“One-hundred wins is a milestone,” said Harper, who compiled a 97-65 record in five seasons at Western Carolina and is 3-1 at NC State. “I’m not sitting in my office calculating my wins; I’m worried about these girls getting wins for the season. But I’m proud of that. You can really put things in perspective very quickly, though, when you can look around at other coaches [across] the country and realize that it took me, . . .  in my sixth year, to get a hundreds wins.

“So to get a thousand,” she added, referring to her former  coach, Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, who is the all-time winningest coach with 1,005  career wins, “I’ve got to coach 60 more years. That put things in perspective very quickly.”

(Summitt, incidentally, picked up her 100th career victory on Jan. 13, 1979, in a 79-66 win over NC State in Reynolds.)

Coach Harper and junior forward Tia Bell, who had 15 points and 9 rebounds,  talk about the win in the video below. Junior forward Brittany Strachan added 10 points and 8 rebounds, and freshman guard Marissa Kastanek scored 11.

For a full recap of the game and box score, visit GoPack.com.

Here is a By the Numbers breakdown of the game:

10 Points Tia Bell scored in a 3:13 span to lead the Wolfpack to a 22-8 lead with 10:05 left in the first half.

8 Points that Bonae Holston scored in a row, including six points off of put-backs on offensive rebounds, to extend the Wolfpack’s lead to 30-10 with 5:55 left in the half.

35 Largest lead of the game for the Wolfpack, which came on a Kim Durham (6 points) layup with 6:33 left in the game to push NC State’s lead to 71-36.

26 Points the Wolfpack scored off of Davidson’s 20 turnovers.

24.1 Field goal percentage that the Wolfpack held Davidson to in the first half, when the Wildcats shot 7 of 29.

31 Second-chance points scored by the Wolfpack off of its 23 offensive rebounds.

74.25 Average points NC State has scored in its four games.

61.75 Average points NC State has allowed in its four games.

3 Games in which freshman Marissa Kastanek has scored in double figures.

Next up for the Wolfpack: their first away game of the season. They’ll travel to Norfolk, Va., to face Old Dominion on Monday at 7 p.m. NC State magazine will tag along, so be sure to check in with us next week for a behind-the-scenes account of the road trip.

What does Coach Harper think about the upcoming road game against ODU?

“I’ve enjoyed having these home games . . . and the atmosphere,” Coach Harper said. “But it’s time for us to travel. I’m ready for a road trip. I think  a lot of bonding occurs on a road trip, not that we need any more bonding. I think it’s a lot of fun, and it will be a great challenge [playing ODU]. I’m pretty excited about the challenge. We want to play good teams, and they have a lot of tradition. I think it will really tell us where we’re at.”

And with four games behind them, and standing with a 3-1 record, how does Coach Harper think her team is doing so far?

“We’re improving every game, and that’s going to be the mark of the team this season,” she said. “We have to improve every game. I feel a lot better after this win than I did on Tuesday night [when NC State beat Florida Atlantic 84-70]. I felt like we were starting to get it. We’re not there, but we’re starting to try to execute what we want to do. We may only have the first step now, but we have the first step. It’s a building process.”

One bonus, non-related game note: Coach Harper enjoys reading. (”Pretty much anything,” she says.) Several weeks ago, when NC State magazine had a photo shoot at her house, she had about a third left to read in Stephenie Meyer’s New Moon, the second book of the popular Twilight series. A friend recommended it to her.  The movie adaption of the book premiered tonight. And yes, Coach Harper said:

“I finished the book. . . .  It was good. I am going to go and see the movie. I think Stephanie Aronson, our athletics trainer, and I are going to get together and find the time. . . to see the movie that all the teen-age girls want to go and see. . . . I haven’t moved on to a new book yet though.”

If you’re new to our blog, check out other installments in “A Coach’s First Season.” Just yesterday we posted an interview with senior guard Nikitta Gartrell and debuted guest blogger Patrick Kinas, the play-by-play voice of the Wolfpack women’s basketball team.

