TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona Wildcats will support a pair of important causes in a pair of home basketball games this week in McKale Center. Coach Sean Miller and the Wildcats will participate in Coaches vs. Cancer week in both games versus Colorado and Utah while also partaking in their annual Coaching for Literacy campaign on Saturday's game versus the Utes.

The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs. Since 1993, coaches have raised over $100 million for the American Cancer Society. Coach Miller and his staff will don basketball shoes with their suits. The sneakers will also feature Princess Lacey's Laces in honor of Lacey Holsworth, a young basketball fan who passed away in 2014.

Coaching for Literacy's Fight for Literacy Games initiative, which brings players, coaches, and fans together in common cause: ensuring America's children can read.  Per the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 70% of 4th graders in Arizona are not proficient in reading. By hosting the Fight for Literacy Games effort, the Wildcats are raising awareness for thousands of young students who are struggling to read at grade-level. The Arizona coaching staff will wear CFL's green lapel pins during the Utah game in support of the organization's cause.