When it comes to dealing with adversity, women’s basketball coach Kay Yow is no stranger.
After taking a leave of absence in late November because her breast cancer had metastasized, she returned to her team nearly two months later on Jan. 25 for a 71-60 victory against Virginia.
N.C. State started the season at 3-1 before Yow learned about the reemergence.
When Yow left, associate head coach Stephanie Glance took over for the Wolfpack. She led the team to a 10-6 record during a tough stretch in the ACC schedule.
While Yow was out, many of the games were not televised. She had to listen to some of the games on the radio — something that was very frustrating for the coach.
Glance would visit Yow often and discuss basketball, both wondering when the 32-year veteran might get a chance to come back.
And when Yow did get her chance to return, her team reeled off five consecutive wins. Including the five wins, her team win 10 of 11 after her return all the way to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. During that stretch, State took games against No. 2 North Carolina and No. 1 Duke.
In her fourth game returning to the team, she notched her 700th win in a game against Florida State on Feb. 5 — a mark that placed her into the same category as only five other coaches.
Tennessee’s Pat Summit, North Carolina’s Sylvia Hatchell, Texas’ Jody Conradt, Rutgers’ Vivian Stringer and former LSU coach Sue Gunter are the only coaches in the 700 club.
But possibly her biggest win of the season was when her team knocked off No. 2 North Carolina. During the same night, the University named the court in her honor and for six players, it was their senior night. It was a game where Yow said “we couldn’t have written a script better.”
The Wolfpack upset the Tar Heels 72-65 in Reynolds Coliseum on Kay Yow court.
“I can’t even hardly gauge this right now,” Yow said after the UNC game. “Senior night, to have the court named in my honor, to win against your archrival — a team that’s ranked, a game that means so much to us, it helps get us back in the driver’s seat — I mean, it’s just everything culminated at one time.”
The win against Duke was one that Yow believed was just as remarkable.
“They’re as good of wins as I think a team could have,” Yow said.
Yow’s team would reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001 after wins against Robert Morris and Baylor in the opening two rounds at the RBC Center. In Fresno, Calif., State would then lose to Connecticut 78-71 in a tight battle in the regional semifinals.
Even though Yow said this year would be nearly a perfect way to finish her career, she said she wants to come back for another year with a team full of freshmen and sophomores.
And Yow wouldn’t dare back down from a challenge.