Nikitta Gartrell, left, and Coach Kellie Harper, during a prayer before the Wolfpack women's basketball team's first game of the season on Nov. 13. (Photo by Peyton Williams)

Kellie Harper will go for her 100th career win as a coach Friday at 7 p.m. when the Wolfpack women’s basketball team faces Davidson in Reynolds. (Tonight’s promo: Bring two canned goods and get $3 off the ticket price.) As part of our continuing coverage of the team, we’ve got two features heading into tonight’s game: an interview with senior guard Nikitta Gartrell and the first entry from our guest blogger, Patrick Kinas. Patrick has been the play-by-play voice of the Wolfpack women’s basketball radio network for nearly a decade and has been around sports his entire life. He has a perspective and knowledge that very few people share. In his debut entry, he writes about what he’s learned about Coach Harper over the past several months:

Kellie Harper hates to lose.  I’m convinced that her loathing-for-losing quotient is significantly higher than her affinity for winning. . . . Kellie doesn’t seem driven to win with the thought of growing her victory column.  To me, Kellie seems driven to win simply to siphon the air out of the L column.  But make no mistake.  The wins will come.  They’ll just come as a by-product of Kellie’s obsession to not to lose.

Read his entire, insightful debut entry after the jump, and look for weekly entries in the future.

First is our Q&A with Nikitta. The 5-foot-9 three-year starter averaged 10.9 points last year and is averaging 8.7 points during the first three games of this season. She talks with us about the season so far, her teammates, and her goals.

Q&A With Senior Guard Nikitta Gartrell

You’ve got three games under your belt, going 2-1. What’s your assessment of the season so far?
It seems like the season has jumped off fairly quick. I feel that things are going good. We’re still in the learning process, and we still have got a lot to learn, plays and stuff, that Coach Kellie has designed for us to use this season.

How did Coach Harper deal with the 52-47 loss to Vermont and talk about  it with the team?
First loss. Wow. Like any other coach, she breaks down the stats and went over what we did and did not do, and we knew the things we should have done that we didn’t do. She didn’t yell or chew us out or jump on us. The next practice we worked on the things we didn’t do in the game—like, our zone offense and boxing out.

In the loss to Vermont, your team struggled offensively against a zone defense. What specifically has the team been doing since then to improve in that area?
We know that a lot of zone will be thrown at us this year. Right now in practice we’re working on a lot of zone offenses. Last year, I think we saw a lot of zone defenses toward the end of the season because we had a short amount of guards in terms of shooting percentage. But this year we’re doing a lot more shooting, and Coach Kellie has set up a lot of plays for us to run against the zone as well as man-to-man.

Even before the first game of the season, Coach Harper talked about being concerned about fouls. Sophomore Bonae Holston fouled out with about 4 minutes left in the loss to Vermont, and three starters, including you, picked up two fouls within the first 10 minutes of the game Tuesday against Florida Atlantic. How is the team addressing the fouls?
Foul trouble is one of those things that you just have to play smart. Coach Kellie tells us all the time to play smart. You know you only get five fouls. Even in the game Tuesday night, when I picked up two fouls early in the first half, I just wasn’t thinking. Play smart and know the referees are doing their job. . . .We have to stay humbled about the situation but still come out with a lot of intensity without fouling. And Coach Kellie wants us to have high energy because that’s what fans like to see. We’re trying to get more fans by playing hard and diving after loose balls–or little things like that will also get us to the next level. Our intensity level right now is pretty high, but we can’t relax. We tend to build a good lead on somebody, but then we relax. Coach Kellie—she does not like that.

