She may not have been with Hidden Valley High School long, but her impact on the students and Hidden Valley community are quite apparent.

All you have to do is see the reaction of the students and faculty when they found out that Brenda King, Hidden Valley’s new women’s Basketball coach, P.E. teacher, mother, and friend was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer. Three years ago Coach King lost her husband to cancer.

King will now receive chemotherapy once every three weeks and is unable to coach or teach at Hidden Valley High School, that is until she gets better.

Today, Hidden Valley held a student vs. faculty basketball game to benefit Coach King and her family during her struggle with cervical cancer. The gym was packed and not a single student or faculty member was missing.

They chanted, cheered, screamed, and cried for Coach King and then the games began with the students cheering on their fellow students, and the faculty their fellow faculty. Most of the students and faculty sported their t-shirts designed by the students to the game that read “Fight Like a King” and “HV for BK”.

Coach King was quite overwhelmed with the amount of support she has received from the Hidden Valley community.

“I’m nothing but a high school basketball teacher and coach and that’s all I ever wanted to be. To see all this attention makes you fee humbled and special,” King said. “I’m just so appreciative. I just want to get back here and I’ll work for free. We’ve got friends it seems in every corner of Virginia.”

“It’s like a wonderful reunion I get to have before going to heaven. If you surround yourself with good people your going to be happy in life and that is how I feel,” she said.

Coach King was escorted in a golf cart decorated in her honor with Hidden Valley colors and a huge crown on top.

Students rushed the gym to hug her and shake her hand and present her with flowers. The Cave Spring Girl’s Basketball team also came, wearing Hidden Valley colors and their “Fight Like a King” shirts and showed their support while sitting the Hidden Valley Girl’s Basketball team. The Cave Spring team brought in $1,100 for the King family.

In all, to date, the Hidden Valley community has raised $7,238 to support King and her family.

And then the games began!

According to Hidden Valley High School principal, Rhonda Stegall, the students have come up with ways to help the Coach King and her family get through this time of need.

“Coach King has been working with the team, getting to know the girls and already she has made a big impact, even though she hasn’t been here that long. It just tells you what a strong community relationship we have at Hidden Valley,” Stegall said.

Students at Hidden Valley have created wristbands with a slogan that reads, “Fight Like a King” that are being sold for $1.00 each. All proceeds of the sale will go directly to Coach King and her family.

The students are also selling t-shirts for $10, proceeds again going directly to Coach King and held a Student versus Faculty Basketball Game on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost only $2.00 to raise money for Coach King.

And they aren’t stopping there. Hidden Valley High School will also hold a “Benefits Hoops” tournament that will be held in Salem on Dec. 20 and 21. Space for this event is limited and will include both boy’s and girl’s 9U through 15U. Those interested can register at www.slamdunkbasketball.com. The entry fee is $200 per team with discounts for multiple teams and tournaments.

If you are interested in buying a wristband in support of Coach King, they are being sold by the Women’s Basketball Team members or by dropping by the front office at the high school. For t-shirts contact tsmith@rcs.k12.va.us

A bank account has also been set up for financial donations to the family. Checks should be made payable to Brenda King and dropped off at HVHS or at the Stellar One Oak Grove Branch.

For more photos from Today’s student vs. faculty basketball game at Hidden Valley High School, check out our gallery by clicking this link

-Emily Flora SWoCo