Wake Forest court-storming kindles memories of Wolfpack fan knocked from his wheelchair

Eleven years ago, the NC State Wolfpack pulled off an upset victory over their top-ranked rivals at Duke, and basketball fans predictably rushed the court at Raleigh’s PNC Arena in a fist-pumping mob.

And in that celebration, one of the first fans to storm across the hardwood was Will Privette, a Wolfpack senior from Zebulon who was filming the pandemonium from his wheelchair.

As he crossed center court, the crowd engulfed him and toppled his chair, knocking his phone from his hand and his glasses from his face.

“Unbelievable, did you see that?” asked TV commentator Dick Vitale. “My heart goes out, I hope he’s OK.”

Wolfpack player to the rescue

Privette came out fine, rescued from the floor by Wolfpack forward C.J. Leslie. But his ordeal and the Internet splash that followed has popped back into the Triangle’s basketball consciousness this week following Wake Forest fans’ raucous court-storming Saturday — also after a win over Duke.

The scene from Joel Coliseum has seemingly been flashing across TV screens every other minute, and the basketball universe is still scrutinizing Duke center Kyle Filipowski’s collision with Demon Deacon fans from every slow-motion angle.

A long-simmering debate rages about how and whether to ban on-court fan celebrations, especially as Filipowski nurses a knee injury.

‘Thank you for helping — saving my life, really’

Back in 2013, Privette told The News & Observer he thought he was about to get crushed.

When Leslie saw Privette, he pushed his way through the crush of bodies yelling, “Get back, get back.”

Privette later told USA Today Leslie held him “like how you would hold a baby,” causing him to pat the Wolfpack star on the head and join the screaming: “Woooooo! Let’s go!”

Another fan retrieved the wheelchair, where Leslie deposited him. “Thank you, thank you for helping — saving my life, really,” Privette told Leslie later.

Privette soon let everyone know via Twitter that he’d come out of the melee unscathed, including his mother, who heard Vitale’s on-air concern.

And after a moment of viral fame, he returned squarely to Earth, eyes on the road ahead.

“We could lose to Wake,” he told The N&O at the time. “It’s hard being a State fan, you always expect the worse.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2024 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Wake Forest court-storming kindles memories of Wolfpack fan knocked from his wheelchair."

Josh Shaffer

The News & Observer

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Josh Shaffer is a general assignment reporter on the watch for “talkers,” which are stories you might discuss around a water cooler. He has worked for The News & Observer since 2004 and writes a column about unusual people and places.