Nikitta Gartrell (Photo by Peyton Williams)

A word all of you—you, Coach Harper, the other coaches and the other players—say a lot is energy. Is energy the word—the mantra—for the team this year?
Yeah! Energy and up-tempo play. Times have changed; walking the ball up the court was fun back in the day, but now it’s up and down and up and down. [Bringing energy to the games] starts in practice. Every practice we’ve had has been intense: running, getting up and down, up-tempo, high energy. If we don’t have it in practice, it’ll show in the game. And every player brings something different to the table to build energy. For me, to get myself going, I have to motivate my teammates. I have to stay energized by speaking, talking loud, that type of thing. And Coach Kellie, she’s an up-tempo person. There’s never a dull moment with her, and that keeps us motivated.

By talking to other players and watching the team play, it seems like you all have really bought into the new coaching staff’s system and philosophy. How was the team able to buy into that system and philosophy pretty quickly?
When [Coach Harper] got here, the first time she met us, when she introduced herself and she introduced her coaching staff, the first thing that came out of her mouth was that she loves to win. When we heard that, that’s all that we needed. Years have past, and NC State hasn’t been on top of women’s basketball, but that’s because of all the things we had to deal with—to take breaks and to not go to practice some days because of the illness of Coach [Kay] Yow. We were just dealing with a lot. And right now, it’s a whole lot of weight off our shoulders. And when Coach Kellie said winning—that’s what we, my teammates and I, want to do. And to hear that coming from someone who has won three national championships at her college, there’s no way we can’t buy into her system.

What do hope your teammates see in you?
I want to lead by example. I can’t say that in these three games so far that I’ve played my best basketball, but the time will come when the team needs me. So I’m just trying to step up and get better every day in practice. I have to get myself together to be a better leader, not necessarily to be a high scorer, but to do the things that will make the team and my teammates better. Right now, I’m not doing enough shooting on the off-days. I need to get in the gym and shoot. And I think I have to be more aggressive. It’s my senior year, and I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Coach Harper is a great example. She helps me day-in and day-out and lets me know what I need to do to be successful for this team. That’s my goal: to get better for this team. And I want to help lead this team to a place we’ve never been before—like, something past the Sweet Sixteen [in the NCAA Tournament].

What do you enjoy about being part of this team?
The personalities. It’s fun to be around these types of girls—and there are all kinds of personalities. For example, [senior forward] Sharnise Beal is really laid back, but she speaks her mind. [Junior forward] Brittany Strachan is everywhere—laughing, joking, silly dancing, things like that. And then you have [senior forward] Lucy Ellison. She’s the serious one and the team mom. She’s always there for you to listen and to talk to; she gives great advice.

What are your favorite moments with this team so far?
Getting the first win for Coach Harper. She was just so happy, and it was good to see our coach smiling.

How did you get introduced to basketball?
I started when I was 9. I followed my big brother to the court. My brother was a man short and needed another player, and he decided to pick his sister. I had never picked up a ball until that day, and I never watched games on TV. I played, and I didn’t even realize that I could play.  When I was in the seventh grade, I tried out for the [middle-school team]. I had been playing with my brother some, and I thought I might be good enough  to make the team. I ended up being one of two seventh graders to make the eighth-grade team. I started getting serious about basketball in the ninth grade. I love it: the competition, the drive for the game, the hard work that everybody has to put in to become a great player.

When did you know that you had the talent and the skill to play in the ACC?
My freshman year [in high school], when my high school coaches gave me the opportunity to start as a freshman [on the varsity team]. And, then I led my team [Atlanta’s Benjamin E. Mays High School] to its first state championship in school history [in 2004], and I thought, “Man, this is big. I might as well stick with it.”

Why did you decide to attend NC State?
I have to say that on my visit I fell in love with the campus and with the coaching staff at the time. The team that we had then welcomed me with open arms; it was a family atmosphere. And Coach Yow was a wonderful person; playing for her was a blessing. [She taught me] perseverance—and to push through any little thing. There are a lot of people who want to be in our shoes, and if you take it for granted, then later on in life you’ll regret it.

