The Eddie Sutton Foundation is partnering with a longtime friend to bring a spark of inspiration and fun to children with cancer in Tulsa.

The foundation is working with the Marcus Smart YounGameChanger Foundation to provide mobile gaming systems, called Smart Carts, directly to the bedside of pediatric oncology patients at Saint Francis Hospital and the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Outpatient Clinic.

"One of Coach Sutton's three pillars was defense, and Marcus Smart is certainly synonymous with that! Through this partnership, we will continue the full court press on pediatric cancer in Oklahoma and trust this Smart Cart to give these kids and their families a small distraction from the stresses of battling cancer," ESF Board Member Larry Reece said.

The Smart Carts are loaded with entertainment electronics and tablets on wheels that can be moved from room to room throughout the oncology wing of the hospital to delight and educate children admitted for treatment and help keep them connected with the outside world. The carts are brightly decorated and specially designed with images of Marcus Smart in action on the court. Typically, child life specialists in the oncology department use the carts to entertain young patients and help them better understand the kind of treatment they will be receiving.

"Former Oklahoma State University basketball star Marcus Smart, now an NBA standout with the Houston Rockets, is a longtime friend of the Eddie Sutton Foundation, making this opportunity to work together to help the children very special," YGC Director Bill Wilk said. "Our two foundations intersect directly in the lives of Oklahoma children and their families battling cancer. We hope this is the beginning of a long partnership.”

Smart, who played at OSU from 2012-14, won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022, only the second point guard to ever earn that recognition.

"Eddie Sutton is a revered name in my world, even though I just missed the opportunity to play for him during my time at Oklahoma State University. I did get to play on his court, and now getting to work with his foundation to support Oklahoma children with cancer is a tremendous honor," Smart said. "When I was a child, my older brother battled leukemia, and I watched firsthand the long hours our family spent in the hospital with him, looking for any kind of diversion to take our minds off the weighty issues of cancer treatment. My foundation designed the Smart Cart for just that purpose."

Sutton served as coach of his alma mater from 1990 to 2006 and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

The YounGameChanger Foundation’s mission is to provide inspiration and life-changing experiences to pediatric cancer patients and their families through the innovation of the Smart Carts. The YounGameChanger Foundation also serves as a source of guidance, motivation, encouragement and empowerment for inner-city student athletes to be GameChangers on and off the court or field. Over 30 Marcus Smart Carts are impacting young cancer patients in 16 hospitals nationwide.

It is a natural fit for the Eddie Sutton Foundation to become the first in Oklahoma to provide a Smart Cart to an area hospital.

The Eddie Sutton Foundation is comprised of a group of dedicated individuals who volunteer their time and talent to raise funds for valuable research in the fight against cancer, host children at various OSU sporting events, and make a difference in the lives of individuals and families who are battling the disease. The board is committed to championing Sutton's three principles of Defense – Dedication – Discipline. Guided by these three principles, the Eddie Sutton Foundation oversees the Cowboys vs. Cancer Program, the OSU Cowboys vs. Cancer Cowboy Classic Golf Tournament, the annual Bash for Kids statewide who have battled or are battling cancer, and provides academic scholarships to those who have been affected by the disease.

For more information, go to www.marcussmart.org.