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Cutting down the nets is a celebratory tradition in
Sports historians believe the tradition of cutting the nets first started in Indiana high school basketball in the 1920s and 1930s. The tradition first came to men's college basketball in 1947, when the
Cutting down the nets is a celebratory tradition in basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
wherein a coach or player removes the net from one of the backboards after winning a game. In college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
in the United States, it is usually done after winning a conference tournament, regional title, or national championship game.
History
Sports historians believe the tradition of cutting the nets first started in Indiana high school basketball in the 1920s and 1930s. The tradition first came to men's college basketball in 1947, when the NC State Wolfpack
The NC State Wolfpack is the nickname of the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for college footb ...
won the Southern Conference Championship. Following the tournament win, Wolfpack coach Everett Case
Everett Norris Case (June 21, 1900 – April 30, 1966), nicknamed the "Old Gray Fox", was a basketball coach most notable for his tenure at North Carolina State University, from 1946 to 1964.
Early life and career
Born in Anderson, Indiana, Case ...
had his players hoist him up so he could cut down the net to keep as a souvenir. Case had previously coached in Indiana, where he had cut down the nets on four occasions. The tradition then began to spread to the rest of college basketball.
In the 1980s, NC State coach Jim Valvano
James Thomas Anthony Valvano (March 10, 1946 – April 28, 1993), nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster.
Valvano had a successful coaching career with multiple schools, most notably at North Carolin ...
was said to have his players practice cutting down the nets in order to mentally condition them to be winners. Valvano's Wolfpack team went on an unlikely run as a 6-seed to win the 1983 NCAA tournament.
In 2008, Werner Co.
Werner Co. is a privately owned company involved with the manufacturing and distribution of aluminum and fiberglass ladders, light duty construction equipment, fall protection equipment, and similar products. Werner Co. is headquartered in Ita ...
, a ladder manufacturer, began sponsoring the NCAA tournament and providing all the ladders used for cutting down the nets in the tournament.
See also
*Gatorade shower
The Gatorade shower, also known as the Gatorade dunk or the Gatorade bath, is a sports tradition that involves players surreptitiously dumping a cooler full of liquid (most commonly Gatorade mixed with ice) over the head of their coach (or occasi ...
References
External links
* {{collegebasketball-stub Basketball culture Basketball terminology College basketball in the United States High school basketball in Indiana