What would you like to do after graduation?
I would like to try to play in the WNBA for several years or play overseas, if need be. But most of all, I want to be a police officer. That’s been my goal since the 10th grade. I’m always watching Cops, watching Law & Order: SUV. If it’s on, I’m watching it, no matter what I’m doing. There’s something about being a cop that I’ve always wanted to do, and I think I have the personality for it. I’m willing to do the little things to get to that goal and the big assignments. My aunt, Danielle Livingston, has always pushed me to do the little things to make a big difference. Nothing in life is too small to do, and nothing in life is too hard to get. You just have to chip away at the little things, and you’ll be successful. That’s what she always tells me.

Patrick Kinas: “For the record, it’s Eastern Kentucky, and the date was Nov. 22, 2004.”

Editor’s note: Immediately after each game, Coach Harper sits down for a short interview with play-by-play announcer Patrick Kinas for the radio broadcast. On Tuesday night, after the 84-70 win over Florida Atlantic, Patrick asked Coach Harper about being one game shy of career victory No. 100. Patrick was surprised by Coach Harper’s response. See it in the video below, and then read his take on it.


For the record, it’s Eastern Kentucky, and the date was Nov. 22, 2004.

As I was ruminating how to start my debut blog for redandwhiteforlife.com, obviously wanting to make a splash for the dedicated readers to the alumni magazine and the loyal followers to Cherry Crayton’s outstanding behind-the-scenes, all-access eyeball of Kellie Harper’s first season as the new head coach of the women’s basketball team, I was racking my brain on what special gold bars I could unearth.  Little did I know that after those endless moments throughout the past few days, that it would be the head coach herself who would give me the lead I was spending futile time trying to arrive at the opening.

It happened during the post-game radio interview I conducted with Kellie following Tuesday’s victory over Florida Atlantic.  Thankfully I always seem to ask about six “one final questions” during my interviews, and it was the final-final question after I had congratulated Kellie on her 99th career victory.  Living my life surrounded by sports where successes are measured in wins, losses, stats and feats, if you watch the interview on YouTube, Kellie was completely dumbfounded that she was on the precipice of her 100th career win this upcoming Friday against Davidson.  Her reaction couldn’t have been more real, genuine and precious.  I’ve dealt with many managers, coaches, players and the like who know their personal stats better than the broadcasters.  These guys commonly know when the official stat companies missed adding a stolen base to their total.  They know when they had an extra earned run on their line.  They know.  They probably pay way too much attention to it, but they know.  So when Kellie was oblivious to her being on the verge of her landmark 100th win, the word “refreshing” zoomed to mind.  But it was my obvious follow-up question that really struck a chord.

Generally, media members are always schooled to know the answer to the questions we ask.  However, in this case, I figured Kellie would be able to bail me out when I asked against which school she recorded her first-ever head coaching win.  I mean, who doesn’t know the answers to some of their life’s historic firsts?  First kiss?  (Janet)  First job?  (Detassling corn.  Up at 4:30 a.m. to walk through cornfields.  Yeah, I don’t recommend it.)  First car? (Chevy Impala.  At least I didn’t have to drive this to go detassle.)  First pet? (Shadow)  First time watching your brother use a blow torch to melt 4-inch thick ice on the windshield of a car so he could go out on a date?  (Rob.  Yes, this really happened!  And this guy is a big-time lawyer.  Somebody must’ve taken the LSAT for him!)  Who doesn’t remember firsts?

Back to Kellie.  She had a moment of panic and after a few seconds of brain cultivating hoping to till the answer, but the land was barren.  Finally, she asked me who it was!  “Was it Eastern Kentucky?”  Sorry Kellie, but this wasn’t a pop quiz!!   Besides, I didn’t know the answer either!!  It was truly an endearing moment.  Particularly on the heels of her next comment, saying she knew who her first loss was against.  Clemson.  This answer came to her as rapid as the name of her best friend.

