Coaches have a responsibility to give back to their communities, according to a recent poll conducted on the Double-A Zone. Of the 134 readers that submitted to the poll, an overwhelming 83 percent said coaches have a responsibility to give back, while 17 percent said coaches “just need to win games and graduate players.”

The results come one month after IUPUI head men’s basketball coach Ron Hunter appeared barefoot during a game in an effort to raise awareness to the plight of children in Africa. Hunter’s efforts inspired many people in the community to donate shoes to the cause, resulting in the collection of more than 100,000 pairs.

NCAA President Myles Brand took an opportunity to comment on coach Hunter’s leadership on a recent Mondays with Myles.

“Coaches, of course, are entrusted with winning…but they also have another role to play on campus and in the broader community,” Brand said. “They can be a front person for good causes and Ron Hunter understood that.”

In another recent example, teams from around the country participated in the Think Pink Initiative to raise money for cancer research. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association started the annual project in 2007 with 120 schools participating. This year’s event garnered support from more than 1,000 schools around the country.

As NCAA staff member Brenda Reimer observed, the initiative has had a trickledown impact on middle and high schools around the country. Remier’s seventh-grade daughter’s basketball team wore pink socks to raise awareness for breast cancer and support a teammate’s mother battling the disease.

“Many of our coaches—a good many of our coaches—are engaged in philanthropic exercises of one kind or another,” Brand said. “They know they have a position and a platform and they take advantage of it to help others.”

The Double-A Zone poll changes weekly. Currently the poll asks, “Should college teams compete on national holidays?”