Basketball fans watching the Lady Tigers’ bench may do a double take this season upon first sight of the coaching staff.
No, Mr. Clean has not taken over assistant coaching duties.
Rather, newly bald assistant women’s basketball coach Bob Starkey has shaved his head in honor of his wife Sherie, who is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for breast cancer.
“It’s an unbelievable amount of support that a man like Bob has for his wife,” said coach Van Chancellor.
Sherie Starkey said she was diagnosed in May with stage 1 breast cancer. Doctors performed a lumpectomy and discovered HER2, an aggressive form of the cancer. Sherie Starkey just completed her sixth and final round of chemotherapy, and she soon begins six weeks of radiation therapy.
“Bob said from the beginning that he would shave his head once I started losing my hair,” said Sherie Starkey, a former hairdresser from West Virginia. “I’m very proud of him because he got thrown into this with me. He’s one of the strongest people I know.”
The Starkeys’ mantel is covered with cards from well-wishers and a pink-and-white WNBA basketball is on their table as a sign of breast cancer awareness. Both Bob and Sherie Starkey wear pink bracelets to support the cause.
“It’s always been, ‘We have an appointment,’ or ‘our doctor,'” Sherie Starkey said. “It’s never been an individual thing. It’s always been us together.”
Bob Starkey has also relayed the importance of early detection to his players. The team visited a clinic a month ago to learn about breast exams and routine check-ups.
“We’re going to do everything we can to help the women affected by breast cancer,” Chancellor said.
Chancellor is also a candidate in Baton Rouge’s “Pink at the Polls” competition for breast cancer support. Residents are encouraged to vote for their favorite local celebrity. The winner will wear pink on Election Day to encourage breast cancer awareness.
“We vote for him religiously,” Sherie Starkey said.
Currently, Chancellor is in last place with just 8 percent of the vote. He jokingly said he has been too busy coaching instead of campaigning.
Although all appreciated Bob Starkey’s gesture for his wife, many of the players doubted how well he could pull off the hairless look.
“The team started whooping and hollering when I walked in for the first time with a shaved head,” he said.
Current WNBA player and former LSU point guard Temeka Johnson said the look is not as bad as she expected.
“When he first told me, I was like, ‘Oh my God, Bob is going to look horrible,'” Johnson said. “But I know he loves Sherie more than words can say.”
Johnson said her grandmother Jewel Johnson, who reared her as a child, is also battling cancer and frequently speaks with Sherie Starkey.
“I know it’s really good for them to have each other to talk to,” Johnson said.
Senior center Sylvia Fowles said she thinks Bob Starkey “looks good” without hair and appreciates the visible gesture of support for his wife.
“I call her ‘Mama Sherie,'” Fowles said. “She’s like a second mom to me. She’s a really strong lady, and she will get through this.”
——Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]