Kay Yow to Miss Remainder of Season

Kay Yow Non-Revenue23

Sad, but not unexpected, news – Kay Yow is finished coaching for the season. Anyone who has lost someone they loved to a long battle with cancer (like me) has an especially heavy heart today. She has beaten the odds before, and we hope and pray that she does so again.

Caulton Tudor has some very nice words here.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

Kay Yow Non-Revenue

23 Responses to Kay Yow to Miss Remainder of Season

  1. Noah 01/07/2009 at 9:50 AM #

    She’s actually done much better than I thought. Wasn’t it a couple of years ago during the ACC tournament run when people suggested she might have less than a year to live?

    She’s a wonderful lady.

  2. kyjelly 01/07/2009 at 10:10 AM #

    My prayers are with her a great coach and an even better Person !

  3. Alpha Wolf 01/07/2009 at 10:19 AM #

    My thoughts and prayers are with Coach Yow and her family as well. Keep the family in mind too. As BJD alluded, watching someone you love suffer under the weight of battling cancer is incredibly difficult.

    I love my mother in 1993 to cancer, and I would not wish that, or having to watch it, on anyone. My only consolation at her passing was that her pain and suffering had passed and that she was off to a far better place. Needless to say, it was probably the hardest thing I ever did.

  4. whitefang 01/07/2009 at 10:26 AM #

    BJD95 I am with you. This had me crying this morning when I read it. I lost a son to this GD disease a couple years ago at the age of 20. To damn many good people taken too damn early.
    Excuse my language but this f___ing shit sucks. To know first hand the hell she has gone through so far makes it even more painful.
    I hope she keeps fighting and beats it. A real wonderful individual and a great inspiration. My prayers are with her and her family and also with all who are fighting this fight.

  5. SMD 01/07/2009 at 10:35 AM #

    The love and respect for Kay Yow goes without saying.

    However, what is not being said (and really can’t be said by anyone other than semi-anonymous message board posters) is what a rock and a hard place our women’s basketball program is in.

    On the one hand, State has a beloved, Hall of Fame Coach who is dying. It saddens everyone and we want to rally with her.

    On the other hand, there are serious problems in our women’s program that are not being addressed because it’s sorta hard to criticize someone of such lofty status within Wolfpack Nation, at a time when they are dying.

    The fact remains that our women’s basketball program has not kept pace with our Triangle rivals. In the late 80’s, we were all roughly equal, and I might even give State a slight edge. Since that time, both shades of blue have blown waaaaay past us, again.

    I thank Coach Yow immensely for all that she has done and pray for her strong recovery. But I look forward to somehow being able to have “the conversation” about the status of her program.

  6. Classof89 01/07/2009 at 10:43 AM #

    has she coached her last game? Anyone have any info about likelihood of a return next season?

    as for the status of the program, I think you can’t overlookthe fact that UnC and Duke turned their mens program success into a boost on the womens side, and, conversely, the decline of our mens program to the bottom of the ACC dragged down the womens program…

  7. Alpha Wolf 01/07/2009 at 10:46 AM #

    Coach Yow has Stage 4 breast cancer. That isn’t good news. At this point, coaching any time is not a concern, she and her family need to marshal all of the strength they can for this battle. We can all help with prayers, and Lord knows Coach can use them.

    For more information on the stages of breast cancer, look here:

    http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis/staging.jsp

  8. whitefang 01/07/2009 at 10:47 AM #

    I am sure she will do the best thing for the program soon if her prognosis is grim.

  9. Classof89 01/07/2009 at 10:52 AM #

    ^
    there seems to be either misunderstanding or denial in the fan base. Look, Stage 4 IS grim. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You don’t “fight” or “overcome” Stage 4 cancer…you try to slow it down, and therefore prolong your life. Nobody recovers from Stage 4 cancer. 0% long term survival. It’s a miracle she’s made it this long.

  10. LKNpackfan 01/07/2009 at 11:02 AM #

    Our thoughts and prayers are with the Yow’s. As someone above said, she’s a great coach and an even better person

  11. howlie 01/07/2009 at 11:08 AM #

    Just a question to ponder:

    If Debbie Yow were the AD here [instead of being at Maryland], how would she handle the challenging ‘transition issues’ for our women’s program.
    She [Debbie] has displayed a courage to be decisive and keep on idea on the “good of the university” and keep the long range vision of programs in mind. I’m just curious how someone with foresight, courage, and compassion would actually make decisions here. It’s hard for me to remember what that’s like given our administration [or lack therof].

  12. whitefang 01/07/2009 at 11:28 AM #

    Yes Class of 89, those of us who have seen it know that. Its just that we dance around it a little because no one wants to give up hope. This is not DENIAL. It is a little different than that. Its the hope that those we care about fight and get as much as they can out of what is likely to be a very shortened life. Plus there are occasionally new treatments that come on line that can extend life and the quality of.
    You can go into remission from stage 4. You can be cured from an initial stage 4. A cure from a recurrent stage 4 is a miracle. There are very few of those I know.

