Andy Smith sat comfortably in the passenger seat of his parentsâ blue Toyota SUV, his head leaning back against the headrest with thoughts on how Jan. 12 would be spent simply relaxing at home after an unplanned trip to the Front Range.
Once the car pulled up to the house, however, he quickly noticed a crowd â neighbors, family, some of his old Grand Junction High School basketball teammates and even the GJHS Tigersâ mascot â waiting outside with balloons and signs.
It was a triumphant welcome home party for a young man who had spent 50 nights away because of a brain tumor which, in jest, he dubbed âBenji.â Those 50 nights were marked by challenges, concern and cameos by the all-time winningest coach in menâs college basketball, but more on that later.