One by one, the women stood up in the locker room and shared their stories. They were from all walks of life and all had different types of cancer. Some were currently undergoing treatment, others were in remission.
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It was only a few minutes before tipoff, but the members of the Minnesota women’s basketball team were in no hurry to leave.
“We were all tearing up in the locker room listening to what they went through and how they fought cancer and were still here today,” Minnesota senior guard Carlie Wagner told The Summitt Monday. “Their strength was really inspiring to all of us.”
The Gophers felt invested on an even deeper level this season. Instead of just wearing pink jerseys for their annual Pink Game, Minnesota’s players decided to do something more meaningful.
They each donated $250 from their cost of attendance money to give to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Minnesota head coach Marlene Stollings matched the donation for a total of $6,000.
Before their victory over Penn State on Sunday, the Gophers presented two checks of $3,000 to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
“I was just blown away, truly blown away,” Stollings said. “It was really emotional for me as their coach and their leader that they decided to do something like this. The amount of money they gave and the fund they picked made it very special.”
Yow, the longtime North Carolina State women’s coaching legend, died from breast cancer in 2009. Each February, colleges and high schools across the country stage Play4Kay games to raise money toward the fund’s mission of extending and improving the lives of those battling cancer.
Stollings coached against Yow when she was an assistant at Ole Miss and Ole Miss played at N.C. State.
“She was so sick at the time, but she still coached the game. She wore gloves because she was undergoing chemotherapy. It was just moving to see her and how her kids responded and played,” Stollings said. “I will never forget what a fighter she was and how she did it in public and did it for many years.”
Stollings always tries to find ways to raise even more money and awareness for Minnesota’s annual Pink Game in Yow’s honor.
During fall camp this season, she brought her team together and asked them to think about what they wanted to do for this year’s game.
Stollings heard about Oklahoma donating their cost of attendance money to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund two years ago when Stephanie Glance, the foundation’s CEO, mentioned it at a Big Ten Conference meeting last spring.
Stollings provided the example to the Gophers and told them to let her know when they had a plan in place.
Minnesota’s 12 players gathered as a team after practice and discussed how they could contribute to the cause.
“We thought the Oklahoma idea was the coolest thing ever and we wanted to have an impact like that,” Wagner said. “We started at like $100 each, but everyone said let’s go bigger than that. We figured $250 was a good balance and a good amount that would work for everybody.”
A few days later, they told Stollings about how they wanted to donate and challenged her to match the amount. She gladly accepted.
“If they decided to do this, there is no way I could not match it. That was the easy part for me,” Stollings said. “I think back to when I played, and any little extra amount of money was going to meals or family Christmas presents. For a player of that age to give that amount individually is phenomenal.”
Although heartened by the size of the donation, her team’s generosity didn’t surprise Stollings.
“They are just a fun-loving group to be around. I have coached a long time and you don’t always have a group like this,” Stollings siad. “Sometimes you have a bad egg on a team. But the camaraderie of this group is probably at the highest level. They really truly all get along. They have fun playing together on the court and enjoy themselves off the court.”
Like many of her teammates, part of Wagner’s inspiration to donate her cost of attendance money hit close to home. Her grandmother and aunt have battled breast cancer.
“I just had the image of them in the back of my mind because I have been touched by them and their strength and courage,” she said. “It really motivated me to want to help other people in that same situation and make a bigger impact if I could.”
Through the Play4Kay and pink games held each season, Wagner has been able to learn more about Yow and keep her spirit alive.
“She was so strong and battled cancer for 22 years in the public eye. She wanted to give other people hope that were going through the same thing,” Wagner said. “She brought a whole community together in women’s basketball. It’s incredible the impact she’s had to this day.”
At every stop in her coaching career, Stollings has brought cancer survivors into her locker room before the Play4Kay games.
“It is pretty emotional. A lot of them have tears in their eyes and they are just so proud to be a part of that moment and draw strength from the moment and the team and being recognized,” Stollings said. “Some really ill people come through and some have even passed away within months of the event. It is moving for our team.”
Unsolicited, the Minnesota players all stood on Sunday and gave the cancer survivors in the locker room a standing ovation. They clapped and clapped until the last possible minute before needing to take the court.
Although the victory over Penn State was important in Minnesota’s quest to make the NCAA tournament, knowing they personally contributed to an even greater cause was the true reward.
“It’s amazing to think how our donation is helping a person like those women in our locker room,” Wagner said. “That just means the world to all of us.”