We Have An Opportunity to Build Something Special

When you dream about the future of what N.C. State basketball might hold, it likely contains a lot of what we saw on Tuesday night:

• A deafening, packed Lenovo Center

• The absolute demolition of a blue wearing rival

• An N.C. State team literally giving blood, sweat, and max effort (shoutout Darrion)

It was the biggest margin of victory over UNC in a lifetime:

I don’t care who played and who didn’t: we’re talking results that haven’t been seen in over 60 years. Whatever way you’d like to slice it, Tuesday was special, and a peek into the future of what should be N.C. State basketball.

This win was a singular, but meaningful, step in the right direction of re-establishing State’s place in the upper echelon of the ACC. State’s list of annual goals does not start or end with beating UNC, but a thorough shellacking of a top 25 heels team feels good, and it's another data point that points to the Pack moving into “back” territory.

Has it been pretty all of the time this season? Absolutely not. I walked out of the Miami game on Saturday with clenched fists and a deep frustration that I haven’t felt in a long time, but hey: I am thankful that these losses mean a lot once again.

There have been plenty of missed opportunities this year, and still: this team is in contention to secure its best NCAA tournament seed since 2003. 

When you walk into the Lenovo Center this year, you can feel something tangibly different. The caliber of player here, the types of games State is winning, and the way this program talks about itself…it’s all different. It’s being elevated in a way that I can’t remember seeing. The foundation of something serious and durable is being built in front of us.

For the first time in a very long time, N.C. State basketball has its guy at the helm, and everyone both friend and foe knows it. All of the UNC fans chirping today certainly know it. In a sport that sees ~15% of its jobs turn over every year, this program has the right fit to lead it back to championship contention. When was the last time you could seriously say that out loud about Men's basketball at N.C. State? 

And yet. 

In today’s world of college athletics, that future is never guaranteed. While other programs look to outspend you and assemble better rosters and staffs, others are outright gunning after your guy. Getting content with what you have is a surefire way to have it slip away. I am not interested in seeing this happen.

There are many more steps that need to be taken to say with confidence that the Pack is truly back. Coach Wade was right - that it wouldn’t take long to flip this thing around - but to truly build a long term contender, you’re going to need time, energy, and lots and lots of resources.

Some of these resources and the decisions that enable them can only come from our large donors and the powers that be around our university. But much of this can come from us - from you and me. 

In the recent history of our athletic program, State fans have not known what it's like to sit in a position of power. Well, somehow, someway, we’ve got it. Now we have to decide what to do with it: do we control everything within our power and make the most of what we’ve got? Or do we get complacent and watch this moment pass us by? 

There is plenty left to play for this year, but the Men’s basketball transfer portal opens in 48 days. That is not a lot of time. The fate of next year's roster is already being decided right now, even with a month plus left in the season. The best time to seriously invest in this program was yesterday, but the second best time is right now.

While you and I may not have access to gazillions of dollars to give to this program (hey, maybe you do) I do know that we’ve got thousands of people who are passionate about seeing this thing operate at a high level. And when many passionate people get together and take action, beautiful things can happen.

I’m not sure where we end up, but if we can get a few hundred, maybe even into the thousands - I’m not putting a cap on this dream -  to join 1Pack before the end of this season, and signal that we are serious as a fan base about making this work, what kind of cascading effects can that have? 

Does that unlock bigger donor participation, or open a corporate sponsor’s eyes? Does that give State the ability to pursue and land a portal class a tier higher than it might otherwise? I can’t confidently answer these questions, but I can confidently say that I’d like to experience nights like last night many more times in my life with my friends and my family.

There aren't many things that us fans can do to impact where we go together, but sharing these words, and joining the collective - even at the smallest level - is within our control. I would be sick with myself if I didn't do everything in my power to help this program get back to where it should be. I imagine you probably feel that way, too.

So if you do feel compelled to contribute, first and foremost: thank you. It means more than you know. 

There are a few ways you can get involved as we look to build something sustainable:

• You can sign up for a monthly 1Pack membership here for as low as $10 a month

• You can make a one off donation here

• You can send this article to a friend, or ask them to get involved

• You can remind a UNC fan that they lost by a historic margin last night

Two paths lie in front of us. We can capitalize on this momentum and help build the program this fan base deserves, or we can sit on our hands and one day think about what might've been. Why not give this a shot?

Why not us?