Kay Yow

Knowing that about 120 friends and relatives of senior Meghan Gardler were going to be at Villanova for a Big East game Saturday, Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma decided to give the Cardinal O'Hara graduate her first start. Gardler's father, Buddy, coached Auriemma at Bishop Kenrick. "How many opportunities do you get to come along like that with your family and friends there?" Auriemma said, after top-ranked UConn registered its 58th straight victory in a 74-35 rout.

For the second time in three years, Temple women's basketball coach Dawn Staley must find a new No. 1 assistant while getting ready to play in the WNBA. South Carolina announced yesterday that Ed Baldwin, who joined Staley in 2001, had left Temple to become a member of Sue Walvius' staff at the powerful Southeastern Conference school. At Temple, Baldwin had replaced Shawn Campbell, who arrived with Staley in 2000 and left after a season to become the head women's coach at Western Kentucky.

Temple took giant steps toward national respectability in women's basketball last night against 19th-ranked North Carolina State. But the magic that Owls coach Dawn Staley had created as a Virginia point guard playing the Wolfpack wore off down the stretch on the sideline. North Carolina State used a size advantage in the final five minutes to record a 71-64 victory at Reynolds Coliseum. With the nonconference win, Kay Yow became the fifth women's basketball coach to reach 600 career triumphs.

Kay Yow once again has had to leave her North Carolina State women's basketball program to focus on her fight against cancer. In a statement released yesterday by the school, the Hall of Fame coach said she would not return to the team this season because of issues related to her battle against the disease that was first diagnosed two decades ago. Yow, 66, said she just doesn't have the energy to coach the way she has before. She is one of the game's winningest coaches with 737 career victories in 38 years.

Don't ask North Carolina State coach Kay Yow about her first game as a college coach, 30 years ago at Elon. She can't recall it. And don't ask about her first game at NC State. "I don't remember it, either," she said. Yow has coached a lot of games. Won a lot of them, too - 600, in fact. Yow hit that number last night when the Wolfpack defeated visiting Temple, 71-64. Only four other women's coaches, all active, have won 600 NCAA games. The No. 19 Wolfpack (11-4)

Chasity Melvin, the Rage's No. 1 draft pick, got a quick taste of the city on a brief stopover between attending Tuesday's ABL draft in San Jose, Calif., and returning to her college in Raleigh, N.C. "I already had a cheesesteak last night," the North Carolina State all-American said with a big grin yesterday after arriving late Tuesday night. Melvin, a 6-foot-5 post player, visited the Apollo of Temple. "I was hoping I'd be in Philadelphia, so I was real nervous with butterflies in my stomach until they pulled the card and announced it," Melvin said.

Kay Yow, the coach at North Carolina State, knew where to find the right note for her pregame address in the dressing room Monday night before the Wolfpack beat Connecticut for the NCAA East Region title. She merely amended the inspirational words she had given her U.S. squad in 1988 before it captured the women's basketball gold medal at the Seoul Olympics, in 1988. "In a few minutes, we're getting ready to go out, and we've dreamed about going to a Final Four," said Yow, a 23-year veteran with the Atlantic Coast Conference school, which has never been to the women's finals.

It was another round of Cuba-bashing for the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team last night as the Americans registered their fourth straight romp, this time by 105-72. With the U.S. squad making its first appearance as "the official team," after coach Kay Yow reached the roster limit of 12 on Thursday, former Southern Cal star Cynthia Cooper delivered both on and off the floor. "It's America versus Russia, in every sport," she said after tying former Long Beach State all-American Cindy Brown for team scoring honors with 14 points.

Eighteen young women will arrive in this Rocky Mountain vacation community today to begin preparing to defend the United States' Olympic gold medal in women's basketball. "We're coming together now to stay together," said coach Kay Yow, the women's head basketball coach at North Carolina State. "We've done a lot of waiting, but we can't wait much longer. " The message is clear. Reputations will not be worth much this week. If knee injuries suffered in the last year by several of the country's top stars - including former USC star Cheryl Miller - are not healed, Yow will have to look to other players.

