During their ACC Tournament run DJ Horne, flanked by reporters, said three words. “Why not us.” At the time, NC State’s senior guard was discussing the Wolfpack’s record-breaking conference tournament run that would automatically qualify them for the NCAA Tournament.
“In the ACC tournament where we ran two or three games, we kind of said it in the locker room,” Casey Morsell said when I asked him how the phrase got stared. “But I think the first one who kind of went public with it was DJ Horne.”
Since then “Why not us” has become a mantra for everything the Wolfpack stand for.
“Man, I’m at a loss for words right now,” Horne said on national television after NC State defeated UNC in the tournament championship game. “I came home with a mission and to just see this, all the confetti all over the place – red and white. This is for the city. This is for 919. I just want to say, shout out Wolfpack nation. The job’s not done. And like I said from the jump, why not us?”
Now, from Wolfpack legends tweeting the phrase after wins, to Bumpboxx gifting the team with a new personalized stereo for their pregame walkout, the words have become an anthem for all under dogs.
“It speaks to my team, our journey and just the way people counted us out all year. We never really got the respect we felt we deserved. My coach and everything, just the negativity that was just really thrown at our whole program. The fact that we found success late in the season, I felt that’s where it stemmed from.”
Although the Wolfpack are still asking the question “Why not us,” they’ve made it clear why it is. They have everything that you need to succeed in Marchers – veteran guard play, a strong post presence and most importantly, belief in themselves. Whether or not they defeat Duke to punch their ticket to the Final Four, they’ve already won March Madness.
