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Palmetto Ridge girls basketball coach Tiffany Merchant and Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick have become good friends while working at University of Tennessee summer camps during the past 20 years.

Such good friends that Merchant can’t help but smile when asked about Warlick’s personality – not just on the court, but off.

“Expect the unexpected in Knoxville,” Merchant said.

That could be the motto for Warlick’s latest adventure. She and former Tennessee women’s assistant Nikki Caldwell are on a 2,200-mile motorcycle ride from Knoxville to Key West and back. The trip, dubbed Cruisin’ for a Cause presented by FedEx Kinkos, is to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

After making it to Key West on Wednesday, the bikers’ route took them to Naples on Thursday. Caldwell and Warlick, along with seven other bikers and a caravan of supporters, stopped at Saltwater Cowboys Raw Bar and Grill in Golden Gate to kick back, relax and raise funds for a good cause.

“They’re very generous,” Merchant said. “They find a good cause and they really want to help out as much as possible.”

Merchant was key in bringing the Cruisin’ crew to Saltwater Cowboys. The Bears coach has been working with Warlick at Tennessee camps since 1987. She’s also friends with bar owner Kevin Kenney. When she found out the Lady Vols wanted to stop in Naples, Merchant knew the perfect spot.

After driving roughly 250 miles from Key West under the hot South Florida sun, Caldwell and Warlick were greeted by about 100 revelers and a live band at the outdoor bar. Kenney placed donation jars spread through the establishment, most of which were half full by the time the bikers arrived, and gave 10 percent of the night’s profits to the cause.

The travelers hoped to raise $100,000 with their eight-day excursion, which would double the amount earned in last year’s inaugural Cruisin’ for a Cause. The coaches rode their bikes 3,000 miles from Berkeley, Calif., to Knoxville in 11 days.

“We wanted to come through Florida because we knew it was a big biking state,” Warlick said. “We thought we’d get a great response, and we have. And it’s been a lot of fun. We had to tie in fun with work.”

The cruise left Knoxville on Sunday, stopping in Charleston, S.C., then headed to Daytona Beach on Monday. From there, they headed to Miami before arriving in Key West. The cruise departs Naples on Friday and stops for another fundraiser in Tampa before completing the circle in Knoxville on Sunday.

Once she dismounted her bike, Warlick was greeted by a former coach and an old friend. Rick Bianucci coached Warlick when she was 10 years old growing up in Knoxville and has kept in contact ever since.

Bianucci, who’s live in Naples for five years, said helping a good cause is nothing out of the ordinary for Warlick.

“Holly was one of those athletes that, you could make up a new game, and she’d beat you at it,” Bianucci said. “More importantly, she’s a Class A person.”

Caldwell, who recently was hired as head women’s coach at UCLA, said giving back is what the ride is all about. And the coaches are doing it in more than just the monetary sense. Once they arrived in Key West, they put on a basketball clinic for the local children.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Caldwell said. “And you can’t ask for a better day to ride. Today was beautiful.”

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.