Just four days ago, Creighton hosted its 16th annual Creighton vs. Cancer “Pink Out” game against UConn. Although the Bluejays suffered a tough loss to the No. 2 team in the country, the night carried far greater meaning than the final score. Two players in particular, Blake Harper, who lost his mother to breast cancer in 2023, and Josh Dix, whose mother was battling cancer at the time, were playing for something much bigger than basketball.

After the UConn game, in the press conference, Blake Harper said, “Like I said, I had a little moment back in the locker room. I keep going back on that because really, never in my life I had teammates I just met in June, talking to me like we had known each other for our whole life. That’s what I took from tonight, and for our team, and just sticking together throughout the game as well.” It's important to note that this is Blake’s first year in the program, as he transferred in from Howard.

Early yesterday morning, the day of Creighton’s matchup with Georgetown, Dix received the call that his mother had passed away. Head coach Greg McDermott said the program immediately arranged a flight for Dix to return home and be with his family. Instead, Dix made the remarkable decision to stay with his team and play. Josh Dix transferred in from Iowa this year to be closer to his mother. McDermott spoke about the moment afterward to John Bishop on the 1620 Jays Show: “It’s been a hard day for our team, really difficult for our team. In this era of NIL and transfer portals, sometimes people wonder how much these programs mean to these people. The fact that Josh Dix played that game tonight is absolutely, absolutely unbelievable.”

It was an emotional day across the entire Creighton locker room. McDermott noted that Harper stayed right by Dix’s side, having endured a similar loss himself. Though Creighton ultimately fell to Georgetown 76–68, the resilience and toughness shown by the team went far beyond the scoreboard. While the season hasn’t unfolded the way they hoped, this group has formed something deeper, a true brotherhood.

The lesson is simple: never take a day for granted, and always lead with kindness. You never truly know what someone else is going through. Athletes often face harsh criticism, especially from those with money riding on their performance, but moments like this serve as a powerful reminder that they are human first.