As I’ve gotten to know Kellie over the past several months, this unscripted moment struck me as a microcosm of her existence.  If you haven’t had the chance to meet her, hopefully this will serve as a slight crack in the windowpane to her state of mind, and what made her the type of player who was beyond critical to three of Pat Summitt’s national championships at Tennessee.  Kellie Harper hates to lose.  I’m convinced that her loathing-for-losing quotient is significantly higher than her affinity for winning.

She has quickly joined a short list of mine of the most competitive people I know.  I’m pretty sure that Kellie won’t recall many details of her 18 wins during her maiden season as the head coach at Western Carolina.  However, I’m stone certain that Kellie would be able to tell you every excruciating detail from her first loss in her career-opener against Clemson, her overtime loss to rival Elon later that same season or the other 64 defeats she has suffered during her six-year head coaching career.

That seems to be the personal mantra of the Kellie.  Kellie doesn’t seem driven to win with the thought of growing her victory column.  To me, Kellie seems driven to win simply to siphon the air out of the L column.  But make no mistake.  The wins will come.  They’ll just come as a by-product of Kellie’s obsession not to lose.

So while she may very well win her 100th game on Friday night at Reynolds Coliseum, I’m surmising Kellie will be more proud that she was able to keep the deadbolt on the vault buried in her back yard for another game.  Because inside that vault is loss number 67.  So is her first, the loss to the Tigers on Nov. 19, 2004 — a loss she internally is certainly hoping to avenge at Littlejohn Coliseum on Jan. 31 — Patrick Kinas

Patrick Kinas, left, interviews Coach Kellie Harper after the first game of the season on Nov. 13 as senior forward Lucy Ellison looks on. (Photo by Peyton Williams)

Color commentator Wally Ausley, left, and play-by-play announcer Bill Jackson huddle with the Wolfpack football team in 1970. (Photograph courtesy of Special Collections, NCSU Libraries)

NC State’s Special Collections Research Center has thousands of images in its online database that you can view.

Do you have an NC State photo you think might make a good photo of the day? Send it to us at alumniblog@gw.ncsu.edu!

The brothers of Pi Kappa Phi outside their house in 1930. (Photograph courtesy of Special Collections, NCSU Libraries)

NC State’s Special Collections Research Center has thousands of images in its online database that you can view.

Do you have an NC State photo you think might make a good photo of the day? Send it to us at alumniblog@gw.ncsu.edu!

We have added a new tab to the NC State Alumni Association’s Facebook page. “NC State on Facebook” has links that will help you connect to the Facebook pages of NC State colleges, alumni groups, organizations and other university entities. We have dozens of pages listed, but we know there are more out there. If you have suggestions for pages to add, leave them in the comments or send them in an e-mail to alumniblog@gw.ncsu.edu.

Update: Coach Harper will go for win No. 100 Friday night when the Wolfpack takes on Davidson at 7 p.m. in Reynolds. An interesting sidenote is that Coach Harper’s former coach at Tennessee, the legendary Pat Head Summitt, picked up her 100th career victory against  . . . NC State. The Lady Vols beat the Wolfpack 79-66 in Reynolds on Jan. 13, 1979. It took Summitt about four years to hit the century mark.

WUNC, North Carolina’s public radio station, also aired a story this morning that gave a good overview of the team and looked into what it’s like for Coach Harper to work with her husband, assistant coach Jon Harper. Listen to the 5-minute broadcast here: Wolfpack WBB Team on WUNC

About working under his wife, Jon Harper told WUNC:

It’s certainly different. We’re probably a lot more casual than a typical assistant coach and head coach situation. Sometimes I maybe should keep my mouth shut more; at the same time I know she wants that.

Also interviewed during the broadcast was junior forward Tia Bell, who shared her reaction to learning that she would be playing under two coaches who were married:

Wow. That was a first. I don’t think I’ve ever played or heard of a married couple coaching together. I guess that will help build chemistry. Your  team is . . . your family, so we got used to it quick. On the court, I guess they leave their business behind.

Coach Harper closed out the discussion on working with her husband with the following:

No offense to all the guys out there, a lot of  men couldn’t do what he does. His ego is checked every single day, and he sits back and takes it all in from a different seat and handles it. . . .

