“Big Bill” Van Wie loved everything about basketball. Standing at a height of 6 feet 7 inches, he was built to play the game, but he most enjoyed coaching young players and being a passionate fan.
When Bill passed away from multiple myeloma in 2017, his son Andy Van Wie wanted to honor his father’s love of the game and organized the first Big Bill Van Wie Invitational youth basketball tournament in Waunakee. After a well-attended and successful first year, Andy decided to add a fundraising component to benefit UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center.
Now in its seventh year, and with a name change to Big Bill and Bob Van Wie Invitational, the tournament has raised more than $230,000 for Carbone Cancer Center in memory of Bill and his brother Bob, who passed away in 2023 from liver cancer.
“I always get asked, every year, ‘Will you do it again next year?’ I go, ‘Yeah, I'm not stopping this,’” Andy said. “I want to get to $1 million for Carbone, and go on from there, so that's my goal.”
The tournament, held each year in February, celebrates what Big Bill loved most about basketball: the camaraderie among kids and fans and the joy of playing sports on a special stage. Fans attend for free and enjoy free bags popcorn — a favorite snack of Bill’s. Attendees can contribute to a donation box, participate in silent auctions, and buy raffle tickets to support Carbone.
Teams who participate pay entry fees as a direct donation to Carbone and players can line up community pledges to donate for every free throw the player makes during the tournament. Many of those players dedicate their pledges to the memory of a loved one affected by cancer.
“I mean, there’s some years where we’ve raised $15,000 just off of the players’ pledges,” Andy said. The lead fundraiser each year receives a three-day stay and play package in Wisconsin Dells to reward a job well done to the player and their family.
Andy’s goal is to make the tournament a fun atmosphere for both the kids playing and the families and community watching. They play music during time-outs on the championship court, perform pregame player introductions for each player and team, provide free tournament T-shirts for every participant, and players get a chance at trophies for first place, 3-point shooting contests and lead fundraising.
They also have family and friends volunteer to take game photos, run clocks and score sheets, help with concessions, manage the tournament raffle and handle play-by-play, calling players’ names when they score.
“These young kids get to hear their name when they hit a bucket on a championship court, and it’s a nice, personal touch,” he said. “And I think the fans are more appreciative of that fun atmosphere, and it just makes it so worth it.”
Andy, his family members and many other volunteers coordinate the tournament logistics, including lining up donations for raffle prizes and food vendors to serve concessions. He is grateful for the strong and growing support of local businesses in Waunakee and in Wisconsin Dells, where Bill and Bob were born and raised. All services and costs to host the tournament are donated or absorbed by organizers, so every dollar raised goes directly to Carbone.
“It’s a lot of fun and I enjoy working with the people who help support us and so many volunteers, family and friends who just want to help and be a part of it,” Andy said. “I couldn’t be more thankful for that and I look forward to continuing to raise more money for a great cause.”