With the attendance for women’s basketball at its highest since 2009, the fourth annual “Play4Kay” game couldn’t have come at a better time. A crowd of 3,454 was in attendance to cheer on the Black Bears and show support for the cause.
The Black Bears donned pink jerseys to help raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. Head coach Richard Barron did his part and then some, dyeing his hair pink and then shaving it off at half court following the game.
Barron has led the way in community outreach with women’s basketball, making the Play4Kay game a tradition as well as encouraging his players to walk around the court thanking fans for coming out and inviting kids on the court for their post-game dance.
The Play4Kay game is a part of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Sandra Kay Yow coached the women’s basketball team at North Carolina State University for 34 years. Yow was 737-344 during her tenure and guided the 1988 U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning women’s basketball team.
The women’s basketball team met their goal of raising $10,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. They also collected donations for Caring Connections, a local women’s health program. The $2000 in donations was raised largely from a jersey auction featuring jerseys similar to the pink ones the players sported Sunday.
First diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, Yow fought the disease and started the Kay Yow Cancer Fund to help fund research and allow more cancer patients access to experimental drugs and clinical trials. Kay Yow passed away in 2009.
Barron also knew Kay Yow through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and his time as an assistant coach for NC State.
To date, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has raised over $8 million and $2.5 million from the Play4Kay games. After Sunday’s game, the women’s team alone has raised over $40,000.
The Black Bears are tied for first pace in the America East Conference, bringing more attention to their program and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
The Black Bears would beat Stony Brook University in the game 57-49 behind second-year guard Sigi Koizar’s 21 points.
“You always want to win the pink game,” Koizar said. “Especially with coach looking like that.”