STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Katie Labuski volunteers with Birthday Wishes of Long Island, baking custom cupcakes for homeless children in the community. She also donates her time helping at 5K races benefiting the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

On Monday, however, the generous 16-year-old was on the receiving end of a good deed.
 
Stony Brook men's basketball student-athletes Anthony Ochefu and Quari Alleyne visited Katelyn at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, where she is receiving treatments for Crohn's disease.

The basketball duo presented Katie with a game-worn Seawolves basketball jersey with her last name inscribed on the back. They also gave Katie and her family tickets to Thursday's ESPN U-televised showdown against first-place Vermont at Island Federal Arena.

"She does so much for other people," said Katie's mother, Michelle Labuski. "It means a lot."

Alleyne had worn the No. 12 jersey, complete with "LABUSKI" written on the back, during a Feb. 1 victory against UMBC.

Several other patients at Stony Brook Children's Hospital attended that game, but Katie was unable.

The children attending the game against UMBC had been invited into the locker room after the victory. There, they also were presented with game-worn jerseys with their names on the back.

"We were definitely smiling because of the win, but when the children came in it just brought a new energy to all of us," Alleyne said. "It uplifted all of our spirits to see how happy they were once they saw us and once they saw the jerseys. It definitely was a humbling experience and made you feel like you were helping someone else that day."

Because Katie could not attend that day, Ochefu and Alleyne visited her at the hospital on Monday for an individual presentation.

"It's really humbling knowing that your presence can make a huge impact on a kid's life," Ochefu said about visiting Katie. "Knowing what they're going through, every day we're just praying for them to get better and fight."