Tag: David Thompson

For the Strength of the WOLF is the PACK…..

On By kassienetteIn Basketball, College Basketball, North Carolina State University, Sports, Wolfpack2 Comments

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The unthinkable happened on Saturday. I have been so busy the past few weeks that I forgot to put in my ticket request for the Duke game. Insert pout, foot  stomping and watery eyes. In the 13 years since I have arrived in the Capital City, I have never missed a home game against Duke. Regardless, if we were having a winning season or not, I was there. I even ventured over to Cameron Indoor one year to take in the festivities from press row. I was smushed the whole game but the students were nice enough to help me over the table when I needed to get up. Yes, over the table. We lost that game but I got to meet the great Kareem Abdul-Jabar. I tried to contain my excitement but my mouth had other plans. It let out a squeal as soon as he entered the room.

Anywho, back to the topic. Ah, my beloved alma mater. This game had been hyped up since the beginning of the season. The Pack was picked to finish first in the ACC. Duke was picked second. The Pack was ranked number six in the preseason polls. I do not recall what Duke was ranked nor do I care. After two early season losses, there were really rumblings about whether or not the Pack could really take the ACC. All those questions were answered when the Pack shut up their critics hard on a warm Saturday in January. The questions about the Pack’s toughness, chemistry, ability to hang with top teams in the nation and killer instinct were trampled at mid-court as students(shoutsout to Will Privette….the student who rushed the court in his wheelchair and is kind of a big deal….that is how we roll!!!) rushed to celebrate with the young men who had essentially let the nation know that THE PACK IS BACK!!!

Sure, lots of folks, namely fans of the blew schools, think Pack fans are overreacting. Eh, who cares?! We just beat one blew school and we are not even sure if the other blew school has a basketball team this year. When Mark Gottfried came to State two years ago, he was a relative unknown. However, Athletic Director Debbie Yow saw something in him that convinced her that he was the man for the job. He immediately told WOLFPACK fans that he wanted to return the program to its prominence. He no longer wanted us to live off of our old history but create some new history. As much as I wanted to believe it, I had my doubts. I knew nothing about Gottfried but I am always willing to give a coach a chance because it only takes the right one to get things going. However, I never thought he would turn things around so quickly.

As I celebrated on Hillsborough Street on Saturday (hey, it is what we do), I reflected on our rich history. We are still one of only 14 schools to win multiple NCAA Championships. We are forever linked with the late great Jim Valvano. We can also claim that arguably the game’s best player EVER called Reynolds Coliseum home, David Thompson.

While most may not understand the jubilation Pack fans experienced Saturday, you do have to take a closer look and wonder what is going on in Raleigh. You nervous yet? You should be. The Pack played great Saturday but not nearly as great as they can. You still looking. You can stop now. You do not have a clue :-}. I will help you out and keep it simple for you, it’s a WOLFPACK THING, YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND!!! Now howl on that.

Until next time….TOODELLS.

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For the love of the WOLFPACK…

On By kassienetteIn Baseball, Basketball, College football, Football, Love, Wolfpack1 Comment

Sunday morning I woke up with a headache. My throat was scratchy. And I was sleeeeeee-py. No, I was not sick. No, it had not been a long week. I was suffering the side effects of cheering my beloved Wolfpack on to victory over the #3 team in the nation on national TV….

As I sat in the stands at Carter-Finley Stadium aka The Carter Saturday night…..wait, let me rephrase that. As I stood in the stands, hooping and hollering, Saturday night watching my Wolfpack send Florida State back to RDU with their first loss, I could not help but wonder where this team was last week. Was this the same team that gave up 556 yards to Miami? Was this the same team that gave up that many yards and still had numerous chance to leave South Florida with a win? Was this the same team who had the home team thinking they were “The U” of old? Shaking my head, I thought to myself, ah the life of a STATE fan. NEVER A DULL MOMENT!!!
You see, it takes a special kind of person to be a STATE fan. You have to be loyal, determined, whitty, invested, committed, enthusiastic, passionate, confident and you need a good heart. Not the kind of heart that prompts you to be nice to people but a good heart that can sustain the extra heart palpitations you are sure to experience as a STATE fan. Saturday’s heart pounder is just one of many I have experienced as a STATE fan. I went through the same thing in 2010 when Florida State came to The Carter. I have had the same experience with men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, swimming, etc.

I have heard some say, “It is not easy being a STATE fan.” Sure, we have never won a national championship in football. We have not won a national championship in men’s basketball since 1983. Be sure to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 episode about the ’83 team next year. Yes, that was a plug! Despite the lack of championships, although we are one of only 14 programs that have won two or more men’s basketball championships, the sheer uncertainty at times keeps me excited. Take last year for instance. I attended our men’s basketball game against Florida State on February 18. I remember the day because it was the same day as Whitney Houston’s funeral. We got absolutely manhandled at home and I sat in the RBC(now PNC Arena) and watched Houston’s funeral on my phone. A month later, that same team that got manhandled was in the Sweet 16. Seven months later, this same team has constantly been ranked in the top 10 in the preseason polls. See what I mean?

