KU’s Ladies Night Out for cancer research reaches eighth year
LAWRENCE, Kan. – More than 450 women gathered in historic Allen Fieldhouse for the eighth annual “Ladies Night Out” hosted by Kansas men’s basketball Wednesday evening.
The KU men’s basketball players and staff joined the 450-plus women to show them a behind-the-scenes look at the KU program. In conjunction with breast cancer awareness month, the event, which has sold out every year, benefits Jayhawks for a Cure with all the proceeds donated to Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) and the KU Cancer Center in an effort to fund cancer research. Many of the event’s attendees are cancer survivors.
“This is a fun night for us. Something we’ve done for eight years now,” KU head coach Bill Self said to the crowd. “Even though it’s a fun night, it’s also a very serious night because there have been so many of you and us that have been affected in some way, shape or form, directly or indirectly, with this disease.”
Self introduced the team and staff to the attendees as they sat on the west side bleachers of Allen Fieldhouse. He had the student-athletes introduce themselves and something interesting about themselves.
Then the players and staff participated in a Q&A session and giveaways. Following, the patrons split up into smaller groups and headed off to stations throughout the Kansas Athletics complex.
Stations included a photo with a Big 12 and NCAA trophies and Big Jay, a locker room tour, a Self scouting report video demonstration, a strength and conditioning demo by associate athletics director Andrea Hudy and another Q&A/photo session with staff members and seniors Devonte’ Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. One patron challenged Mykhailiuk to a shooting game of PIG. Another station gave attendees the chance to shoot photos and gather autographs with other Jayhawks.
Ladies Night Out is one of several Jayhawks for the Cure events that takes place throughout the calendar year. Pink out games for KU’s 18 varsity home events also raise awareness and funds for the cause. Student-athletes, coaches and staff work together with the university and the community of Lawrence to raise money for cancer research at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the KU Cancer Center.
Sponsors for the 2017 Ladies Night Out included Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 23rd Street Brewery, Rally House and MillerCoors.
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