Cutting down the nets is a celebratory tradition in basketball wherein a coach or player removes the net from one of the backboards after winning a game. In college basketball in the United States, it is usually done after winning a conference tournament, regional title, or national championship game. [1]
Sports historians believe the tradition of cutting the nets first started in Indiana high school basketball in the 1920s and 1930s. [2] The tradition first came to men's college basketball in 1947, when the NC State Wolfpack won the Southern Conference Championship. [1] Following the tournament win, Wolfpack coach Everett Case had his players hoist him up so he could cut down the net to keep as a souvenir. Case had previously coached in Indiana, where he had cut down the nets on four occasions. [3] The tradition then began to spread to the rest of college basketball. [4]
In the 1980s, NC State coach Jim Valvano was said to have his players practice cutting down the nets in order to mentally condition them to be winners. Valvano's Wolfpack team went on an unlikely run as a 6-seed to win the 1983 NCAA tournament. [1]
In 2008, Werner Co., a ladder manufacturer, began sponsoring the NCAA tournament and providing all the ladders used for cutting down the nets in the tournament. [5]
James Thomas Anthony Valvano, nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster.
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Everett Norris Case, nicknamed the "Old Gray Fox", was a basketball coach most notable for his tenure at North Carolina State University, from 1946 to 1964.
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The NC State Wolfpack is the nickname of the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for all sports since the 1953–54 season. The athletic teams of the Wolfpack compete in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports. NC State is a founding member of the ACC and has won eleven national championships: five NCAA championships, two AIAW championships, and four titles under other sanctioning bodies. Most NC State fans and athletes recognize the rivalry with the North Carolina Tar Heels as their biggest.
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The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. NC State is one of the seven founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to joining the ACC in 1954, the Wolfpack were members of the Southern Conference, where they won seven conference championships. As a member of the ACC, the Wolfpack has won eleven conference championships, as well as two national championships in 1974 and 1983.
Dereck Whittenburg is an American basketball coach and former collegiate basketball player who played for North Carolina State University, where he was a member of the 1982–83 team that won the 1983 NCAA National Championship. He is currently employed by the athletic department at his alma mater, with his official title being Associate Athletic Director for Community Relations and Student Support.
The 1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack were a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team went 26–10 on the year, winning the ACC tournament and the NCAA National Championship.
The NC State Wolfpack women's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
Richard Lea Dickey was an American professional basketball player for the National Professional Basketball League's Anderson Packers and National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics, although he is best remembered for his college career while playing at NC State.
Kevin Andre Keatts is an American college basketball coach. He is the current men's head coach at North Carolina State University.
The 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the final game of the 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. It determined the national champion for the 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was played on April 4, 1983, at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico and paired top-ranked, #1 seed Midwest Regional Champions, the Houston Cougars, and sixteenth-ranked, #6 seed West Regional Champions, the NC State Wolfpack.
The 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1982 and ended with the Final Four in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 4, 1983. The NC State Wolfpack won their second NCAA national championship with a 54–52 victory over the heavily favored #1 ranked Houston Cougars.
The 1988–89 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference during the 1988–89 men's college basketball season. It was Jim Valvano's 9th season as head coach.
The 1984–85 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 1984–85 men's college basketball season. It was Jim Valvano's 5th season as head coach.
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