Soon the William Exum Center at Kentucky State University will be the setting for raising the awareness of cancer. On Saturday, February 4, 2012, KSU will put on a doubleheader against Miles College for the Play 4Kay and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coaches vs. Cancer suits and sneakers games.
Play 4Kay, formerly known as WBCA Pink Zone, is an initiative that allows a nation of coaches to raise awareness and funds for cancer research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The official charity is the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a charitable organization which is committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women’s cancer. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and The V Foundation.
The late Kay Yow is the former NC State University head women’s basketball coach. She served as the catalyst for Play 4Kay after her third recurrence of breast cancer in 2006. Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and passed away on January 24, 2009.
The goal for this project is to raise funds to go towards research and “living with cancer” organizations. Fans are encouraged to donate via the Thorobreds’ Play 4Kay team website, http://www.play4kay.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp to help them reach their goal of raising $500.
In conjunction to the Play 4Kay game, the Coaches vs. Cancer game will be played. Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) which is nationwide. The program empowers basketball coaches, their teams and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. Coaches vs. Cancer flourished from a concept by former head coach of the University of Missouri’s men basketball program Norm Stewart. Norm Stewart is a member of the NABC and also a cancer survivor.
The concept was adopted in 1993 and turned into a nationwide effort to unite coaches across the country in the common mission to provide help and hope to all people facing cancer. Today, more than 2,000 Division I, II, and III college coaches are involved in the program.
KSU Athletics’ battle against cancer begins at 1 p.m. at the women’s basketball game and continues 3 p.m. with the men’s game. There will be a table set up to make donations and all proceeds go to cancer research. You can learn more about Play 4Kay and the Kay Yow Cancer Foundation at www.play4kay.org. To obtain more information about Coaches vs. Cancer visit www.cancer.org/coaches.
