Following N.C. State’s upset of No. 1 Duke on Saturday, Jan. 12, the media crazed over the Wolfpack’s stunning 84-76 victory. But there were a number of side stories that emerged from this game. Most of them involved students and fans who created an atmosphere that would make Cameron Indoor and Assembly Hall tremble.
One of these stories is that of Will Privette, a senior in communications. Most people around the nation now know him as the ‘wheelchair court stormer.’
Privette was born without a tibia and with other leg deformities. When he was only 6, he had his right leg amputated above the knee.
Despite his medical condition, he has done everything in his power to live as normal a life as he possibly could. Part of that included his love of sports. That love inspired him to play wheelchair basketball in high school and, in turn, led him to choose a college with a large athletics program.
Since arriving at N.C. State, Privette has pursued sports-related endeavors as a fan and from a professional perspective. As a freshman and sophomore, he served as a sports staff writer for Technician. After that, he began working for the NCSU baseball team as a statistical analyst.
Throughout his student career at State, he has always been a supporter of the athletics program. He can be seen at any N.C. State home basketball game on the baseline, cheering on the Wolfpack with his fellow students.
The last time the Pack took down the Blue Devils was in 2010 during Privette’s freshman year. He says that he let most of the students through and onto the court before he joined them and “partied on the outskirts” of the mass.
“That was my original plan Saturday,” Privette said.
But when the fateful moment came, the court ushers had a different plan for him, deciding that it would be best to let him on first.
“About that time, I saw our student body president, Andy Walsh, and he asked if I wanted him to push me,” Privette said. “I said, ‘OK.’”
Walsh and Privette stood together courtside for the final minute of playing time. After senior forward Richard Howell came down with the game’s final rebound, Walsh waited for the clock to wind down to about 3 seconds before he started pushing.
“I started taking off,” Walsh said. “I got great momentum out of the gate. There is a picture of us standing at center court by ourselves. Just standing there. We were stopped.”
That was when Privette and Walsh were knocked over by freshman guard Rodney Purvis.
Junior forward Calvin Leslie was aware of what was occurring and acted quickly, clearing everyone away from Privette who was trying to protect himself on the ground.
“When there was enough room, he just scooped me up,” Privette said. “When he realized that I was OK and I started cheering, he started cheering, too.”
Leslie and Privette cheered together for about three or four minutes.
“After that, I had to put him down because my arm was getting a little tired,” Leslie said on NBC’s Today Show.
Privette and Leslie almost instantly became headline news across the nation. Privette cracked his cell phone screen in the incident, so he left PNC Arena and headed straight toward Crabtree Valley Mall to get it fixed.
“It was on the way to Crabtree that things started blowing up, and it just got crazier from there,” he said.
Over the next few days, Privette was interviewed and featured by local media outlets such as WRAL, NBC 17 and the News & Observer to national media outlets such as USA Today, Sports Illustrated and ESPN.
It was a tiring span of a few days for Privette, but he’s happy that the University is getting the acknowledgment that he feels it deserves through his story.
“I’m just glad N.C. State is getting good publicity, especially during an exciting year,” Privette said. “We have some good athletics teams and coaching staffs, and it’s about time we get some recognition.”
Privette calls the decision to rush the court the dumbest of his college life but has no regrets.
“If it’s a time to rush the court, I’m going to rush the court,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything different.”
