This past winter was a harsh one. Record snow and ice totals hammered most of the United States. The northeast was hit especially hard. Xavier University basketball players Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons are from New York. The two were trying to return to Cincinnati for a late December home tilt against visiting University at Albany. Mother Nature had other plans. An incoming blizzard canceled almost all flights out of the northeast and the Xavier players – the team’s two leading scorers – seemed to be stranded. After exhausting all other options, Xavier asked its incoming visitors to give the players a ride. To make it to Cincinnati, Albany chartered a bus and was prepared to include Holloway and Lyons on the 12-hour drive. Albany’s leading scorer, Logan Aronhalt was well aware of the potential benefit for his team if it refused to give the opposingplayers a lift. He told FOXsports.com, “It would be one of the biggest wins Albany has ever had. But this is the right thing to do.” Lyons’ home is about 10 minutes from the Albany campus, so he was able to make the bus with relative ease. Holloway was not so fortunate. With waist-high snowdrifts, Holloway remained in his hometown of Hempstead. Lyons begrudgingly accepted the ride, but was well received by the Albany players and staff. “I wasn’t happy about it at first, but it’s pretty cool,” he said. Lyons enjoyed dinner with the team and watched a few movies on the bus ride. Xavier coach Chris Mack spoke glowingly of Albany and coach Will Brown. “It was obviously really, really nice of Will Brown to do this.” Brown, however, downplayed the gesture and viewed Lyons like one of his own players. “He was no different than any one of our guys. The minute he got on the bus, he put his head phones on and whipped out his phone and within an hour he was out cold.” Lyons went on to hit a career-high six three pointers and lead Xavier to a victory over Albany. Nonetheless, Albany displayed a great gesture of sportsmanship worthy of recognition and emulation.