Eleven years is a long time for any fan base.
NC State reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1991, and then waited until 2002 for another shot in the Big Dance.
Guard Julius Hodge of Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond’s, power forward Levi Watkins of Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian, power forward Josh Powell of Riverdale (Ga.) High, center Jordan Collins of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic and forward Ilian Evtimov of Kernersville (N.C.) Bishop McGuinness Catholic helped end the drought. Powell went pro after two years, but the four remaining members helped the Wolfpack reach the Sweet 16 their senior years in 2005.
The Wolfpack topped Connecticut 65-62 in the second round, before falling 65-56 to Wisconsin on March 20, 2005.
The players each talked about the excitement from the fans following the UConn win in this oral history to The Wolfpack Central.
Forty years of NC State basketball recruiting: 1980-85 | 1986-90 | 1991-95 | 1996-00 | 2001-2005 | 2006-2010 | 2011-2015 | 2016-2020
Oral history on NC State's class of 2001: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V
What was it like to reach the Sweet 16?
Collins: “At that point, we were all seniors and a super confident group. We knew pretty much the scouting reports and how to run the offense correctly. We knew everything and the way that Coach Sendek broke it down. We just played our game most of the time. We never got blown out and everything was a close game. We knew we had a chance in every game. If it was a close game, Julius would make a great play at the end. We knew we’d be there.
"We should beaten Wisconsin too, but one of us got sick. We had a bad second half to start. It was a crazy scene [in Raleigh] at the end because we hadn’t done that in a long, long time. Everybody was happy. The fan base was happy for once. They always compared us to Duke or UNC at that time, but I think we finished second in winning percentage to maybe Duke at that time. We were in the top three of the ACC in those four years for that recruiting class.
"We did pretty good for ourselves and we’ve done well so far in their basketball careers. All of us have stood out in one capacity or the other. We all have loved it.”
Watkins: “It was huge. Even before the Sweet 16, our first two years, we went to the ACC Tournament championship game and lost to Duke both years. Just to be able to go there and win a couple of games, and the environment of the ACC Tournament was unbelievable. We didn’t finish the job, especially my sophomore year when we were up about 15 with 10 minutes left against a young freshman named J.J. Redick, who just went off. He stole a ring from us, but just getting that far was a big deal since we were young.
“Just finally getting to the next weekend [in NCAA Tourney], because every year we won at least once. My freshman year we beat Michigan State and then lost to UConn. My sophomore year is when we lost in overtime to California. My junior year, we beat Louisiana-Lafayette and lost to Vanderbilt. We were up big on Vanderbilt late, but Julius fouled out. Matt Freije went off [for 31 points] and they had another 7-3 guy [David Przybyszewski] who could shoot and made a couple of threes. That was probably our best team, our junior year, with Marcus and Scooter’s senior year.
“[Beating UConn] and coming back to Raleigh knowing you have advanced for the next weekend, all the fans were there. It was unbelievable. There were thousands and thousands of people. There was some at the practice facility as well. That feeling of finally getting to the next weekend was huge.”
Hodge: “For us, it wasn’t about breaking a drought because we were in our fourth year of college. We had been having success and wins over top 10-ranked teams or top 15 or top 20. We had beaten Duke and been beating UNC. Up until that point of the Sweet 16 win, we were the second-most winningest team within a four-five-year span in the ACC. We were winning. We were used to beating anyone that was in front of us.
“When we happened to get that win [vs. UConn], in the fashion that we did, for me, it was especially sweet. It came against UConn, and they didn’t recruit me extremely hard. UConn did break my heart my freshman year when a foul call was on me against Caron Butler, who completely torched us. They beat us and I missed a last-second three-pointer, and that was in the tournament my freshman year to go to the Sweet 16. For us to beat them my senior year, it was awesome for all us, and we all thought the same way.
“We got off the bus [in Raleigh] and there was thousands of people, all on Hillsborough Street. Once we got back to our practice facility, it was a sea of red. Everyone was chanting our names. We got on the loud speaker and telling everyone ‘thank you.’ It was exhausting man. I remember being super tired, literally. I said I was going to back to my room by myself, take a shower and going to bed. I was exhausted, but definitely a great time.”
Evtimov: “After Julius’ and-one on [Ed] Nelson to go to the Sweet 16 after playing Connecticut, it was a big deal. It felt like a reward for the last two or three years. We had worked extremely hard with 6 a.m. workouts and people being in the gym all day and all night.
“For example, my freshman year, Julius and I were roommates. We’d compete in the gym to see who was there more often. Here is what would happen, when somebody walked through the gym in-between classes, they’d always peek in the gym to see if someone was shooting. If someone was shooting, they’d make sure to come back later to catch them on the timeline for shooting reps. What was crazy, Julius and I would often find ourselves in the gym at night. He had a key, which no one knew about and he wasn’t supposed to have a key. He had a key and we’d just go into the gym late at night. It was no light in the gym. The only light you’d see was the exit sign at Reynolds. At the Dail Center, we all had chips.
“At Reynolds, we’d try and sneak into the gym and leave the doors open, so we could come back later. At 11 p.m., we’d finish and Julius would go in front of the mirror and say ‘Kobe [Bryant] doesn’t take no days off. Julius doesn’t take no days off.’ He’d just go to the gym. Today, when I think about it, I wonder how we had the energy to practice, lift weights, work out, shoot extra and then come back with class at 8 a.m. I just don’t know how we did it.”
How hungry was the fan base when you first arrived?
Collins: “Every time we stepped in the gym, there’d be 18,000 or 19,000 people, cheering everything they had for us to win. You could just tell the vibe. In the Triangle area, with Duke and Carolina right there, and that year [as freshman], when we beat Carolina, it was crazy. I hadn’t seen anything like that. We pretty much had more fans in the Dean Dome than they did. It was a crazy year. I think we were better than UNC the first couple of years any way, until they added five All-American dudes.”
Watkins: “We played in the Chavis League at St. Augustine and Dwayne West [now of Garner Road traveling team] was our first coach, and back then freshman could all be on one team. We had our five and he’d have us all out there. That gym was small but packed with people who were wanting to see us. We really formed a bond playing in that league and then pickup every day. We played all the time, and they don’t play as much these days.
“The fans were yelling out Wolfpack chants when we played. They were all there. This was exactly what I thought it would be. It started from there on, and there was always fans saying ‘Hey Levi, hey Julius or hey Josh.’ It was like being treated as an NBA guy while in college. That always stuck with me from that time.”
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