NC State is currently on an improbable run to the Final Four, and it is getting a lot of attention around the nation. After coming into the ACC Tournament as an afterthought and winning it all, the Raleigh-based NC school back on a level it hasn’t been to since the 1980s.
“Why Not Us” has been a rallying cry for the program as it looks to bring home its first national title since 1983 under head coach Kevin Keatts.
A few miles west, however, lies North Carolina Central University. NCCU head coach LeVelle Moton, who grew up in Raleigh during the Jim Valano Era, congratulated his colleague on his incredible run thus far. But he also put NC State fans on notice that “Why Not Us” started with the Triangle’s lone Division I HBCU a few years back.
“Dear NC State, Congratulations to you,” LeVelle Moton tweeted. “I love the run that ya’ll are on but this “Why Not Us” is copyright infringement to NCCU Basketball. We hereby grant you permission to use it, but please make checks payable to NCCU Men’s Basketball Foundation.”
Moton and his North Carolina Central basketball program were featured in a docuseries called “Why Not Us,” co-produced by NBA All-Star Chris Paul and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith back in 2021. Both Paul and Stephen A. Smith are graduates of Winston-Salem State University.
“If y’all see any NC State fans in Raleigh using the phrase “Why Not Us”….Tell them Congratulation and we’re happy for them. But make sure you tell them….”
Ironically, one of Moton’s biggest wins came against NC State. His NCCU team knocked off NC State back in 2013, stunning the ACC squad. Now the program is back in the Final Four, hoping it can end its cinderella run by bringing another title back to the capital of North Carolina.
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