Cathy Rush's return to Immaculata on Saturday will be one of the highlights of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone games across the region the next two weeks. The Pink Zone initiative is a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer. The WBCA launched the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund a year ago, naming it after the longtime North Carolina State coach. Yow, a Hall of Famer, died Jan. 24 after a long battle with the disease. Rush, the former coach who led the Mighty Macs to the first three Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national titles (1972-74)

Knowing that about 120 friends and relatives of senior Meghan Gardler were going to be at Villanova for a Big East game Saturday, Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma decided to give the Cardinal O'Hara graduate her first start. Gardler's father, Buddy, coached Auriemma at Bishop Kenrick. "How many opportunities do you get to come along like that with your family and friends there?" Auriemma said, after top-ranked UConn registered its 58th straight victory in a 74-35 rout.

Cathy Rush's return to Immaculata on Saturday will be one of the highlights of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone games across the region the next two weeks. The Pink Zone initiative is a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer. The WBCA launched the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund a year ago, naming it after the longtime North Carolina State coach. Yow, a Hall of Famer, died Jan. 24 after a long battle with the disease. Rush, the former coach who led the Mighty Macs to the first three Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national titles (1972-74)

North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow will not return to the team this season because of health issues related to her long fight against cancer. In a statement released by the school yesterday afternoon, the Hall of Fame coach said she just doesn't have the energy to coach the way she always has before. She has missed the past four games, starting Dec. 22 against Columbia in New York. Yow said she will revisit the decision no later than the end of the season.

Kay Yow once again has had to leave her North Carolina State women's basketball program to focus on her fight against cancer. In a statement released yesterday by the school, the Hall of Fame coach said she would not return to the team this season because of issues related to her battle against the disease that was first diagnosed two decades ago. Yow, 66, said she just doesn't have the energy to coach the way she has before. She is one of the game's winningest coaches with 737 career victories in 38 years.

The competition among teams in the NCAA women's basketball tournament is not the only battle drawing attention at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. There's also the battle against breast cancer being fought by North Carolina State coach Kay Yow, a member of both the Women's and Naismith Basketball Halls of Fame. Yow recently returned to the sideline after missing two months of the season, and her players have been so motivated that they pulled upsets over two Atlantic Coast Conference rivals that are considered NCAA title contenders.

For the second time in three years, Temple women's basketball coach Dawn Staley must find a new No. 1 assistant while getting ready to play in the WNBA. South Carolina announced yesterday that Ed Baldwin, who joined Staley in 2001, had left Temple to become a member of Sue Walvius' staff at the powerful Southeastern Conference school. At Temple, Baldwin had replaced Shawn Campbell, who arrived with Staley in 2000 and left after a season to become the head women's coach at Western Kentucky.

Don't ask North Carolina State coach Kay Yow about her first game as a college coach, 30 years ago at Elon. She can't recall it. And don't ask about her first game at NC State. "I don't remember it, either," she said. Yow has coached a lot of games. Won a lot of them, too - 600, in fact. Yow hit that number last night when the Wolfpack defeated visiting Temple, 71-64. Only four other women's coaches, all active, have won 600 NCAA games. The No. 19 Wolfpack (11-4)

Temple took giant steps toward national respectability in women's basketball last night against 19th-ranked North Carolina State. But the magic that Owls coach Dawn Staley had created as a Virginia point guard playing the Wolfpack wore off down the stretch on the sideline. North Carolina State used a size advantage in the final five minutes to record a 71-64 victory at Reynolds Coliseum. With the nonconference win, Kay Yow became the fifth women's basketball coach to reach 600 career triumphs.

Chasity Melvin, the Rage's No. 1 draft pick, got a quick taste of the city on a brief stopover between attending Tuesday's ABL draft in San Jose, Calif., and returning to her college in Raleigh, N.C. "I already had a cheesesteak last night," the North Carolina State all-American said with a big grin yesterday after arriving late Tuesday night. Melvin, a 6-foot-5 post player, visited the Apollo of Temple. "I was hoping I'd be in Philadelphia, so I was real nervous with butterflies in my stomach until they pulled the card and announced it," Melvin said.