I can’t imagine going home after a loss and him patting me on the back and saying, “It’s OK.” It’s not OK. We just lost. So when I go home, in those moments now, he’s just as miserable as I am. Folks say you can’t take it home; we can’t not take it home.

Finally, we’ve posted our exclusive photos, taken by Peyton Williams, from the team’s opening game against Florida International. There are from photos from before the game, during the game and after the game. There are some really great shots, so be sure to go through them all.

One final note: As you can tell, and due to our other responsibilities, we won’t be able to make it to every single practice and game this season, but we plan to have regular updates and features. Coming soon will be an interview with senior Nikitta Gartrell; and next week, we’ll have an extended Q&A with Coach Harper before the team heads out to play in a Thanksgiving tournament. We’ll also be introducing a guest-blogger who’ll be at every home and away game this season and who can offer perspectives and observations that very few can. So keep checking back in with us throughout the season.

Patrons form a line outside Brothers Pizza, on Hillsborough Street, in 1975. (Photograph courtesy of Special Collections, NCSU Libraries)

NC State’s Special Collections Research Center has thousands of images in its online database that you can view.

Do you have an NC State photo you think might make a good photo of the day? Send it to us at alumniblog@gw.ncsu.edu!

We first reported on the work that Doc is doing on our blog in May. We spoke with him by phone for a few minutes Monday; and after the jump is a Q&A with him about how his life and his organization have changed since he was named a finalist for CNN’s Hero of the Year.

How did you find out you were a finalist for CNN’s 2009 Hero of the Year?
I found out a couple of days before they announced it on Oct. 1. They called and told me. I ran off the road when I found out. I didn’t expect it at all.

How has your life changed since you were named a CNN Hero?
I’ve been all over the place, and I try to jump on any interview. It has been exhausting, and it’s definitely been the busiest few weeks in my life. It’s good, though, because all of this benefits the organization.

What effect has the attention had on Wine to Water?
It has been huge for us. Public relations (PR) is crucial to any business or organization, and this type of positive PR you can’t buy with money. It’s just been a huge blessing. We haven’t seen so much a direct increase in donations at the moment, but we think that will come after Thanksgiving. What’s actually gone up, which will turn into donations, though, is that there are a lot more people wanting to host wine events for us in their homes and restaurants. And that’s really where we’ve been trying to grow as an organization, trying to help others feel involved by having them host an event. So instead of just writing a check for $50 or $100, if they were to get 15 to 20 friends together at home and have a wine event, then they could do a lot more than they can do on their own.

You say the attention has been exhausting, so what keeps you going?
The water. I went down two or three weeks ago to [Peru] to do more filming with CNN. We’ve been digging a well for an orphanage there, and we were able to give filters to a whole village while I was down there. So the water work we’ve been able to do and will be able to do as a result of all of this is what’s keep me going.

What future plans do you have for Wine to Water?
We’re watching to see what happens. If we get enough votes to win this thing, it would be huge for us. I just don’t know how much we’ll need to grow if that will happen. If we don’t win, just being in the Top 10 is stilla huge growth opportunity, according to all the organizations involved last year. So we’re trying to sit and wait, but it’ll probably mean we’ll grow and bring more workers on and have more volunteers.

Anything else to add?
We’re trying to encourage anybody who can to get on and vote. It takes only 2 to 3 seconds to cast a vote. Instead of voting just once or twice, if they would sit and take 10 minutes out of their day to vote a few times, that would be huge for us.

Below is video that the NC State Web Communications team shot of a rally for Doc during Homecoming a couple of weeks ago.

(Photo courtesy of Doc Hendley ’04)

Stacks of films gathered from Reynolds Coliseum's basement this summer.

(Photograph by Amanda Karst, NC State Student Media)

Do you have an NC State photo you think might make a good photo of the day? Send it to us at alumniblog@gw.ncsu.edu!