Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina during Kay Yow’s reign as head coach, NC State women’s basketball was embedded in me. I attended Green Year Round Elementary School—three exits away from Hillsborough Street—and always looked forward to the frequent field trips to the women’s games; we called them “G-Wiz games.”
In 1999, I remember going to one of the many games and seeing MY-Wolfpack destroy yet another team. After the victory, the team gathered in the center of the Reynold’s Coliseum (now) Kay Yow court and joined the band and cheerleaders to sing the fight song collectively.
After, I rushed to the tunnel to get my high-five and get a card signed by Christen Greene, who at the time, won me over with her autograph that I had hanging on my wall for years. I was just excited to be in the presence of the greatness that was Wolfpack Women’s Basketball.
On the roster of that team, ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll, were Summer Erb and Tynesha Lewis—both of whom made it to the WNBA and enjoyed significant careers. Erb played three seasons with the Charlotte Sting before leaving the league to coach, while Lewis played for the Houston Comets, Charlotte Sting and Minnesota Lynx before hanging up her sneaks.
I had no idea what to make of the team other than how nice they were to me and how they won every game I attended.
That 99-00 team went on to go 14-0, a program-best start to the season. 14 consecutive victories. An unblemished record going into the new year. A setup for success.
Almost 20 years later, NC State’s ’18-’19 team is 13-0 and inching up on a record-tying opportunity upon the start of conference play (they host Duke on Jan. 3). Though the ’99-’00 team reigned supreme with an overwhelming majority of underclassmen, the 18-19 team has used their experience to find the recipe to victory.
High Post Hoops caught up with two players from the Pack, Aislinn Konig and Elissa Cunane, about this year’s success. Check it out here: