Stephen Curry (right) interviews former teammate Bryant Barr at the 2010 BUZZKILL fund-raising tournament. (Bill Giduz/DavidsonNews.net file photo)

Ex-Wildcats, including Stephen Curry and Bryant Barr, will return for April 30-May 1 dinner and 3-on-3 basketball tourney fund-raiser.

The Davidson College men’s and women’s basketball teams will host the third annual Davidson “BUZZKILL,” a 3-on-3 tournament, dinner and auction, April 30-May 1, to raise money to prevent the spread of malaria and provide health education in Africa.

A BUZZKILL benefit dinner, a new addition to the event, will be Saturday, April 30, at the Lilly Gallery on the Davidson campus, and the 3-on-3 tournament will be Sunday, May 1, from 2-5 p.m. in Belk Arena.

Current Golden State Warrior and former Wildcat Stephen Curry will be on campus for the weekend along with his former teammate and one-time roommate Bryant Barr, who started the event in 2008.

Mr. Barr is now living in Chicago, where he is a retirement actuary for Mercer, a global human resources company. On the side, he’s also the president of the BUZZKILL Foundation, which gained nonprofit status last summer.

“I am extremely excited to be coming back to Davidson to host the third annual Davidson BUZZKILL event,” Mr. Barr said. “It will be a great weekend full of exciting events helping out a fantastic cause.”

Former players Andrew Lovedale, Thomas Sander and Logan Kosmalski will participate.

3-on-3 TOURNEY

The 3-on-3 basketball tournament is a double-elimination competition for teams of local third through eighth graders. Competition is in three age divisions of 10 teams each.

About a dozen 4-person teams had signed up by this week, and space remains. Registration is $50 per team, and there’s more information at buzzkillfoundation.org.

Teams are being asked to raise extra money by getting sponsors. Teams can choose a current or former Davidson basketball player as coach through a draft, in order based on the amount of money raised.

“Last year we had three teams raise over $2,000 in hopes of drafting Steph (Curry) to coach them for the day,” Mr. Barr said. Last year’s tournament raised $38,000 total.

“It’s a great event for the kids but it’s really a good learning opportunity for them too,” Mr. Barr said. “They realize that their small bake sales, or lemonade stands or $20 donations can have a dramatic impact on people all across the world.”

This year, BUZZKILL has pledged $10,000 to Freedom From Hunger, a California-based nonprofit providing health education and microfinancing for women in Africa. Anything raised above the $10K will go again this year to Nothing But Nets, a charity that provides mosquito nets to prevent malaria in Africa. One $10 bed net can protect a family of four for three years.

“The statistics are pretty amazing,” Mr. Barr said. “On average, every 30 seconds there’s a child dying due to a Malaria-related illness. And it’s 100 percent preventable.”

AUCTION & DINNER

The BUZZKILL benefit dinner is scheduled Saturday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. Tables are $500 each. Individual seats may also be purchased for $100. Each table seats six guests and will be joined by two Davidson men or women basketball players.

Mr. Barr said the evening will include a cocktail hour, plated dinner, guest speaker and a live auction with Davidson Basketball Coach Bob McKillop as auctioneer. Auction items will include a round of golf with Mr. Curry.

There’s also a silent auction, which begins online starting April 24 and ends at 4 p.m. May 1. buzzkillfoundation.org

BUZZKILL SPREADS

Davidson BUZZKILL has raised more than $54,000 since it began in 2008. The idea has been such a success, that after graduating from Davidson in 2010, Barr started the BUZZKILL Foundation and has enlisted other colleges to help.

Vanderbilt (April 17) and UNC-Wilmington (May 1) are hosting BUZZKILL events in 2011.

The BUZZKILL Foundation is a grassroots organization helping local communities realize a single act of generosity can impact the lives of millions around the world. By partnering with global agencies that aim to prevent the spread of malaria in Africa we touch the lives of people affected by the disease.

RELATED LINKS

Info about the fund-raiser at Buzzkillfoundation.org

May 3, 2010, “BuzzKill nets $38,000 to send mosquito nets to Africa.”