MCLAMB: Proud Legacy

As the seconds ticked off the clock, Raina Perez dribbled up the court in a vain attempt to hoist a shot that would not impact the outcome. 

If there is anyone who could have found a way to extend NC State's season, Perez would have been a wise bet, although Jakia Brown-Turner hit a shot for the ages only a few minutes earlier. 

The truth is the Wolfpack of 2021-22 had several players who could conjure magic. Perez, Brown-Turner, Ellissa Cunane, Kayla Jones, Kai Crutchfield, Jada Boyd, and Diamond Johnson are just a few. They have done it. In some cases, season after season. 

NC State fell to Connecticut in double overtime on Monday, ending its season at 32-4. It would not be the second team in school history to reach a Final Four. In coming up short, the Pack came as close as possible to cutting the nets in Bridgeport. 

The ridiculousness of being in Bridgeport was a talking point afterward on social media. Everything screamed “unfair,” yet NC State fought the good fight and almost prevailed. Las Vegas favored the two-seed to win Monday. Meanwhile, the second-best team in the ACC -- and a top seed in its own right-- will live to play another day as Louisville beat Michigan. 

It is not UConn's fault that they benefitted from a mythical S-curve (the S doesn't stand for State). They took what was given to them and used it to their advantage. Paige Bueckers was astounding, particularly after regulation, and even a hardened Wolfpack supporter should have no problem giving her respect. 

Getting to the Final Four and making that breakthrough to a place where a national title is on the line was always going to be difficult for NC State.  S-curves, word salad, and a lack of geographical awareness made it more complicated. 

Had the Pack won, it would have been a victory worthy of placement alongside the Pack's upset of UCLA in the 1974 men's Final Four. Simply put, NC State was being asked as the top seed to end a 13-year streak of Final Four appearances in a hostile environment for its program to take the next step.

And some folks wonder why Wolfpack fans have trust issues? 

It did not happen. NC State is left with a three-year run that has yielded no Final Four berths but did provide one ACC regular-season title and three consecutive conference tournament crowns. The Pack also won a Sweet Sixteen game for the first time since 1998 and only the second time in program history. There are many new banners, but human nature will kick in at times, and lamenting what was not won will take over. NCSU will have to fight that.

The legacy of the past three seasons will not be wholly known until many years have passed. It will require seeing what the ensuing seasons bring. If there are more titles and the Pack eventually returns to the Final Four -- or wins a national championship -- then this recent three-year run will be one of setting the table for greatness. 

The best legacy of Wes Moore's last four seasons -- including the 2019-20 campaign cut short by COVID -- is that he has taken the reins at the program of Kay Yow and turned NC State into a bonafide women's basketball school. The Wolfpack had its fans before, but this is another level. It completely justifies the renovation of Reynolds Coliseum. 

NC State basketball is the school of Everett Case, Norm Sloan, Jim Valvano, and Kay Yow. It is now also the school of Wes Moore. 

Should the Wolfpack continue this climb upward and ultimately cut the nets down in the final game, the 2021-22 team need not worry about their place in history. In fact, it will be the cheering mass of NC State fans who remind them -- especially the ones who now see and experience the true joy of women's basketball because of their efforts.