Despite the fact that people think I should support one of the blue teams in the state(let me just say I would rather listen to someone pop gum 24 hours straight than to be a fan of either school…and anyone who knows me knows how much I CAN NOT STAND FOR PEOPLE TO POP GUM), I LOVE BEING A STATE FAN! I LOVE BEING AN ALUM! I love the fact that my school is associated with names such as DT, Yow, Valvano, Case, Shea, Stinson, Rivers, Holt, Tulloch, Hodge, Jones, Burleson, Pettersson, Gabriel, Brown, Whittenburg, Wilson, just to name a few. I love screaming HOME OF THE WOLFPACK at the end of the National Anthem. I love wearing RED, my favorite color. I love baseball games at The Doak, with Sullivan Hall in the background. I love the history of Reynolds Coliseum. I love hearing “WOLFPACK IN THE HOOOOOOOOOUSE” over the PA system.  I love going to games and seeing grown men and students dressed in red & white overalls. I love seeing the Bell Tower illuminated in red lighting after big wins. I love being a STATE fan. The good, the bad and the ugly. The tough times make nights like Saturday night, worth the Sunday morning headache.

Until next time….TOODELLS. #REDANDWHITEFORLIFE #OURSTATE #WOLFBLOOD

My all-time faves…

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College football, Football, NFL, Sports, The Leukemia & Lymphoma SocietyLeave a comment

I present to you my 12 favorite athletes of ALL-TIME, in no particular order…

1. Ken Griffey, Jr~~I can admit, I was a little obsessed with Junior back in the day. I have a Griffey pennant on my wall(at my mom’s). The first pair of hi-tops I ever bought were the original Griffeys. I had a VHS tape full of his highlights and Home Run Derbys.  I would watch SportsCenter over and over just to see Junior. And I still stand by a statement I made a couple of weeks ago: the man has the prettiest swing. EVER.

2. Jerry Rice~~This should come as no surprise. When you think of the 9ers, you have to think of Jerry. The man holds bookoo(is that how you spell it?) records: most TDs scored with 208, most career TD receptions with 197, most career receptions with 1549, most career receiving yards with 22,895 and the list goes on. Add to that three Super Bowl rings, a Super Bowl MVP, Offensive player of the year honors, numerous pro bowl selections, a spot in Canton and you have the G.O.A.T.

3. David Thompson~~Man oh man. How I wish I was alive to see him play. Or how I wish he was playing when I was around :-}. The stories I have heard about Skywalker are just mind boggling. His athleticism, precision, vertical abilities and sheer domination are reasons enough to You Tube him. Need more convincing, Google David Thompson blocks Bill Walton. If you do not have Skywalker in your list when it comes to college basketball’s G.O.A.T. then you really do not know roundball at all. And if you have Michael Jordan on that list and not DT, then you have LACK credibility. It is that simple.  GO PACK!

4. Kristi Yamaguchi~~You would have thought I was dreaming of being a figure skater as much as I loved to watch Kristi skate. Her routines were flawless!! She was flawless! And her last name was flawless!

5. Michael Johnson~~I have been a track and field fan since I was a tiny tot. Loved participating. Loved watching. And I loooooooooved watching Michael Johnson obliterate the competition every chance he got especially in the ’96 Olympics. Other than Namath claiming a Super Bowl win, I have never seen a more bold proclamation than when Michael Johnson stepped onto the track in Atlanta in gold spikes. His then record-breaking 200m run is still my favorite Olympic moment.

6. Josh Hamilton~~If you have been around me the last few years then you know how I feel about Josh Hamilton. God-given extraordinary abilities, #1 pick out of high school, develops a bad drug habit, suspended from baseball numerous times, during a “high” moment stumbles into his grandmother’s house, she welcomes him in, he tries to go to sleep in her spare room, notices a Bible, flips through it until his eyes land on James 4:7, decides to dedicate his life to Christ, gets sober, gets back into baseball, finds a home with the Texas Rangers, sets a record in the 2008 HR Derby with 28 homers in the first round, 2010 AL MVP and is still adding to his resume. And his explanation for it all, “It’s a God thing.” Now do you understand why he’s one of my faves? Btw, if you have not read his book, Beyond Belief, do so!! Life changer.

7. Steve Young~~Yes, I love me some Joe Cool. However, Steve Young was my guy in the 90s. Dude was smooooooove, calm, cool and collected. Could scramble, throw on the run and was not afraid to talk a little trash. Plus he had that curly hair. My man.

8. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway~~Talk about a throwback. Just like I was with Griffey, I was a little obsessed with Penny. I did not have highlight tapes but I did have his name plastered all over my wall and I used to record Lil Penny commercials. If only those injuries had not plagued him…

9. Gail Devers~~This was my girl!! That hair! That speed! Those nails!!

10. Russell Wilson~~Gamer. Baller. Professional. Hardworker. Resilient. Determined. Playmaker. Gamechanger. Anklebreaker. Humble. Kind. Leader. Wolfpacker for life.

11. Vince Carter~~I know. I know. Feelin a little bit like a traitor. He is a smerf but even I have to be honest when it comes to VC. Between ’99-’06, there was no baller player I enjoyed watching more than Vince. His athletic ability was like other worldly. Once he truly developed his game to go along with his athletic prowess, dude was nearly unstoppable. That 2000 dunk contest?! Best. Ever.

12. Peyton Manning~~Now normally, I would make the smerf LAST on my list but I can not let a smerf occupy my favorite number. I am sure ya’ll were wondering where #18 was. Do I even need to explain why he is on the list?

Until next time…TOODELLS.