The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1481002
22 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER he vision began with a lunch that included NC State women's basketball coach Wes Moore and Wolfpack Club members Dwain and Gayle Lanier, among others. The Laniers have been longtime fans and support- ers of the women's program. "When I was at NC State in 1975, I went to Kay Yow's very first Wolfpack basketball game she coached. It was in Carmichael Gymnasium," Dwain re- called. "There were about 30 people in the stands, of which I was one." Fast forward about 50 years later, and you can still see Dwain and Gayle cheering on the team. However, they are far from alone. Season tickets for women's basket- ball games at historic Reynolds Coliseum are sold out for the 2022-23 season. The Laniers have seen the success of Moore's program up close but also noticed the women "never really got the notori- ety," Dwain observed. "Being an underrepresented class, hav- ing to overcome obstacles in our careers, and being minorities, we can relate very well to that," Dwain added. From that lunch came further discus- sions, with the Laniers asking how to best support the women's basketball program. Facilities and player amenities were men- tioned as key influencers in recruiting. Locker rooms came up as an example. They were shown the elaborate set-ups at schools like Texas and Georgia Tech. Wolfpack Club executive director Ben Broussard helped explain the value and need for the renovations. "Wes has done an amazing job bring- ing the women's basketball program to national prominence, and Reynolds is an amazing building, but the locker room has aged out," Broussard said. "There are things that locker room needs to best suit the young ladies to provide Wes and the team with every opportunity to bring the best talent to Raleigh." Moore and his wife, Linda, helped il- lustrate the importance of the project by being the first to commit financially to the project. The Laniers were also quickly on board. "Since we retired, we wanted to show our appreciation for our NC State edu- cation and make a difference for others. This seemed to be a marriage of the two," Dwain noted. "Gayle and Dwain are what NC State is," Broussard added. "Gayle and Dwain are two graduates of NC State that had amazing careers, and both have main- tained their relationship and ties with NC State and NC State athletics. "They are very, very supportive and ac- tive fans of NC State women's basketball." The result was a $250,000 commit- T From The Heart Women's Basketball Will Receive A State-Of-The-Art Locker Room Enhancement Longtime fans of the women's basketball program, Gayle and Dwain Lanier recently donated $250,000 to renovate the team's locker room. It is the largest donation in NC State women's basketball history. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS