Jan. 5, 2010

NEW ORLEANS -- On Dec. 23, 2008, Celeste and Billy Goodwin saw their oldest son go into an operating room at Children's Hospital for a kidney transplant, one of the scariest and worst days of their lives. Seven days later a recovering Matthew Goodwin, then six-years-old, got the thrill of his life.

On Dec. 31, 2008, the Tulane men's basketball team made a visit to the Children's Hospital in New Orleans and they made a stop in Matthew's room. It was the highlight of his hospital stay that also included a visit from the Alabama football team in the city for the Sugar Bowl. During that visit by the Green Wave Matthew, a big Tulane fan, said we wanted to come to a basketball game when he felt healthy enough.

Fast forward to Dec. 30, 2009 when Matthew would add another great thrill to his life.

Matthew, his little brother Conner and his mother and father got more than just tickets to a Tulane basketball game. The Green Wave invited Matthew, now a strong seven-year-old, to spend the entire day with them when they would host North Carolina A&T.

"The basketball team made a dramatic impact on him last year in that visit to Children's Hospital," Celeste Goodwin said. "So much of an impact that he kept the Tulane signed schedule and studied it until he knew when and where all the games were to be played. He asked us if he could go to a game when he felt better."

Matthew had his own locker in the Tulane locker room, received a team jersey, watched scouting video with the players and coaches, participated in the team's shoot around, ate the pre-game meal, led the Green Wave out of the tunnel onto the floor before the start of the game, sat on the bench during the entire game and spent a segment on the Tulane radio broadcast during halftime.

"I had tears in my eyes as we watched him lead the team onto the court," Celeste added. "Thursday was exactly one year to the day that the players visited him in the hospital after his auto kidney transplant. For me to remember the suffering he was going through 12 months ago, and then to see him be able to actually RUN with the players was priceless. It's amazing for us to see how far he has come. "

Matthew sat on the Tulane bench while his family sat right behind the bench during the Green Wave 78-54 victory over the Aggies of North Carolina A&T at Fogelman Arena.

"This is the greatest day of my life," Matthew stated with a big smile on his face. "I loved every minute of it."

Tulane head coach Dave Dickerson, who has a nine-year-old son of his own, was very impressed with the toughness of Matthew and all that he has overcome in his life. "The one thing that we have tried to talk to the team about is having courage and playing with some pride and playing with respect and he (Matthew) is the toughest 7-year-old kid that I have ever been around," Dickerson said following the game. "He brought toughness to our program today. With the year that he has had, I don't know what position I would be in as a father, seeing my son go through that and so his presents today was very instrumental to our team. Telling my wife about this situation and having him around today, I almost choked up because no day is promised to him and our guys have to look at that situation and live every day to the fullest because he is the toughest kid that have ever been in that locker room in a long time. "

Dec. 30, 2009 was a day neither Matthew Goodwin, nor the Tulane men's basketball team will ever forget.

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