  13. old13 01/07/2009 at 11:34 AM #

    Kay Yow is most deserving of our best wishes and prayers in dealing with this horrid disease. She’s a Wolfpack icon and has certainly earned her place in Wolfpack lore – both as a coach and as a person. May God’s love and peace be with her and her family in this time.

    As for the women’s basketball program, this is certainly a difficult issue to deal with. (And we all know how well our fearless AD deals with difficult situations!) Given the nature of the disease, especially if the cancer has spread to her liver and spine as was reported in at least one place, it is hard to imagine that Coach Yow would ever be able to return to full-time coaching – especially as HC. But there are commitments that have been made to the current players, and there are other considerations with regard to the long-term needs of the program itself that need to be addressed IMO. And I’m sure that Coach Yow would consider this a priority as well. One approach (with Coach Yow’s agreement, of course) would be to make her permanent “HC Emeritus.” (Stephanie Glance is already “HC in fact” for this season.) Then conduct a coaching search at the end of the season, opening the position to all interested qualified candidates, including Coach Glance, with Coach Yow involved in the selection process if she’s up to it. In a way, it seems that this would honor Coach Yow by providing for the continued well-being of the program that she built.

  14. Wulfpack 01/07/2009 at 11:47 AM #

    As one who has persoanlly known and admired coach Yow for many years, it goes without saying I am extremely concerned about her. She’s a tremendous person and a true model for all she’s come into contact with — not just her players.

    Coach Yow has developed a family with the women’s program. Knowing that, and how it operates, there is likely no other person coach Yow would like to see lead the program in her absence than coach Glance.

    All the best, coach Yow.

  15. Tar Heel Fan 01/07/2009 at 12:15 PM #

    Thoughts and prayers for Coach Yow.

  16. old13 01/07/2009 at 12:51 PM #

    “Coach Yow has developed a family with the women’s program. Knowing that, and how it operates, there is likely no other person coach Yow would like to see lead the program in her absence than coach Glance.”

    While I agree with what you say, Wulfpack, I believe that the position would have to go through a normal posting and hiring process what with NCSU being a public institution.

  17. wufpup76 01/07/2009 at 12:59 PM #

    God bless Coach Yow … an incredible person who is an inspiration to many

    Please keep fighting and feel better … Thoughts and prayers

    I can’t recall the date for the “Hoops for Hope” game – I believe it is Feb. 15th … Hopefully she will be able to make an appearance there

    Also, I could be mistaken – but I believe it was decided a couple of seasons ago when Coach Yow had an extended leave that current interim coach Stephanie Glance would take over whenever Coach Yow does decide to step down

    I don’t follow the women’s team as closely as I should, but it is an extremely young team this season … The NCAA is probably not going to happen this season, but the team is only a couple of seasons removed from having beaten #1 and previously undefeated Duke in the ACC semis the other season and making an appearance in that season’s Sweet 16 … The program may not be on the level of Duke and Chapel Hole at the moment, but I don’t think it is in that bad of shape … And Coach Glance has shown that she can do a good job when and if she does take over

  18. Noah 01/07/2009 at 1:01 PM #

    If you ask a doctor how serious “stage four” is, they’ll quickly tell you that there is no stage five.

    If the disease has spread to her liver and spine, then there is no “return to coaching.” We’ve moved on to the “making her comfortable” stage.

  19. Wolf Dog 01/07/2009 at 1:40 PM #

    Terrilbe to watch cancer eat away at someone. God Bless Coach Yow. I pray she can beat it! Thank the Lord for groups like the V Foundation. May they soon find a cure!

  20. turfpack 01/07/2009 at 10:19 PM #

    I Lost my mother 2yrs ago to breast cancer and was in/out of hospital
    for a 2yrs before her death.Coach Yow sent my mother a note of incouragement during her battle with cancer and it meant alot to her.
    COACH YOW THANKYOU FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR MY MOTHER SHE REALLY THOUGHT ALOT OF YOUR KINDNESS-YOU WILL BE IN MY PRAYERS EVERYDAY.
    YOU ARE EVEN A BETTER PERSON THAN A COACH AND WE KNOW WHAT A GREAT COACH YOU ARE. MANY THANKS!!!!!

  21. Alpha Wolf 01/08/2009 at 11:13 AM #

    turfpack, sorry for your loss. I know your pain.

  22. Packster 01/08/2009 at 12:39 PM #

    I know our women’s program is not UNC or Duke but Yow’s team is fun to watch. She continues to put teams on the floor that can beat anyone on a given day.

  23. hball57 01/08/2009 at 6:01 PM #

    Knowing the opinion of Lee Fowler by those who run this site and many of the posters, i hope you will let that subject rest on this post as I think LF’s blog entry on this subject is appropriate and respectful:

    Here is the link:
    http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=3641423

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