On a Wednesday in which it was revealed that BYU basketball coach Dave Rose has pancreatic cancer, Travis Hansen could still find reason to laugh when it came to the sensitive topic of coach Rose.

They've been friends for a long time now, said the 31-year-old Hansen, recalling that he's known Rose since high school. Hansen wound up going to what was then called Utah Valley State College, and his team faced Rose's Dixie State College men's basketball squad.

An indelible image was left with Hansen, who would later team up with Rose at BYU.

"I'll never forget the passion and energy he had storming down a tunnel to chase some referees," Hansen said.

It's that kind of fight and moxie which friends, colleagues and players hold in high esteem of the 51-year-old Rose, who announced his cancer in a school-issued press release.

The official term used was "pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cancer." It's considered a rarer form of cancer that is not as aggressive as the most common form of pancreatic cancer.

Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs had surgery for a similar condition to Rose's in 2004, removing a tumor. Rose apparently reiterated that much-appreciated tidbit of survival to his players in a Wednesday afternoon meeting.

There did not appear to be any thought of leaving his post at BYU, at which has been incredibly successful during his four years.

Rose required emergency surgery in Las Vegas to remove his spleen and part of his pancreas earlier this month. He has also already done tests at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City.

The pancreas is a small, spongy organ which lies deep within the abdomen. It produces enzymes that help digest food, and also secretes hormones which, among other things, help maintain and regulate body-sugar levels.

Word of Rose's condition swept like wildfire through BYU and its sports community, along with his colleagues and former players. Very close head coaching friends Steve Cleveland of Fresno State and Wyoming's Heath Schroyer were stunned to hear the late-afternoon news, which quickly flooded Cougar-related fan Web sites and sports radio airwaves.

Cleveland and Schroyer expressed love and support for him -- and pointed out that Rose is a "fighter" and a "winner" who will do whatever he can to beat this opponent.

Still, it was a somber day for those who know him, even as they expressed positive thoughts and well-wishes.

"I got a knot in my stomach when I found out," said recently graduated player Lee Cummard, who said his concern grew greatly when a former teammate asked him recently if he had heard about Rose's health following the hasty surgery.

It appears some players' anxiety levels mellowed after Rose met with the group in person.

A couple of former players indicated that truths and half-truths have swirled for a week.

According to CancerSupportiveCare.com, advancing age is the strongest risk factor for pancreatic cancer, with the vast majority of cases occurring after the age of 60 years.

There are usually no symptoms until the cancer has started to spread, and there is no routine screening test for pancreatic cancer, which is a vital fact in what makes it so lethal.

Associates of Rose said he didn't show any signs of illness or fatigue in recent weeks, as he recruited and tended to various roles within his job.

It was June 6, at a family reunion in Las Vegas, that he felt intense abdominal pain and was found to have internal bleeding.

The press release stated that Rose and his family will soon devise a plan with doctors about what to do next.

BYU, which returns four starters and a nucleus of highly touted freshmen, should be the easy Mountain West Conference preseason favorite.

It appears all Rose might forgo right now is next week's onslaught of on-campus camps. His four-member staff will handle it.

None of the current players were available to the media on Wednesday. A few of their parents were contacted by the Daily Herald, and all sounded stunned by the news.

Hansen, while expressing extreme optimism about his coach, was hurt deeply by the type of illness another beloved person in his life faces -- his mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1997, his senior year of high school.

"Coach Rose is a beloved member of our campus community. We ask all members of the BYU family, as well as coach Rose's many friends and colleagues, to keep him in their thoughts and prayers at this time," said BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson. "We are grateful for the care he has received and is now receiving."

Rose, who has been at BYU for 12 years, has twice been named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year. And in four seasons as the boss, he's won at least a share of the last three regular-season titles.

Regarded as ultra-fiery while an assistant coach, some joked that he noticeably toned down the screaming and foot stomping as he became a more scrutinized school representative, after Cleveland left for Fresno State in April of 2005.

Beloved for his loyalty, when there were options to leave Provo beforehand for possibly more money or more prestigious aide positions, Rose wound up getting promoted despite the team coming off a 9-21 season.

He won't often show his softer side, but no doubt he has one. Players and staff members adore his family's involvement with a Christmas-time charity event for young cancer patients.

"It's been a really neat experience to see him in a different light like that," Cummard said by phone from his home in Arizona, where he is preparing for next week's NBA draft. "He gets emotional, and he doesn't do that too much."

Confidants of Rose -- who has three children and two grandchildren -- do not think that he will dwell on it very long. They say he's probably stopped already.

"He's a fighter; (wife) Cheryl is, the whole family is," Hansen said. "They're going to be strong, and they're going to get a lot of support."

• Jason Franchuk can be reached at jfranchuk@heraldextra.com

Related

• Participants, counselors getting educated at Hansen's hoops camp
• Rose feeling ready for recruiting
• BYU basketball coach Dave Rose still cancer free after latest scan
• BYU coach Rose eager to get on with focus of team