NC State in its first Final Four since 1998

NC State advanced to its first Final Four since 1998 when the Wolfpack beat Uconn 60-52 in the regional final in Dayton. It was late coach Kay Yow’s first and only Final Four appearance.

NC State coach Wes Moore got choked up when he started talking about what Yow meant to him and how she would feel about the Wolfpack making it to the Final Four again. NC State will face undefeated South Carolina in the national semifinal game Friday at 7 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage Arena. Yow, who had breast cancer, died in 2009.

“You know, just hard to describe what she means in the state of North Carolina,” Moore said Thursday. “It was more than basketball. And even now, in her passing, look at what she’s doing. I mean, the Kay Yow Foundation is doing so much for cancer research and treatment and helping people.

“She was such an unbelievable person. And that, of course, sometimes is hard to take because I know I’m not near the person she was. Very special in North Carolina. She’s a legend. It’s awesome to be here and follow her … it’s her program.”

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, whose Virginia teams faced Yow’s teams many times back in her playing days in the ACC, recalled Yow fondly.

“Kay Yow is iconic, and I know that she probably has a hand on NC State being here,” Staley said. “They’ve got an angel up in heaven that’s still coaching them. Spiritually, maybe some of these players know of her legacy or not, but anytime that someone that’s coached Olympic teams, that’s a legend in coaching, they’ll always have a spirit about their program.

“I hope she’s truly happy with Wes Moore and their Wolfpack team being here in the Final Four, and I mean it’s a really happy time for, especially when you haven’t been here in a long time.”