ELON, N.C. – Sunday afternoon was more than just another conference test for the Elon University women's basketball team. It was also the annual Play4Kay event.
The Play4Kay program, started in 2007 by longtime North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow, is an organization that celebrates female cancer survivors and supports those currently battling cancer. As part of the event, players and coaches on both Elon and Campbell wore pink to show their support for the cause. Head coach
Charlotte Smith called the day special for everyone involved.
"That's what this day and this game is all about," Smith said. "Celebrating those who fight."
For Smith, the day is both a way to follow in the footsteps of a coaching legend in Yow, and also to honor her late father who passed away of cancer.
"This game means a lot to me," Smith said. "I dedicated this game to my dad."
Yow started her coaching career with the maroon and gold from 1971-1975. Over her four years with the Phoenix, she guided them to a 57-19 overall record. Smith said to coach the same program that Yow used to is an honor she does not take lightly.
"It's a privilege to be walking in the footsteps of Kay Yow," Smith said. "I don't take this for granted."
Smith was introduced to Yow on an unofficial campus tour of NC State through a connection with her uncle and Wolfpack basketball player David Thompson. Smith spent her college basketball days down the road in Chapel Hill with the North Carolina Tar Heels, and because Carolina and NC State are conference foes, Smith regularly played against Yow many times over her four years. Smith said that even with the rivalry attached to the two teams, Yow was always someone that she had immense respect for.
"Kay Yow was always a class act," Smith said. "She's an amazing woman and a warrior."
Yow was incredibly successful as a head coach and was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. However, for Smith, Yow's fight with cancer and the Play4Kay program as a whole is even bigger of an inspiration than her coaching success.
"I'm sure survivors and people that are dealing with cancer there are days where they don't feel their best, but you fight," Smith said. "That's the thing I want to embody and what I want our team to embody."
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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