BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy is hosting its first “orange out” basketball game to honor Cash Gaudio.
Cash Gaudio was only 19 when he was shot and killed in September 2024. Now, his family and community are coming together to honor him through the Live Like Cash Gaudio Foundation and a basketball orange out event.
Micah Gaudio, Cash’s father, said, “You know the best we could do is what Cash did when he was alive and he helped others that didn’t have a shot.”
Cash played varsity basketball as a sophomore and junior at Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy. This Tuesday, February 3rd at 6:30 p.m. the same gym where Cash played will be filled with fans wearing orange. The color orange was chosen to honor Cash’s goal of eventually transferring to UVA.
“Basketball was kind of a redemption for him. He really took it seriously. He started getting straight A’s after that, he grew to be 6′5”, an athlete, so it really was a turnaround in his life," Micah Gaudio said.
Cash was known for his leadership on and off the court. “He wanted to raise up the play around everybody around him and that was just the kind of kid he was,” his father added.
The foundation will also present a Team Leadership Award in Cash’s name, a scholarship for one lucky student at the academy.
“Cash wasn’t a superstar in basketball or anything like that, but he was a leader,” Micah Gaudio said. “After he passed, people came up to us, and we knew he was a good kid, but we didn’t realize what an impact he made on others. So, looking forward to carrying on Cash’s legacy with someone else at Smith Mountain Lake Academy.”
The Live Like Cash Gaudio Foundation hopes to keep growing and supporting more students in the years to come.
To get involved or donate to the foundation, visit the Live Like Cash Gaudio Foundation website here.
The “Orange Out” basketball game will be held at 6:30 p.m. February 3rd at Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy. If you wish to attend the basketball orange out game, you can find more details here.