Thursday, February 14, 2008

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 14, 2008) - The WBCA tipped off its 2008 "Think Pink" week on February 8, and ETSU will be unified with over 900-plus teams during the week long marketing campaign to help join the fight against breast cancer. The Lady Bucs will help create awareness and raise money for the deadly disease this Saturday afternoon when they host Lipscomb at 1:30 p.m. inside Memorial Center.

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 week set aside for this year's initiative is February 8 - 17, however many teams are participating outside of that window due to scheduling conflicts.

"The WBCA is very excited to promote an initiative that touches all levels of our membership and unifies them for such a great cause," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "It has been remarkable to watch the support of this initiative grow from 120 teams last year to over 900 teams from a variety for sports for 2008. With the help of each of our members, the women's basketball community and beyond can make a difference in the fight against breast cancer."

Schools have chosen to participate in a variety of different ways. Some ideas for involvement include ordering pink uniforms, inviting breast cancer survivors to the game, wearing pink shooting shirts, asking all fans to wear pink, and raffling off pink basketballs to raise money for a charity. The extent of involvement is up to the individual institution; the importance comes in the awareness that the event creates. 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. For a complete list of participants, click here.

ETSU Lady Buccaneer players will be sporting pink shooting shirts prior to the game as well as pink shoelaces during the contest. The coaching and game-day staff will also be showcasing pink. Fans are also asked to participate by wearing pink too.

In order to raise money for the fight against breast cancer, the ETSU Department of Athletics will be holding a silent auction throughout the entire women's game and up until halftime of the men's contest. There will be several of autographed items to bid on, and the winners will be announced during the second half of the men's game versus Lipscomb. In addition, donation sites will be set up in the Dome so fans can help contribute to the cause.

Thus far, several WBCA partners and sponsors have chosen to get involved in the WBCA's "Think Pink" initiative. ESPN has joined the initiative by dedicating their annual "February Frenzy" and "Big Monday" women's college basketball games on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com to promoting breast cancer awareness and supporting the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation. The NCAA has also joined the "Think Pink" initiative by implementing the "Calling for a Cure" campaign where all NCAA women's basketball officials will be blowing a pink whistle February 8-17. Additionally, officials are encouraged to make a donation to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. WBCA sponsor Russell Athletic among several others have also jumped on board with the initiative, providing numerous schools with pink uniforms and apparel. They are donating a portion of any proceeds to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

Many schools have partnered with local charities to make any donations raised through the "Think Pink" initiative at their individual school. Any school that has not already partnered with a charity has been encouraged to make donations to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

About the WBCA
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.