North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Closes in on Second Sellout
10/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 1, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-Never before in school history has NC State sold out its entire allotment of season tickets for football and men's basketball in the same year. But never before has the school witnessed a time like this: A time when the football team is unbeaten and ranked 14th in the country. A time when the basketball team has been ranked as high as 12th in one preseason poll. In other words, it truly is an exciting time to be an NC State fan.
This year, Wolfpack supporters will make history if they scoop all of the season tickets available for the upcoming men's basketball season. Back on August 9th, NC State announced that it had sold all 31,500 season tickets for the 2002 football season (the final tally was more than 32,000). Now it appears that all of the available season tickets for men's basketball will all be spoken for when coach Herb Sendek's squad throws it up for the first time against Mount St. Mary's on Friday, November 22.
"Two years ago we sold out the arena, but last year we did not sustain those record levels of season ticket sales," said NC State Director of Athletics Lee Fowler. "The good news is that as the 2001-2002 season progressed and it became apparent that our young basketball team was going to be something special, ticket sales surged. The challenge we now have is to rally our Wolfpackers and all fans to invest in season basketball tickets so we can once again sell out the arena. We have a chance to do something that few schools do--sell out both football and men's basketball. What a great opportunity we have to be among the nation's truly outstanding athletic programs, in large part because our fans make the difference."
With 11,600 season tickets already sold for basketball, approximately 1,900 remain before the school can claim what would be an historic season sellout. If NC State reaches that goal, it would mark the third sellout in four years at the massive ESA.
"With only a select number of basketball season tickets available, we are in a position to sell out season tickets for both football and basketball in the same year," said Sendek, who is starting his seventh season at NC State. "What a hallmark that would be for the Wolfpack Nation!"
Pack backers have every reason to believe that Sendek's Wolfpack will vie for a second straight berth in the NCAA Tournament, and perhaps even contend for an ACC title. The Wolfpack returns a total of eight players that were major contributors to last year's 23-11 team, a squad that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Two of the three returning starters, forwards Julius Hodge and Marcus Melvin, should contend for post-season honors in 2002-2003. The Pack will also welcome back sophomore forward Levi Watkins, who was putting together a fine freshman campaign before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in late December.
NC State was ranked 25th in the final coaches poll of 2002 and was also the last team to defeat Maryland before the Terps went on to capture their first national championship in Atlanta.
Season tickets for NC State men's basketball start at $200. The price of a reserved parking pass is $75. For more information on NC State men's basketball tickets, dial 919-515-2106 or 1-800-310-PACK.
