North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Yow Ready For New Year, New Talent
10/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BY TIM PEELER
The NC State women’s basketball coach gives little thought to what she went through herself a two-month leave-of-absence to renew her fight with breast cancer, more energy-draining chemotherapy, the death of her elderly father but she’s moved to tears when she remembers how her team fought through all of its adversity to finish 25-10 and advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
So, when Yow appeared before a couple dozen reporters Tuesday afternoon at the ACC’s annual gathering of media covering women’s basketball, the first thing she said was “Thank you,” to her team, the college basketball community and everyone around the world her showed their support.
“I don’t think I will ever experience another year as gratifying, no matter what,” Yow said. “I don’t think a national championship would beat what happened last year.”
Yow returned to the team in late January and the Wolfpack reeled off 10 wins in its next 11 games, including victories over No. 2 North Carolina and previously unbeaten Duke. The Pack qualified for the title game of the ACC Tournament before losing to the Tar Heels and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
All the while, Yow fought the zapping effects of her multiple medications and survived the personal pain of losing her father, Hilton, for whom she was the primary caretaker in his last two years.
Now, Yow is ready to start a new season, even as she returns to chemotherapy treatments for her fight against breast cancer, which recurred in the fall of 2004 and forced her to take her second leave of absence from her team last Thanksgiving.
Returning to chemotherapy after a five-month break is a better option, Yow said, than staying on the medication that helped lower her tumor count over the summer.
“It was just too hard on my body,” Yow said. “I was beginning not to be able to walk, so that was not an option I wanted. I just started a new [chemo drug] that will hopefully ... get the cell count to where it needs to be.
“This one hasn’t zapped my energy, so that has been good.”
Forward Khadijah Whittington, who led the Wolfpack last season with 10.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season, confirmed that Yow has been more energetic than she was over the final two months of last season.
“When Coach Yow came back last year, she had to sit down often,” Whittington said. “She wasn’t able to speak a lot. This year, she is up, demonstrating things. She has a lot more input than she had last year.”
Yow knows she has a long, difficult season ahead, even without the chemo treatments: She has 11 freshmen and sophomores on her team and has to replace six departed seniors. Whittington and junior point guard Shayla Fields are the team’s only upperclassmen.
“Now that I am able to coach, I have the youngest team I have ever had,” Yow said. “That’s going to be quite a challenge, but quite an opportunity with some of the talented players coming in.”
Yow and her mostly new team open their season on Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. against UNC Greensboro.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
