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Heart of the matter
Iowa State student-athlete’s family raises awareness about coronary disease
Iowa State student-athlete’s family raises awareness about coronary disease
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By Leilana McKindra
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
Sarita Stevens knows the life of her late husband and former Iowa State University basketball great Barry Stevens mattered. She learned just how much after an all-star celebrity basketball game honoring Stevens drew thousands of fans and raised funds for three important causes.
Credited with being the catalyst of the “Hilton Magic,” Barry Stevens led Iowa State to a fearsome home court advantage at Hilton Coliseum in the 1980s and an NCAA tournament appearance in 1985, the program’s first since 1944.
Stevens was known as much for his sweet shot as he was for the careful way he took care of his body through diet and exercise. That’s why his sudden death February 21 was such a shock. Stevens, 43, collapsed and died of coronary atherosclerosis — in which a blocked artery in the heart bursts — after a pickup basketball game at a health club in Gary, Indiana.
At the time of his death, Sarita Stevens said her husband was working on a project to increase communication between high school counselors and student-athletes to ensure inner-city athletes were academically prepared for college.
“The things that stayed with me were Barry’s desire to get that information across and that he was very health conscious,” Sarita Stevens said. “But he wasn’t knowledgeable about heart disease and how that can affect your life, even when you’re doing all the right things health-wise.”
Barry’s death generated a desire to not only educate others about the importance of heart health, but also to set up a scholarship fund for his children and raise funds for the foundation he was planning to launch. Under the direction of former Iowa State basketball standouts Jeff Grayer (who also was Stevens’ brother-in-law), Fred Hoiberg and Jeff Hornacek, the Cyclone nation responded.
The ISU Hilton Magic All-Star Celebrity Basketball Game capped two days of festivities honoring Stevens that included a youth camp and a golf outing. Former Cyclone assistant coach Jim Hallihan and head coach Johnny Orr also were instrumental in the outreach that drew a crowd of 4,000 to the Hilton Coliseum for the July 21 game that featured former Cyclones Victor Alexander, Jamaal Tinsley, Hornacek, Hoiberg and Grayer. Mateen Cleeves, Morris Peterson and Antonio Smith, members of Michigan State’s 2000 NCAA championship team who also hail from Stevens’ hometown of Flint, Michigan, also played, as did Stevens’ 15-year-old son, Darius.
“He meant so much to the Iowa State family. Barry was a great basketball player, but he was a better person,” said Hoiberg, who was a ball boy for the Cyclones when Stevens was dominating Hilton’s hardwood and currently serves as assistant general manager for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.
Hoiberg also has heart disease and underwent open heart surgery in 2005. “Heart disease doesn’t discriminate against anyone,” Hoiberg said. “Barry was in great shape. I’m another example of a person who was in great shape but was basically playing with a ticking time bomb in my chest. It was important for me to get the word out that people absolutely need to be checked.”
During the game, Hoiberg and others addressed the crowd, urging individuals to get checked, understand warning signs and live healthy lifestyles.
Proceeds from the weekend’s festivities were donated to the Barry W. Stevens Education and Health Foundation, the American Heart Association and the Barry W. Stevens Memorial Trust Fund. Sarita Stevens believes the celebration of her husband’s life and legacy met its goals. Perhaps more importantly, the events contributed to her personal healing.
“It did something medicine couldn’t do,” she said. “They can prescribe medicine to make you feel better for a few minutes, but when people say they’ll share some of the burden with you, that’s what makes you feel better.
“I want people to know his life mattered. The way he lived and the things he did and thought mattered. Even though he is no longer here, the ideology he left behind is still here.”
Stevens ended his career as the Cyclones’ all-time leading scorer with 2,190 points and currently ranks second behind Grayer. A two-time first-team all-Big Eight Conference selection, he was named to Iowa State’s All-Century Team.
For more information about the Barry W. Stevens Education and Health Foundation, visit www.barrystevensshootingstars.org.
Credited with being the catalyst of the “Hilton Magic,” Barry Stevens led Iowa State to a fearsome home court advantage at Hilton Coliseum in the 1980s and an NCAA tournament appearance in 1985, the program’s first since 1944.
Stevens was known as much for his sweet shot as he was for the careful way he took care of his body through diet and exercise. That’s why his sudden death February 21 was such a shock. Stevens, 43, collapsed and died of coronary atherosclerosis — in which a blocked artery in the heart bursts — after a pickup basketball game at a health club in Gary, Indiana.
At the time of his death, Sarita Stevens said her husband was working on a project to increase communication between high school counselors and student-athletes to ensure inner-city athletes were academically prepared for college.
“The things that stayed with me were Barry’s desire to get that information across and that he was very health conscious,” Sarita Stevens said. “But he wasn’t knowledgeable about heart disease and how that can affect your life, even when you’re doing all the right things health-wise.”
Barry’s death generated a desire to not only educate others about the importance of heart health, but also to set up a scholarship fund for his children and raise funds for the foundation he was planning to launch. Under the direction of former Iowa State basketball standouts Jeff Grayer (who also was Stevens’ brother-in-law), Fred Hoiberg and Jeff Hornacek, the Cyclone nation responded.
The ISU Hilton Magic All-Star Celebrity Basketball Game capped two days of festivities honoring Stevens that included a youth camp and a golf outing. Former Cyclone assistant coach Jim Hallihan and head coach Johnny Orr also were instrumental in the outreach that drew a crowd of 4,000 to the Hilton Coliseum for the July 21 game that featured former Cyclones Victor Alexander, Jamaal Tinsley, Hornacek, Hoiberg and Grayer. Mateen Cleeves, Morris Peterson and Antonio Smith, members of Michigan State’s 2000 NCAA championship team who also hail from Stevens’ hometown of Flint, Michigan, also played, as did Stevens’ 15-year-old son, Darius.
“He meant so much to the Iowa State family. Barry was a great basketball player, but he was a better person,” said Hoiberg, who was a ball boy for the Cyclones when Stevens was dominating Hilton’s hardwood and currently serves as assistant general manager for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.
Hoiberg also has heart disease and underwent open heart surgery in 2005. “Heart disease doesn’t discriminate against anyone,” Hoiberg said. “Barry was in great shape. I’m another example of a person who was in great shape but was basically playing with a ticking time bomb in my chest. It was important for me to get the word out that people absolutely need to be checked.”
During the game, Hoiberg and others addressed the crowd, urging individuals to get checked, understand warning signs and live healthy lifestyles.
Proceeds from the weekend’s festivities were donated to the Barry W. Stevens Education and Health Foundation, the American Heart Association and the Barry W. Stevens Memorial Trust Fund. Sarita Stevens believes the celebration of her husband’s life and legacy met its goals. Perhaps more importantly, the events contributed to her personal healing.
“It did something medicine couldn’t do,” she said. “They can prescribe medicine to make you feel better for a few minutes, but when people say they’ll share some of the burden with you, that’s what makes you feel better.
“I want people to know his life mattered. The way he lived and the things he did and thought mattered. Even though he is no longer here, the ideology he left behind is still here.”
Stevens ended his career as the Cyclones’ all-time leading scorer with 2,190 points and currently ranks second behind Grayer. A two-time first-team all-Big Eight Conference selection, he was named to Iowa State’s All-Century Team. For more information about the Barry W. Stevens Education and Health Foundation, visit www.barrystevensshootingstars.org.
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