On Monday, Feb. 24, the No. 10 NC State women’s basketball team will participate in the 15th annual Play4Kay game, facing off against rival Duke at Reynolds Coliseum. The game is in Reynolds, but the teams will play on a court named after the game’s namesake: Kay Yow Court.
Founded in memory of Kay Yow, the legendary former NC State women’s basketball coach, the Play4Kay game is played in remembrance of Yow and in support of the fund she created shortly before her passing, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Created a little over 12 years ago, the fund has awarded $7.78 million in grants to scientific research and programs that work to fight against all forms of cancer that affect women.
Yow, a North Carolina native from birth, spent 34 years at the helm of the NC State women’s basketball program, guiding the team to five ACC regular season championships, four ACC Tournament championships, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and a number of other significant team accolades. As one of the greatest female basketball coaches of all time, Yow brought the Wolfpack women’s basketball program to national prominence. She died of breast cancer in 2009, just two years after leading NC State to the Sweet 16 and earning the first-ever Jimmy V Award for perseverance at the ESPY Awards.
“I think that for us, it’s not just being able to fundraise for cancer research, but it really is a celebration of the various coaches we’ve had come through here that have made huge impacts on the history here at NC State and built this legacy who are impacted,” said NC State senior guard Aislinn Konig. “So you have Kay Yow, but you also have Jimmy V, and now, it’s Valvano Arena and Kay Yow Court, and you’re surrounded by these people who unfortunately were taken too soon, but their love of basketball was able to create a legacy here that will be here long after we’re gone. Being able to celebrate that with everyone is super special.”
To support both the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the fund’s Play4Kay initiative, NC State will be hosting a Play4Kay game for the 15th season in a row. The purpose of the game is twofold. First, all proceeds and money raised at the game are donated in their entirety to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Second, cancer survivors and those who have died from any form of cancer are honored all throughout the game, either in person, virtually or through the presence and recognition of family members who have survived them.
“It gives me a good opportunity to sit back and see exactly the impact that the Kay Yow foundation has made on so many people,” Konig said. “And how much basketball affects these people as well. We get to bring together people who are fighting cancer and who have survived it, and we get to recognize them for their bravery and their courage. It’s something that’s really special, and it definitely makes you very thankful for the things you have and thankful to be here at NC State.”
For all the good the Kay Yow Cancer Fund does and how impactful the Play4Kay game is, perhaps one of its most special aspects is the way it helps players, coaches, fans and everyone else celebrate loved ones who have been lost or are currently fighting cancer, not just grieve them. And they are celebrated with thousands of other people whose lives have also been impacted by cancer in their own ways.
“My grandfather on my father’s side, he passed away from lung cancer, and then my great grandmother on my mom’s side, she had various forms of cancer,” Konig said. “It’s a huge community and it affects so many, and it allows you to celebrate the wonderful people who are in your life and have a way to grieve them at the same time, and I think that’s very important.”
On Monday night, players will be decked out in alternate pink uniforms, coaches will be wearing pink or pink-tinted dress outfits, and fans in the arena will be wearing pink shirts of their own or commemorative Play4Kay shirts handed out at the entrances. With everyone dressed in pink in honor of Yow’s passing from breast cancer and in honor of all forms of cancer, it’s impossible to not be blown away by how powerful the game is. For Konig, it’s a reminder that while she’s lucky enough to be able to do what she loves, others aren’t.
“It just gives the game a purpose that is beyond just what the goals of the team are,” Konig said. “Seeing all of that pink really brings into reality just how small sometimes you can be. No matter how much we love [basketball], and we put as much effort into it, there are a lot of other things in life that also take the forefront. It’s great to be able to step back from just playing to win and actually playing to represent something.”
Cancer survivors of 3-5 years get honored at halftime of the 14th annual Play4Kay game on Monday, Feb. 18, 2019 at Reynolds Coliseum. The game raised over $200,000 in donations that directly benefit the fund, established in memory of former Wolfpack women’s basketball coach Kay Yow, who died of breast cancer in 2009. The Wolfpack ended up losing to Notre Dame 95-72.
