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EAST STROUDSBURG – Former East Stroudsburg University men's basketball standout Duane Johnson is set to compete for Sideline Cancer this weekend at the 2019 "The Basketball Tournament", a national 64-team five-on-five tournament with a two million dollar prize.
 
Johnson (Landsdowne, Pa./Penn Wood), will suit up for Sideline Cancer for a fourth straight year on Thursday night as his team will face Self Made (Kansas Jayhawks Alumni) in a first-round matchup on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. Sideline Cancer is part of the eight-team Wichita Regional that features alumni squads from Colorado, Kansas State, Marquette, and Wichita State.
 
The winner from each of the eight regional tournaments will advance to play for the two million dollar prize in Chicago at Wintrust Arena, August 1-6. Along with having the opportunity to split the top prize, each regional champion will take home twenty-five percent of the ticket sales collected from their region.
 
The Wichita Regional has received plenty of attention heading into the weekend as the top-seeded Golden Eagles are led by former Marquette stars Jamil Wilson and Travis Diener. The host team, Aftershocks, feature Toure' Murry, Tekele Cotton, and Joe Ragland from Wichita State. Self Made brings in some star power of its own with the likes of Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson from Kansas.
  Sideline Cancer is coached by former Millersville University standout and NCAA DII All-American Charles Parker. Parker is assisted by Jordan Griffith and general manager Billy Clapper. Sideline Cancer features former collegiate players from all over the United States and is made up of 10 athletes.
 
Sideline Cancer, which returns to the TBT for the sixth year, plays to help promote awareness for pancreatic cancer. The Griffith Family Foundation/Sideline Cancer was founded to honor the memory of Greg Griffith from Hollidaysburg, Pa., who lived courageously for 19 months with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer. Sideline Cancer is the only youth organization in the world that engages students and communities to use their philanthropic and entrepreneurial ideas to raise awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research.
 
"Each year of TBT, the Sideline Cancer basketball team has come together to play. And what we have played for is something bigger. We are playing to raise awareness, to inspire the next generation of what they can use their gifts to be, and we believe always that one day a cure will be found." - Billy Clapper, GM Sideline Cancer.
 
Pancreatic cancer is one of the world's deadliest cancers with a five-year survival rate of nine percent. It is also projected to become the No. 2 cancer killer by the year 2022. Sideline Cancer plays for those who are fighting pancreatic cancer currently, those who are no longer with us, and their families. Sideline Cancer spreads awareness with the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition for Alex Trebek, Greg Griffith, and families of the 56,770 people who are projected to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year.
 
In his four years at ESU (2010-13), Johnson was the third three-time All-PSAC East selection in program history, joining Jonathan Roberts and Lonnie White. Rasheed Moore became ESU's first four-time All-PSAC East selection in 2017. Johnson was part of four straight PSAC Final Four teams and three NCAA Division II Tournament teams, helping the Warriors reach the NCAA Tournament in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
 
Johnson finished his career ranked seventh at ESU in career points (1,347), ninth in rebounds (608), fourth in steals (148), eighth in blocks (90) and second in free throws made (369). He and Roberts are the only two players in school history to rank in the top 10 in both steals and blocks. He completed his career with 3,267 career minutes, the most by an ESU player since at least 1990.