Speaking female coaches, be sure to read Mechelle's piece on Coach Yow.

One key thing to remember when contemplating Kay Yow's recent feat of coaching her 1,000th game at NC State is this: There was a time, early in her adult life, when she wasn't even thinking about coaching her first college game.

When Yow graduated from East Carolina University in 1964, women's college basketball as we know it did not exist. She had earned a degree in English, and for all she knew, that's mostly what she would have to rely on to make a living.

She got a teaching job at Allen Jay High School right out of college … and along with that, coached the girls' basketball team. The teaching, mind you, is what paid the bills. The coaching is what fed her passion.