By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech women's basketball will host its annual Play4Kay Pink Game this Saturday, Feb. 22, when it hosts the Southeast Missouri Redhawks at 2 p.m. for Senior Day inside the Hooper Eblen Center.
This year marks the fourth-straight season that the Golden Eagles will host their Pink Game in support of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the Play4Kay initiative.
Play4Kay began during the 2004-05 basketball season and was previously known as "Think Pink" and "Pink Zone." The initiative is a nation of coaches raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.
An Olympic gold medalist, Naismith Hall of Fame honoree and former North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach, Kay Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and passed away on January 24, 2009.
In honor of Coach Yow and to show support for cancer survivors everywhere, the Golden Eagles will do their part on Saturday by wearing pink uniforms and shoes, in addition to jerseys that will sport a little more personalization than just a change of color. Tech's pink jerseys will feature the surnames of cancer survivors and others whose lives and families have been affected by cancer. Tech players will escort these survivors and those affected by cancer in a presentation during halftime of the men's basketball game.
The Golden Eagles will also honor the memory of former Tennessee Tech track and field and cross country student-athlete Anna Cooper. She was a Golden Eagle from 2014 through her graduation in May 2018. Cooper was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer a few months after graduation before losing her fight in June of 2019. The team will honor the memory of Cooper by wearing her initials on their Play4Kay shooting shirts.
Although the Play4Kay initiative's main focus is to end breast cancer, Tennessee Tech women's basketball honors any survivors, as well as others affected by various types of cancer.
Supporters can help in the fight against cancer by making a pledge on Tennessee Tech women's basketball's behalf based on the number of free throws that the Golden Eagles make during the month of February or with a one-time donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund here.
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is the official charity of the initiative. For more information, please visit: http://www.kayyow.com/Play4Kay.
Everyone in attendance is encouraged to wear pink to join with the Golden Eagles to honor those affected by cancer.
Photo by Thomas Corhern