor.
When OSU played a home game against Baylor last week, Josh's mom and other family members were invited to Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Following a 10-point victory over the Bears, Brenda and her crew were ushered into the locker room.
She was given a game ball, players cheered Josh's name and, one by one, the Cowboys shared hugs or words with her.
Said Brenda, "If anything good could come out of our son's death, it definitely has been that night with all the support that OSU athletics has given us, especially the basketball team since our son was so big into basketball.
"It was so tremendous with them giving us the opportunity to be there and, treating us the way they did, it was really special."
Sutton said he wishes other people could have been in the locker room "to see just what a great group of guys that we have and the way they conduct themselves in settings like that. They made that family feel really, really special. It was a great scene and I know it's one that Josh's family will never forget. I also know it meant a lot to our players."
OSU point guard Byron Eaton, who was among the players that visited Josh at St. Francis, was asked to describe the emotion in the locker room.
He said Brenda's eyes "just lit up."
"Her smile was so big and the rest of the family started crying," he said. "That's always good when you can do something for someone else to bring them joy."
Sutton said Kendria Cost, who heads OSU's Coaches vs. Cancer campaign, has done an unbelievable job of organizing special events like hospital trips over the years.
Why did Sutton feel the need to re-establish contact with the Honeycutts?
"Just because that was one of Josh's final wishes was for us to beat Baylor," the coach said.
"Just being over there that day and seeing how big of a basketball fan he was and how he was around our players and how our players were around him, it was important to us because it was important to him."