New Trier Basketball Raises Money In Loyola's War on the Shore

Last summer Loyola Academy head basketball coach Tom Livatino started organizing his idea of an annual basketball shootout. The North Shore had been lacking in a midseason tournament and Livatino wanted to create an annual event to showcase the city and north suburbs’ best players.

Livatino called New Trier coach Scott Fricke and he quickly accepted the invitation to play in the first annual War on the Shore.

“[Livatino] asked me if I would be a part of it and I said absolutely,” Fricke said. “Any time you can combine the great sport of high school basketball with a charity it’s a great thing.”

That charity was the Danny Did Foundation. It was started when the nephew of Tom Stanton, one of Loyola Academy’s assistant coaches, passed away in his sleep from a rare medical condition called Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). Danny Stanton was only four years old.

Taking the name from the last line of Danny’s obituary, Tom’s brother, Mike Stanton, started the Danny Did Foundation to help prevent deaths caused by seizures. Upwards of 50,000 people die from seizures every year; some of them are as young as Danny.

In working to fight against epilepsy – specifically SUDEP – Danny Did has two areas of focus: technology and awareness. After the foundation was started, Mike started looking for devices that can notify others when a person with epilepsy has a seizure while sleeping.

“Our thought was there has to be something out there that can alert to a seizure so that you have a chance to address it and then go from there,” Mike said. “What we’re trying to do is bring that information to people and let them know here are some things you can try.”

But the Foundation also talks to doctors, trying to foster communication between medical professionals and the families of those affected by epilepsy. Along with the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, the Danny Did co-wrote a pamphlet entitled “Seizure Safety.” The four-page booklet -- which has been distributed to hospitals and doctors across the nation -- outlines safety tips, challenges and epilepsy facts for families dealing with the disease for the first time.

With Tom in the middle of his second year as an assistant coach for the Ramblers, Loyola Academy knew all about the Stanton family’s fight against epilepsy. Last year as part of the foundation’s Buzz Cuts for Danny fundraiser, the entire Rambler basketball team sported Danny’s trademark haircut for their playoff run, something they plan to do again this season.

“He’s family and we’re doing it for [Coach Stanton],” Loyola senior forward Michael Lang said. “Everyone in the community has realized how big of an issue this is and all the support goes out to him and his family.”

The War on the Shore showcased three games on Saturday, with all matchups pitting a team from the North Shore versus a team from Chicago. New Trier faced off against Mount Carmel in the showcase’s second game.

Coming off a big win road victory over Waukegan, New Trier held the Caravan and Illinois recruit Tracy Abrams in check for three quarters. But Mount Carmel rallied and ended up with a 57-45 victory.

“We played the second half like we were tired. We had no energy, no legs, didn’t shoot the ball in at all,” Fricke said. “I just thought we wore down a little bit.”

With sizeable attendance figures and a large quantity of raffle tickets sold, Danny Did raised $2,200 at the War on the Shore.

The showcase will likely become an annual event, and after New Trier’s game Fricke threw around ideas of rotating the tournament around the North Shore.

“It was a great first year,” Livatino said. “It meant a lot -- besides it being six really good basketball teams – because it benefitted a great cause.