PROVO — The BYU basketball program and the college basketball community has been rocked by the news that head coach Dave Rose has been diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer.
Rose, 51, underwent emergency surgery at a Las Vegas hospital early this month to stop internal bleeding. At that time, his spleen and a portion of his pancreas were removed. On Wednesday, the Rose family announced through a press release issued by BYU that lab results from the surgery indicate that he has tested positive for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cancer — which is different and more treatable than the more common pancreatic cancer adenocarcinomas.
"We've all been touched by this," said former BYU coach and close friend Steve Cleveland, now head coach at Fresno State. "When I saw the press release today it was like a fist in the gut. It just took my breath away."
Last weekend, Rose returned home from Las Vegas to undergo more testing at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. The Rose family will soon meet with doctors to determine a course of action for treatment, according to BYU officials. Rose is currently recuperating at home. It is unknown yet whether he'll be able to coach the Cougars this season or not.
"He has a strong will and is a very positive man," Cleveland said. "I just have a strong belief that he'll do everything he can to beat this disease and do everything that he's asked to do. He's a fighter. He's never been a guy to back down from a battle, and that's how he'll approach this."
"He'll pull himself up by the bootstraps and battle," said Lone Peak High coach Quincy Lewis, a close friend and former player at Dixie State College.
"I've seen him go through a lot of different things, and even though he might look laid back and easy going on the outside, he's got some toughness."
While pancreatic cancer is one of the most serious types of the disease — the National Cancer institute estimates that this year there will be 42,470 new cases of pancreatic cancer in the United States and 35,240 will die in 2009 from it — Rose has a rare form of this type of cancer.
"The most important prognostic factor is whether or not the tumor can be removed surgically," according to the Johns Hopkins medical Web site. "Other significant prognostic for patients with an islet cell tumor/pancreatic endocrine neoplasm include the size of the tumor, the presence or absence of blood vessel invasion, the presence or absence of metastases to lymph nodes or other organs. The five-year survival rate ranges between 50 and 70 percent in most series."
Through a press release sent out by the school, Rose and his family "wish to express their appreciation to the doctors and nurses in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City who have provided and continue to provide excellent medical care."
"Coach Rose is a beloved member of our campus community," BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson said in a statement. "We ask all members of the BYU family, as well as coach Rose's many friends and colleagues, to keep him in their thoughts and prayers at this time. We are grateful for the care he has received and is now receiving."
Rose met with the BYU basketball team on Wednesday morning. However, with so much still to be learned about Rose's condition and treatment, the university has asked the players not to comment on the matter.
"We continue to pray for Dave and his family at this time," said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe. "In addition to our professional relationship, I have a deep friendship and love for Dave and his family. We would ask that his privacy be respected as he recuperates from surgery and determines a course of action."
Former player Lee Cummard is one of many stunned and saddened by the news.
"It gave me a little knot in my stomach," Cummard said. "But from what I've heard, he's in good hands. And knowing coach, he'll stay upbeat and positive, and that's the message he'll relay to the team. It's really out of their hands. I know he has a lot of fight in him."
Rose, who won back-to-back Mountain West Conference coach of the year honors in 2006 and 2007, is the honorary chairman of the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation. Every year, Rose and his wife, Cheryl, and his team serve and comfort local families that have children stricken with cancer.
"Dave and Cheryl are very sensitive to this disease," Cleveland said.
In 2008, Rose received the Game Pillar Award for service from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
When he was the coach at Dixie State College, Rose became the first coach in the state of Utah to participate in the American Cancer Society's nationwide Coaches vs. Cancer campaign.
"Dave and Cheryl have done so much to aid those who have been afflicted with cancer," said BYU associate athletic director Duff Tittle. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them. If anyone can battle through this, it's Dave Rose."
The BYU coaching staff — including assistants Dave Rice, John Wardenburg and Terry Nashif — are running the day-to-day operations of the program, including the upcoming summer basketball camps.
"We can never underestimate the power of the support from the coaching community, the BYU community and his friends in the community. All we can really do is give him our prayers and have great belief in our faith," Cleveland said.
e-mail: jimr@desnews.com, jeffc@desnews.com