By Ed Benkin

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The coaches of Philadelphia’s “City 6″ basketball teams — Penn, Temple, Villanova, Drexel, St. Joe’s, and La Salle — gathered this morning at the Palestra for their annual “Coaches vs. Cancer” tipoff breakfast.

Even though college basketball may have been on the minds of the fans, the annual event raises money for the American Cancer Society.

St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli (standing at far right in photo) says he and his fellow coaches are happy to do their part in the fight against cancer.

“The numbers are great,” Coach Martelli tells KYW Newsradio. “The numbers are improving in terms of cancer patients and all varieties of cancer, but we have to get to the point where you can report on the radio, ‘cancer-free.’ ”

The Coaches vs. Cancer breakfast is just one of several events the local coaches participate in, year round.  More information can be found by going to phillycoachesvscancer.com.

Hear Ed Benkin’s full interviews with the “Coaches vs. Cancer” coaches…

• LaSalle — Dr. John Giannini

• Temple — Fran Dunphy

• Penn — Jerome Allen

• St. Joe’s — Phil Martelli

• Drexel — Bruiser Flint

• Villanova — Jay Wright

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