NC State celebrates double Final Four runs for men’s, women’s basketball teams
Let’s light it red, one more time.
N.C. State’s Memorial Belltower was bathed in red light several nights as both the men’s and women’s basketball teams made history during the NCAA tournament.
Monday night, over 1,000 people gathered around the belltower one more time to celebrate the teams’ unexpected, but most welcome, success.
Throngs of Wolfpack fans gathered around the belltower on Hillsborough Street to recognize men’s coach Kevin Keatts, women’s coach Wes Moore and their players who took fans on a journey like no other.
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin declared April 15 as “N.C. State University Men’s and Women’s Basketball Day in the City of Raleigh.” She joked that she would arrange for D.J. Burns, who emerged as one of the most recognizable faces of the men’s team, to serve a stint as mayor for a day.
“I want to say thank you to the players for making us proud, for being an inspiration to all and for bringing our community together,” Baldwin said. “I’m being honest, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was amazing.”
The men’s team won nine straight games to win the ACC tournament title — its first since 1987 — and head to the Final Four for the first time since 1983.
The women reached the Final Four too for only the second time in the school’s history and the first since 1998.
Here are photos from the celebration from Ethan Hyman and Travis Long.
