On Jan. 11, 2025, Saluki men’s basketball head coach Scott Nagy did something Saluki fans had never seen before: He coached their entire game against the Missouri State Bears barefoot. He coached barefoot again in the Dawgs’ recent matchup against the Bradley Braves, as he has once a year for nearly his whole career.

“I’ve been doing it I don’t even know how many years now, 15 to 20,” Nagy said in an interview with the Daily Egyptian.

He does so to support Samaritan’s Feet International, a humanitarian aid organization that gives shoes to those in need around the world. For every barefoot game Nagy has coached, fans have had the option to donate shoes at the door in exchange for free tickets to the game or donate funds directly to a special link on the Samaritan’s Feet website. The tradition started after Nagy and his wife, Jamie, adopted their daughter Naika and were looking for a way to give back.

“I was looking for a way to help Naika’s country, Haiti, and there’s all kinds of ways to help but there was a coach in our league back then, Ron Hunter, who did the first barefoot game,” Nagy said. “I asked him about it, how did this come to be, and he introduced me to Manny Ohonme, who is the founder and CEO of Samaritan’s Feet International.”

Nagy said he has gotten to know Ohonme well over the years of working with Samaritan’s Feet, even taking his teams on trips to Haiti and the Dominican Republic to help deliver shoes.

“I’ve gotten to know him, his heart, and his organization very well, and it’s something I believe in and what they’re doing in terms of how they’re helping people, how they’re bringing hope to people, and how they’re saving people’s lives,” Nagy said.

Nagy said he realizes the incredible place of privilege that he and the team come from compared to the people of countries that Samaritan’s Feet supports.

“I find it a bit ridiculous when you can walk in any of our players’ lockers and see the number of shoes or walk in my closet and see the number of shoes,” he said. “Several of these countries, it’s the first time some of these children have even had a pair of shoes.”

Nagy went on to describe how big of a difference the shoes make in the lives of those that get donated to.

“For some of these countries, it keeps them from getting sick because so many of the diseases people get are footborne diseases that come through the skin because obviously your feet are what touch the ground and so a lot of these diseases are coming in through their feet,” Nagy said. “And so if you’re giving a pair of shoes to someone who doesn’t have a pair of shoes, there is a possibility that you’re saving their life.”

Nagy was blown away with the fan reception after his first barefoot game at South Dakota State in 2009. 

“We got over 2,000 shoes we had to rent a garage to put them all in there,” he said

Saluki guard Davion Sykes talked about how much the cause means after the game against the Braves.

“At the end of the day it’s bigger than basketball. I know a big reason Coach Nagy does this is because of his family,” Sykes said.

Nagy’s work with Samaritan’s Feet has even given Naika a chance to reconnect with family back in Haiti.

“The first time we went over (to Haiti), I was able to connect with her birth mom, we were able to call back and do FaceTime with her and so she’s been able to keep in touch with her mom really through me being involved with Samaritan’s Feet,” Nagy said.

Fans going to the Sunday, Feb. 15 game against the Braves were able to donate shoes to receive a free ticket to both the men’s and women’s basketball games. Fans could also support Samaritan’s Feet by donating at https://samaritansfeet.org/siu/. 

Sports Reporter Eli Hoover can be found at [email protected] or on Instagram @hoovermakesart

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