RICHMOND, Ky. – As part of the ‘Hoops For Heroes’ initiative set forth by the OVC, the Eastern Kentucky University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is helping to raise money to send four EKU military veterans to this year’s OVC basketball tournament on March 8-9.

Cris Burgin, David Crawford, Casey Allen and Timothy Burnett are Eastern’s military veterans that have been chosen to go to the tournament. Burgin and Crawford were recently recognized at halftime of the men’s basketball game versus Tennessee State.

Burgin served 4.5 years as part of the 2/187th Rakkasans, 101st Airborne. He is majoring in aerospace management. Meanwhile, Crawford was a part of the United States Air Force. He served four years during the Gulf War and was stationed overseas for more than three years. He is majoring in criminal justice and is expecting to graduate this spring.

Allen has served six years in the U.S. Air Force (Kentucky Air National Guard) as an aircraft firefighter/medic. The senior airman is currently on active duty in the Kentucky Air National Guard with the 123rd Civil Engineering Squadron. He is also expected to graduate this spring. Finally, Burnett is currently stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He has three years of service in the Air Force as a bioenvironmental engineering technician.

In order to raise money, the SAAC committee is hosting an EKU student-athlete talent show called Jock N’ Roll on Tuesday, Feb. 12 in Brock Auditorium at 9 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $2 before the show or $3 at the door.

Tickets can be bought at Powell Corner on Jan. 30, Feb. 1, Feb. 4, Feb. 6 and Feb. 8 between 11 a.m.-1 p.m., or in the Bratzke Center (Alumni Coliseum room 103) anytime. Donations are also welcome!!

Please come out, support your fellow classmates and show your thanks to our country’s military service men and women!

@EKU_SAAC - Follow EKU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee on Twitter.