As coach Kay Yow sat in her office Tuesday afternoon, she browsed through photos of former players.

On one of the tables beside the couch, there are photos of the players’ weddings and their children. On the other side of the sofa, a signed photo of Yow with Chancellor James Oblinger rests on a table. In front of the three-seated black leather couch, a large red photo album named “Kay’s Kids” is centered on the table.

Yow picked up the album and flipped through a few pages.

“There are the Cowhers,” she said, smiling while looking at the photos of Bill, Kaye, Yow’s former player, and their three daughters.

On the floor lay large trophies adorned with her name. Earlier in the year in the women’s basketball office, her team’s 1998 Final Four trophy was on the floor — substituted now by a huge bouquet of flowers from fans.

After trying to figure out what one trophy on the floor was for, she focused her attention back on the album and her players.

“All these really mean a lot,” Yow started. “It just goes on and on and on.”

Her players come first.

And that’s why she wants to be on the sidelines again next year.

After six seniors used up eligibility this season, N.C. State will return a squad with six sophomores, one junior and one senior. That will go along with a five-player freshman class. And that’s one of “a lot of reasons” why Yow “absolutely” wants to return for another year.

“I could decide to just retire now. And it’s after this year, and what an incredible year — and sort of go on my way,” Yow said.

“It bugs me that next year we have so many freshmen and sophomores. I have high expectations for next year, but there are many people who feel like we have such a young team that it’ll take a lot of bumps.”

Yow said she doesn’t want to leave with a team that she believes could take a lot of work.

“I don’t feel good about not being here with such a young team,” Yow said.

The veteran coach is acting as though she plans on sticking around with the Wolfpack. As of Tuesday, she had met with every player on the team and discussed off-season goals with the athletes. Her final meeting was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

But whether Yow returns doesn’t really come down to her. It comes down to her health.

Recently her doctors decided to back off the chemotherapy. She had “too much toxicidity” in her body, and they decided to go with hormonal treatment — something Yow prefers.

Everyday Yow takes a pill of tamoxifen. She takes Zometa once a month. She said they aren’t “hardcore like chemo.”

“My body has a chance to get back to more normal,” Yow said. “It can’t do that when I’m on chemo.”

She likes the hormonal treatment, and she said she’s taking it well. If her tests remain OK, she can stay on the hormonal treatments rather than going back to chemotherapy.

“If I could stay off of chemo and a hormonal treatment would be effective, then I could be so much more normal for coaching,” she said.

And that’s where the coach wants to be — with her players.