The recruit that we recently received a verbal commitment from is 3-year old Lane Hoffpauir from Winnie. Lane's commitment to being a Lamar Cardinals has made the Lady Cardinals very committed to him and his family.

Lane is a very energetic, personality plus young man who is going thru a tough stage in his life and the Lady Cardinals plan on being there every step of the way until we can get him back on his feet at full throttle. Lane is currently in Texas Children's Hospital in Houston waiting on a bone marrow transplant that was to take place Wednesday.

After going thru nine days of intense chemotherapy and surgery to remove his present bone marrow, Lane is ready for the next phase of the treatment and does it with a great attitude. After talking with Lane, he is ready to get back home and work with his horses and cattle and do the things that 3-year old boys do! The way that Lane Hoffpauir came in to my life and the life of the Lady Cardinals is very interesting.

On the way to Houston over a month ago to recruit, I was in a hurry as usual and pulled into a Whataburger in Winnie. Imagine that, me in a Whataburger!! After ordering my food, I pulled up to the service window and was temporarily delayed and that is when I saw a "flyer" with Lane's picture on it.

The flyer was very detailed and definitely drew you in but I was way too busy with the upcoming basketball season to get involved with a fundraiser benefit. Then it hit me. What if that was my son or grandson?

Why couldn't I slow down and give back to this young man, a young man I did not know but that should not matter. As my mom always taught me, service above self. And, Lane was wearing a cowboy hat and being from a small town myself where everyone had a little cowboy in them, it was an easy call to make. After making that initial call to Lane's mom, Abby, it was one of the best calls that I have ever made. The energy I had to help Lane after talking was very hard to describe but it reminded me of all the good things in the coaching profession that we are capable of doing on an everyday basis that we sometimes forget because of our busy schedule.

During that call, it was obvious that a much higher power had brought myself and Lane together. I found out that Lane''s dad, Kully, is a basketball coach. And to go one step further, so is his grandfather Kenny, who I know very well thru membership with the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

And, Kenny and his wife Renee both hold degrees from Lamar University, as does Kully and his brother Koby. Sister Shera working on her Master's at the present time. This is a Lamar family and families stick together in tough times.

Now, in basketball terms, the Lady Cardinals wanted to get a game plan together to help Lane.

Our game plan consisted of initially wanting to help with the fundraiser to help cover the enormous cost of medical care ( over $600,000. for the surgery alone ), so we called Lane, Abby, and grandparents Darla and Chris Barrow to come to the Montagne Center and discuss what we could do to help.

First, we wanted to Adopt Lane for our team and give him alot of Cardinal gear and let him know that the Lady Cardinals were there for him. Next, helping with the fundraiser was a priority. We called the three television stations in the Golden Triangle, KBMT, KFDM and KBTV - Fox Sports Channel 4 and all agreed to come out and interview Lane and his family.

The television coverage was tremendous and once again proves that our media is the best in the Southwest part of the country.

Team leaders Jenna Plumley, Kalis Loyd, Tray! Smith, and Darika Hill were at that first meeting and thru them word spread rapidly about helping Lane. They were sold on doing this, now we wanted to get all the team involved as well as our boosters. And, with the help of long time booster David Ess, we put together three packages for the live benefit auction with that auction.

With practice beginning for the new season on a Friday night, and then coming back for a three-hour session on Saturday morning, I was hoping that the Lady Cardinals would respond when we went to the benefit around 1 p.m. the next day. They did not disappoint as the minute they arrived at the benefit they were shaking hands and signing autographs, while genuinely caring about helping Lane.

Then, when the live auction started, I could see signs of us coming together as a team. When our auction items were introduced, including such things as t-shirts, basketballs, game tickets, and a golf outing, one could tell that my players wanted to raise some money for Lane. And they did!!

Each player got to her feet and started clapping, roaming around the church gymnasium, and encouraging the "buyers" to! purchase their Lady Cardinal packages. It was very humbling to watch these young ladies put their heart and soul into helping Lane and their efforts netted over $12,000.00 for the benefit on our 3 items.

Plus they were making a difference and giving back - something we teach our kids every day to do. In 35 years of coaching, I do not know when I have been so proud of a team and that experience has certainly made our team a lot stronger. And, it was fueled by the personality and persistence of a 3-year-old boy.

Next, we have started a Top 25 club for Lane and it simply consists of this; if possible, please donate $25 ( or more if able to do so ) and make the check payable to Lane Hoffpauir and mail to him at 2112 McBride-Devillier Loop Winnie, Texas 77665.

Again, Lane's insurance will not cover all of the expenses, so every little bit helps.

In closing, I would say that all of my life that I would be described as a "giver" and very seldom ask for anything, as I have been very blessed with health, a great family, and have always been able to make a living thru a job that I have a passion for doing.

However, today, I am asking that you not only help this young man financially but also keep him in your thoughts and prayers, as he has a long journey in front of him. And, in basketball terms once again, every dribble, assist, rebound, and shot in this contest that Lane faces — do not let him and his family do it alone. From our small part in helping Lane, we have already received tenfold from the people in the Golden Traingle but the main thing we have received is the knowledge that as individuals coming together as a team, you can make a difference.

Larry Tidwell is the head women’s basketball coach at Lamar University.