Source: on3
When South Carolina women’s basketball hosts Mississippi State on Thursday night for their annual Play4Kay game, sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel will take the court carrying more than team pride. The Kay Yow Servant Leader award patch stitched on her right shoulder represents a deeply personal mission—one rooted in her mother’s two battles with ovarian cancer.
McDaniel is among 65 college basketball players across all divisions recognized with the Kay Yow Servant Leader Award for the 2025-26 season. The honor celebrates student-athletes demonstrating leadership, selflessness, and commitment to fighting cancers affecting women. But for McDaniel, this isn’t simply an accolade. It’s a tribute to Tameka McDaniel, her mother and cancer survivor, who has shaped both her daughter’s character and her game.
A Bond Forged Through Adversity
“It means a lot,” McDaniel reflected in January about the recognition. “Just to be able to honor my mom and what she went through, it means a lot to be able to go on the floor and play for her every game.”
The connection between Maddy and Tameka runs extraordinarily deep. Throughout her childhood, Maddy never spent a night away from home until she left for college—a testament to their unusually close relationship.
“In high school, our home was a safe house for all of her teammates and friends because Maddy and I have a very, almost codependent, relationship,” Tameka told GamecockCentral. Even now, during Maddy’s brief four-day Christmas breaks, that Maryland sanctuary reopens for her and her former high school teammates.
When Maddy learned she’d received the Kay Yow honor, she immediately called her mother. Tameka’s response was instant tears—an emotional release shaped by years of cancer walks they’d attended together in the Washington DC area and the shared understanding of what this recognition truly meant.
A Miracle Beginning
Maddy’s very existence is intertwined with her mother’s cancer journey. Tameka was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer a year and a half before conceiving Maddy. Due to complications from radiation therapy, doctors initially couldn’t confirm the pregnancy. When Tameka and her husband arrived for treatment one day, they left with stunning news: she was 16 weeks pregnant.
Medical professionals advised against continuing the pregnancy given the intensity of Tameka’s radiation treatments.
“They were like, the radiation you’re doing is very intense,” Tameka recalled. “It’s about a 50-to-60 percent chance that [Maddy is] going to have vision problems.”
The prospect of raising a child with disabilities was frightening, but Tameka’s parents offered reassurance steeped in faith.
“If God brought you to this, he’s going to bring you through it,” Tameka remembered her parents telling her. “… And guess what? Had the best pregnancy. Like, she was an easy pregnancy, best kid. It was crazy.”
A Daughter’s Vigil
When cancer returned during Maddy’s seventh year, the disease transformed from abstract threat to tangible reality. This time, Maddy was old enough to witness her mother’s suffering firsthand.
“She was a mess. She didn’t really understand it,” Tameka said. “… It’s hard to explain, because we didn’t even tell her. She just kind of was like, ‘Why? Why are you sick all the time?’ And we’re so close.”
For young Maddy, who had just begun playing AAU basketball, cancer meant death—the same disease that had claimed her great-grandmother’s life when Tameka was 13. Determined not to lose her mother, Maddy became a constant presence throughout treatment.
“She would come with me and my husband [to the hospital] and, like, sit there, holding my hand when I’m getting the IV through the thing, telling me funny stories, reading to me, doing her homework in front of me,” Tameka explained. “We tried to make it as light as we could because we wanted her to know I’m still going to be here.”
Tameka believes her typically soft-spoken daughter processed her mother’s illness by channeling her emotions into basketball. Thirteen years later, Tameka remains cancer-free.
A Family’s Unwavering Support
When it became time to reciprocate that devotion, Tameka and her husband Jerry showed up relentlessly. They divided responsibilities to attend every basketball camp, AAU tournament, and game. Though a championship has eluded Maddy at South Carolina thus far, to Tameka, her daughter will always be her “Little Champion.”
While Thursday’s Play4Kay game brings heightened awareness to this cause, for Maddy, every game carries the weight and inspiration of her mother’s survival.
Lessons Beyond the Court
Tameka’s battles have taught Maddy more than basketball skills—they’ve instilled life principles about perseverance. When Maddy faced a three-game suspension early this season, she spiraled into despair, convinced her sophomore year was ruined.
Tameka offered perspective born from her own darkest moments.
“You have to have a positive attitude. Do all the work, do everything that you need to do to get to where you want to be,” Tameka counseled. “Do you think I wanted to go through chemotherapy and radiation for the second time?”
“I told her, guess why I did it, because my husband and I thought about it. I didn’t want to do that again. But looking at my daughter every day, I thought to myself, I have to do this for her, right? There has to be a purpose of why you do things.”
Rising From Setbacks
Like her mother before her, Maddy overcame her setback. Since returning on November 23, she’s appeared in every game, including earning her first career start against the Aggies on Monday night. According to Tameka, conversations between Maddy and head coach Dawn Staley about the meaning behind that shoulder patch ignited something in the sophomore.
“If I can wear this [patch] on my jersey, nobody else is on my team, I’ve got to show them why I’m wearing this,” Tameka described her daughter’s mindset.
Now, Maddy’s motivation extends beyond personal tribute. She plays for all women who’ve fought cancer and for mothers everywhere cheering their children forward.
“I think Maddy has incredible support. She’s growing up, she’s maturing. You could say she’s getting more playing time,” Coach Staley observed. “… It’s good to know that such a young player was listening last year. When she did sit, she was learning. Now that she’s able to get out there and play extended minutes, she’s executing.”
Playing for Purpose
Thursday’s Play4Kay game represents another chapter in Maddy McDaniel’s ongoing tribute to resilience—her mother’s and her own. The Kay Yow patch she wears isn’t merely fabric and thread. It’s a symbol of survival, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bond between a mother who fought to live and a daughter who plays to honor that fight every single day.
source (via on3).
