American Overseas School of Rome’s Gloria Olivieri puts up a shot in a victory over Rota earlier this month. The Falcons are hosting Bahrain and Aviano this weekend in an Play4Kay event that serves as a fundraiser and awareness campaign about cancer. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

At the end of Wednesday morning’s practice for the American Overseas School of Rome girls basketball team, the Falcons revealed whom “I play for …” for a video.

Generally, that sentence ends with “my teammates,” “my family” or “glory.”

But this has nothing to do with basketball. The video promotes the Play4Kay event the school is hosting around games with Aviano and Rota on Thursday and Friday.

Play4Kay is a movement from the Kay Yow Foundation, named after the legendary North Carolina State women’s basketball coach who mentored the 1988 United States women’s basketball team to a gold medal in the Seoul Olympics.

The foundation raises awareness of cancers affecting women and funds cancer research and some treatment for people in their fight.

“Like most communities, most families, AOSR is really, really touched by cancer,” said AOSR athletic director Daniel Zacaroli, whose mother died from breast cancer after a seven-year fight and whose sister was diagnosed with the same cancer 10 years ago. “It’s really important for us to show support to (those fighting cancer).

“Then, also, we have many people at school here who use it also as a way to recall memories of people they’ve lost to cancer as well, too.”

Lillian Aldred suggested the idea three years ago during her second season in charge of the girls basketball team. The coach had led an effort to host Play4Kay games at three schools in South Carolina with tepid results. She was inspired to hold the event because she attended an N.C. State basketball camp in the early 1990s and “fell in love” with coach Yow, who died from breast cancer in January 2009.

The Play4Kay movement became the biggest fundraiser for the foundation, which was founded on Dec. 3, 2007, and has given $8.7 million in scientific research grants and to programs for underserved women.

Her husband Steve was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma while they were dating. He’s been in remission for 10 years.

Aldred suggested the event to the Falcon administration, and the school took to it.

“When I moved here, I talked to Daniel about it, and he embraced the idea,” Aldred said. “AOSR has made it into exactly what it’s meant to be. It totally brings the community together.

“I’m just thankful that we’re able to do and it seems to be gaining speed.”

AOSR has turned it into a school spirit week with themed days. The school holds a blood drive Friday that donates the blood to a local hospital, and before the final games, a “warrior reception” recognizes survivors and those currently diagnosed with cancer from all schools involved before honoring them at halfcourt.

The Falcons also have added a twist to the traditional Play4Kay format. They also focus on cancers affecting men, and this year, the school is hosting events pushing for self-care and ways to stay healthy with its students. They’ll sell t-shirts and raise awareness and money in a variety of other ways, including a team page on the foundation’s web site.

Last year’s event raised 10,000 euros, or $10,797 at the February 2024 exchange rate.

Still, Zacaroli said that raising money for others is not the main goal of the annual event.

“Our conversations haven’t revolved around fundraiser as much as the raising awareness of what it means to live healthy and take care of your yourself,” Zacaroli said.

The event has gotten people to talk about cancer and the psychological and physical effects it has not only on those diagnosed but also their loved ones.

The school has a wall where people can write down names of those who have survived, died or still are fighting. And Aldred mentioned how emotional Friday evening’s halfcourt recognition ceremony is.

“The conversations that people start sharing with each other about loved ones and family members that have fought the fight or are fighting it now is immeasurable,” Aldred said. “It brings people together in a way that we couldn’t do without this event.”

It’s something that hits even those new to the event.

First-year boys basketball coach Dave Roberts said the event points out that there are more important things than what happens between the lines, although he spends much of his time as a coach doing just that. But the cause is also personal for him, as his father died of prostate cancer in 2017.

“(This event) is bigger than basketball,” Roberts said. “It’s bigger than each individual that’s going to be a part of this weekend of basketball and the events that are happening.”