In 1949, Reynolds Coliseum was opened, named after businessman and sportsman William Neal Reynolds of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
In 2007, the basketball court in Reynolds Coliseum was named after Hall of Fame NC State Women’s Basketball Coach Kay Yow.
On December 5th, the arena at Reynolds Coliseum will be named after legendary Men’s Basketball Coach Jimmy V. It will officially be called James T. Valvano Arena. The dedication will take place prior to the annual heritage game, with the Wolfpack hosting Western Carolina.
Valvano was the coach at NC State for 10 years (1980-90), leading the Cardiac Pack to a national championship in 1983.
He also led the Wolfpack to two ACC Tournament Championships (1983 & 1987) and two ACC Regular Season Championships (1985 & 1989).
The Wolfpack advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 7 of his 10 seasons:
1 National Championship
2 Elite Eights
1 Sweet 16
“Coach Valvano captured the hearts of Wolfpack fans with his coaching success and dynamic personality,” said Director of Athletics Debbie Yow. “Thanks to a small group of NC State alums, we can further memorialize his contributions through this naming opportunity in his beloved Reynolds Coliseum.” (GoPack)
Valvano was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma in June of 1992. On February 21, 1993, Jimmy V made his final visit to the Old Barn, commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the 1983 National Championship, and he gave a speech that included his famous line “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up”, which he made famous at the first ESPY Awards that same year.
The legend passed away on April 28th that year.
You can still buy tickets to the 2018 Heritage Game here.
The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8
NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.
Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.
In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.
As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).
1 year of Eligibility
Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield
2 Years of Eligibility
Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)
NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.
Andy Katz is beginning to make his rounds for his Offseason Convo series, and he took the time to meet with NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts.
In their conversation, Keatts talked about what this run has meant to Raleigh and the Wolfpack fans, how it has helped sell the program the way it deserves to be in recruiting, and even how it helped and hurt in the world of the Transfer Portal.