Cancer hasn’t kept Samantha Morrow from coaching game she loves
In the world of girls basketball, Samantha Morrow is one of the most decorated coaches in Texas.
Now at South Grand Prairie, Morrow led the Mansfield Tigers to four consecutive UIL Class 5A state titles from 1999 to 2002.
Now in her third season with the Warriors, Morrow received unexpected news last summer: Breast cancer was diagnosed.
“It was the first day of camp. My doctors told me to come in for some news,” she said. “I got the bad news, I don’t remember much of the conversation. I told my family and closest friends, my team and my girls and just said, ‘OK, let’s get this started, let’s fight this.’ ”
Half a year later and Morrow has gone through chemotherapy and has 13 radiation treatments to go.
But that hasn’t stopped her from doing the one thing she loves: coaching basketball.
“I missed half a day just once since being diagnosed. My principal told me go home and rest and I told him I needed to be at school,” Morrow said. “I told my girls that this season wasn’t about me, it was about them.”
People are amazing. Former players and even kids that I didn’t coach come up to check on me. It’s like a sisterhood, other coaches reaching out.
Samantha Morrow
Upon her diagnosis, Dr. Thomas Purgason was the first physician she consulted. Morrow and Purgason have known each other for 20 years since the days that Purgason’s daughter, Ashley, was an All-State player for Morrow at Mansfield.
“I have always admired coach Morrow since the first time we met 20 years ago,” Dr. Purgason said. “She has been as brave as any patient I have ever seen.”
Ashley Purgason later served on Morrow’s staff at UT Arlington, where Morrow spent six seasons as head coach, before to her arrival at SGP.
“Sam is determined to live her life as normal as she can despite some painful and harsh treatments,” Dr. Purgason said.
Morrow, who won a UIL girls state golf title in 1975 at Graford, became the Mansfield Summit coach in 2003 when a new Mansfield High opened. She led the Jaguars to the 5A state semifinals in 2007.
She has drawn support from her former and current players.
“I finished chemotherapy around Thanksgiving. My sister and her son came to visit and wanted to meet the nurses, and about 30 or 40 people surprised me,” Morrow said. “Freshman, varsity players and former players — it was very moving to have people there.”
The Warriors decided to wear pink shoes this season.
Basketball was a way to make it feel as if I didn’t even have cancer, it was a way to keep my life normal.
Samantha Morrow
Like a scene from the movie Rudy, one girl came into Morrow’s office asking to wear pink shoes. Morrow denied the request. A second, third and fourth girl came in and so on, until the coach relented.
“It was a way to be supportive of her going through this,” junior Kayla Wells said. “We couldn’t wear pink headbands so we wanted the next best thing.”
Even opposition coaches — Nicole Collins at Cedar Hill, Cathy Self-Morgan at Duncanville, and Kate Goldberg at Mansfield — have shown their support with pink-themed games and fundraisers that led to breast cancer research donations in Morrow’s name.
“People are amazing. Former players and even kids that I didn’t coach come up to check on me,” Morrow said. “It’s like a sisterhood, other coaches reaching out.”
“It’s really nice to see these competitors come together and show their support,” senior Jade Green said.
Morrow has SGP ranked No. 17 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 6A state poll with a 21-7 record. And she should complete radiation treatments early next month near the end of the regular season.
“I do think that as a coach she is willing to pursue her treatment and do whatever is necessary to recover from this problem. She also has the support of an infinite number of friends and family to get her to the finish line and survive,” Dr. Purgason said. “She will be an inspiration to all women who have to stand up and face breast cancer. She has not let cancer stop her from doing her job and pursuing her love of coaching her kids.”
With the help from the community, Morrow and SGP have been able to raise more than $1,300 for the Susan G. Komen foundation, along with checks such as Duncanville’s $500 donation presented to Morrow before a Jan. 5 game.
“It’s not about me, I just want to bring awareness to breast cancer and to let people know to always take care of yourself,” Morrow said. “Basketball was a way to make it feel as if I didn’t even have cancer, it was a way to keep my life normal.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Cancer hasn’t kept Samantha Morrow from coaching game she loves."