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RALEIGH -- Stephanie Glance doesn't worry about the pressure of trying to fill in for a Hall of Fame coach. Nor is she dwelling entirely on wins and losses while serving as the interim coach at N.C. State.

Instead, she's focused on being the caretaker for the program built by head coach Kay Yow, who has taken leave for the rest of the season to continue her long fight against cancer.

"She's stepped away from coaching -- she didn't retire," Glance said. "This is still her program. Absolutely, no question."

Few people can fully understand the burden that Glance has inherited as Yow fights the disease she was first diagnosed with in 1987. The program has long been one of the most tradition-rich in the ACC with four league tournament championships, 20 NCAA tournament appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 1998.

What's more important to Glance is that Yow is her mentor, her boss of the past 15 years and her close friend. That's why Glance didn't hesitate when Yow asked her to take over while she stepped away for two games to fight a recurrence of the disease during the 2004-05 season.

She's had to do it twice since, first for 16 games while Yow took leave to focus on her treatments during the 2006-07 season. This year, she did it for four games when Yow had what was described as an extremely low energy level before announcing that she wouldn't return this year.

Now the 44-year-old Glance must lead the program amid the uncertainty of whether Yow will ever be well enough to come back.

"She's the kind of person that when she asks you to do something, you do it," Glance said. "She has that kind of effect. She's a person that you always feel like she has invested a lot in you. When I have an opportunity to help her or give something back for her, then I really want to do that."

Glance talks often of having her team play to honor Yow's fighting spirit. The Wolfpack (8-11, 0-4 ACC) have done that even though the wins haven't come. They have lost five straight games, including overtime defeats to highly ranked rivals North Carolina and Duke, and another on a last-second layup.

State hasn't won since Yow announced she wouldn't return.

"I think she's done a fantastic job. She really has," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said earlier this month. "We have no idea what Kay is going through. ... To keep things going the way they are and have the kids compete the way they are, she's probably doing more than most head coaches because of the situation."

Glance's allegiance started when she was a 13-year-old from the North Carolina mountains attending one of Yow's basketball camps. The aggressive point guard who believed there was no such thing as a bad shot was taken right away with Yow's lectures about basketball, life and what makes a winner.

Glance attended camp for several years before her family moved to Florida, where she played at Rollins College. Then, after two years as a high school English teacher while also serving as volleyball coach and assistant basketball coach, Glance spent five years as an assistant at South Florida under former Wolfpack standout Trudi Lacey.

It was Lacey who mentioned Glance when Yow was looking for a new assistant. Glance, who had moved to Southwest Texas State -- now Texas State -- for a year, soon had an interview that landed her in Raleigh.

Now Glance finds herself taking the lead role in keeping the program together with help from assistants Jenny Palmateer and Trena Trice-Hill, both of whom played for Yow.

"(Glance) does a lot for Coach Yow personally," Palmateer said. "The coaches and the team take great responsibility in representing Coach Yow the way she would want to be represented. She really is wearing a lot of hats."

Sometimes, that means continuing her previous duties as recruiting coordinator and running the day-to-day operations of the program. At others, that means keeping the players informed on how Yow is doing.

"We talk about Coach Yow every day," senior Shayla Fields said. "She asks if we have any questions. She gives us updates. ... After the Carolina game, they said she was very proud of us and the way we played inspired her. It was great to know we inspired our coach by how we played."

As for the future, Glance won't allow herself to think about what might happen if Yow is unable to return to the program she built. Her attitude is just make sure the program is ready for Yow if she does make it back.

"I am a person who was connected to this program as a child and it was really special to me then, and I always followed it and followed her," Glance said. "The impact that Coach Yow has had on her players and staff far outweighs any number of games that have ever been won. I understand how special that is.

"This is a program that needs to be taken care of. It needs to be taken care of now and going forward."