St. Mary’s On Board for “Think Pink”

St. Mary's City, Md. - The next two home games for the St. Mary's College of Maryland men's and women's basketball teams will have special significance both on and off the court.  The contests have been identified as events to help raise awareness and donations to fight breast cancer as well as mark the end of the regular-season home schedule. 

The Seahawks will be participating in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) "Think Pink" initiative, running from February 8 to February 17.  St. Mary's is one of over 900 schools on board for "Think Pink."  SMCM is encouraging fans to wear something pink in support of breast cancer awareness.

The "Think Pink" initiative is a global, unified effort for the WBCA's nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.  The Association's original goal for this year's "Think Pink" was 750 participants, which was surpassed late January. The "Think Pink" initiative has also crossed over to other sports, including swimming and diving, gymnastics, tennis and men's basketball.

On Wednesday, February 13, the Seahawks welcome the University of Mary Washington to the Athletics & Recreation Center Arena for a Capital Athletic Conference doubleheader.  This will be the first of two "Think Pink" events.  The women's game tips-off at 6:00 followed by the men's game at 8:00.

Then on Saturday, February 16, St. Mary's will entertain Gallaudet University in its second "Think Pink" programming in conjunction with SMCM Senior Day.  The women's game will start at 2:00 followed by the men's tip-off at 4:00.  The senior student-athletes will be recognized before the start of each contest.

"Think Pink" t-shirts and pink bracelets (donated by the Maryland affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation located in Towson) will be handed out during all four contests.  Informational pamphlets and brochures will also be given out at the arena entrance.

All proceeds received through ticket sales and donations will be donated to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.  The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund is a 501 c(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against cancer through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause.

Kay Yow, North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach, is a past president and founding member of the WBCA, and a galvanizing voice for the Association.  Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and is currently battling the disease for the third time.  In her 36 years as a head coach at the college-level, Yow is one of only six Division I head women's basketball mentors to achieve 700 career victories. Yow was also the head coach of the 1988 US Olympic Team that won the gold medal in Seoul.

The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund was announced on December 3, 2007, during the Jimmy V Classic.  The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research, will raise money in the fight against cancer.  It was appropriate to announce this Fund during the Jimmy V Classic because of the connection between Jim Valvano, former North Carolina State men's head basketball coach, and Kay Yow, North Carolina State women's basketball coach.

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.