Last night I attended the JCC Athletic Awards here in Van as a guest of the Whitecaps, where Steve Nash was the recipient of this year's Jack Diamond Award. Unfortunately Steve was unable to attend in person due to some scheduling changes in the NBA. Representing Steve was his mother, sister and his high school basketball coach who gave a heartfelt speech on Steve Nash as a person, not just a basketball player. I was lucky enough to actually be sharing a table with these three as the Nash's are also associated with the Whitecaps (Steve's brother, Martin, is a player on the team). For a fundraising dinner the evening was really a lot of fun. I bid on a few of the silent auction items (didn't get any) and was amazed to watch the action of the live auction where most things went between 10-40 Grand. The highlight of the evening (after Steve's humble acceptance of his award by video) was key note speaker Bill Walton. I'm not sure what was funnier, Walton's introduction by a member of the JCC spiked with deadhead references and jokes about his driving up the coast in his VW bus or Walton's marathon talk. He's a funny guy and I think if I were more familiar with the basketball world it would have been even funnier.