Women's Basketball

Behind the design of Syracuse’s new breast cancer awareness jerseys

Courtesy of SU Athletics

Syracuse senior Noah Hammerman designed Syracuse's new breast cancer awareness jerseys, which they wore on Sunday for the Play4Kay game.

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For Noah Hammerman, the “nitty gritty” details on Syracuse women’s basketball’s special uniforms were crucial. 

After point guard Tiana Mangakahia was diagnosed with breast cancer, SU Athletics had the idea in fall 2019 to design pink uniforms. The goal was to create a uniform that brought awareness to breast cancer and symbolized Mangakahia’s journey, said Cedric Solice, the team’s director of program management and development.

Hammerman, a Syracuse University senior and graphic design major, experimented with the “4T” patch on the shoulder, a reference to Mangakahia’s No. 4 jersey and the “Tough4T” campaign that the team promoted during her fight. He adjusted the gradient on the pink jerseys. He tweaked the number of breast cancer logos along the sides of the shorts and shirt. 

Syracuse debuted the pink jerseys on Sunday, Mangakahia’s final game in the Carrier Dome. SU’s matchup with No. 2 NC State on Sunday marked the 15th year of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s annual “Play4Kay” game, held in honor of NC State’s 38-year head coach Kay Yow, who died of breast cancer in 2009. It was Mangakahia’s first Play4Kay game since being diagnosed with stage 2, grade 3 breast cancer in June 2019, going through chemotherapy and being declared cancer-free later that year. 



Mangakahia and her teammates didn’t know about the new jerseys — which came in two versions, pink and white — until a photoshoot last week, where Hammerman was also the photographer. Mangakahia complimented him on the work and time that he put in when the two met that day.

“I told her, ‘You are the person that I made this for,’” Hammerman said. “‘You may not realize it, but truly, it’s for you and everybody that has gone through something like this.’”

The uniform design process began with about five different drafts. Hammerman worked on Adobe Illustrator and Nike Teams, experimenting with different styles for the uniforms. He knew that Syracuse’s usual uniforms are very clean and “block-like,” while the designs for Kay Yow Fund are more like a “paint stroke.” He tried to find a middle ground.

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A year and a half later, the final product is very similar to Hammerman’s original concepts, Solice said — he spent his time fine-tuning the details.

“What you saw on Sunday was the perfect version of what we created,” Hammerman said. 

After working on the uniforms for over a year, the process has made Hammerman feel closer to Mangakahia, even though he hasn’t talked to her many times.

The project was particularly significant for Hammerman, who’s had multiple members of his family affected by breast cancer. Other parts of the senior’s job include designing graphics for SU’s social media accounts, but this project meant “10 times more” to him because of personal experience.

I told her, ‘You are the person that I made this for. You may not realize it, but truly, it’s for you and everybody that has gone through something like this.’
Noah Hammerman on what he told Mangakahia

“I could care less about my portfolio, in all honesty. I could care less about getting a job. It was about making something truly meaningful, and this project, above all the rest, did that for me,” Hammerman said.

Hammerman, Solice and numerous other people within SU Athletics, Nike and the university worked together on the project, which they initially hoped to have ready for the 2020 season. But there were complications during the production phase that slowed down the process. When they cycled back, “it was just really important to get this uniform done” so Mangakahia could wear it while she was still at SU, Solice said.

The breast cancer ribbons along the sides of the shorts and the jerseys were another “nitty gritty” detail that the group went back and forth about. Initially, Hammerman started with just four — a reference to Mangakahia’s jersey number. But after much discussion, the group settled on 44 ribbons. 

It was important to honor not only Mangakahia but also Ernie Davis and Floyd Little, who both wore the No. 44 and died of cancer, Solice said. Little was diagnosed with cancer in late May 2020, and that’s when Solice said they realized they could honor the past 44s along with Mangakahia. Little died in January. 

Syracuse's new jerseys have breast cancer ribbons.

Syracuse’s new uniforms have 44 breast cancer ribbons on each side of the jerseys and the shorts. Courtesy of SU Athletics

There are 44 ribbons on each of the four different panels: both sides of the shorts and both sides of the jersey. Some get hidden by the design and the gradient, but the principle still remains, Solice said. Nike was adamant that, if a team wants to create a custom jersey, there should be symbolic purposes associated with the custom elements, he said. The meaning behind 44 did just that.

“The conversation kind of percolated out of the ethos, almost to the point where it just made sense,” Solice said. “Forty-four, Syracuse, and obviously Tiana wearing the No. 4, but having had two 44s go through the cancer process.” 

Hammerman, Solice and the others worked on perfecting the “4T” patch that sits above the Nike logo on the upper left chest side of the jersey. They reworked it multiple times to make it more simplified, more sleek, more clean, Hammerman said. Mangakahia said she appreciated the amount of thought that went into the little details, including the patch.

“The process, taking as long as it did, made the wait so much more worth it,” Hammerman said.

Hammerman and Solice worked with university and Nike representatives, among others, regarding the NCAA’s rules for uniforms. There are very specific guidelines and logistical factors because of licensing and trademarking for SU, the ACC and the NCAA, Solice said. 

Originally, they wanted to fill the entire back of the jersey with a large breast cancer ribbon, which would go under the number. But the guidelines didn’t allow that because of the particular shading, Solice said, so the group had to settle for a less visible version of the ribbon on the pink set of uniforms. 

Syracuse's new breast cancer awareness jerseys.

SU senior Noah Hammerman, who designed the jerseys, said he focused on perfecting the “nitty gritty” details. Courtesy of SU Athletics

Head coach Quentin Hillsman, known for his fashionable sideline outfits, appreciated how the uniforms were simplistic but still had some “flair to them.” They were the perfect balance, he said, because “you don’t want to be overstated, but you also don’t want to be understated.” 

When talking to the team about the uniforms, Hillsman joked that, if “you look good, you play good,” senior Digna Strautmane said. Hammerman said the home and away versions were designed with the hope that they’d be used for years down the line, representing not just this team but many in the future.

“We gave (Hammerman) some nuggets, and we said ‘This is what we’d like to see, and here’s a template of the uniform,’ and ‘Go play. Go be creative,’” Solice said. “He hit a grand slam with this one.”





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