{"id":4812,"date":"2023-03-27T15:48:07","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T19:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.alumni.ncsu.edu\/?p=3417"},"modified":"2024-02-01T16:21:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T21:21:28","slug":"a-bit-of-basketball-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/2023\/a-bit-of-basketball-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bit of Basketball Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"is-style-lead\">Trudi Lacey \u201982, \u201990 ms set all sorts of records when she played basketball for the Wolfpack in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was part of the first NC&#160;State women\u2019s basketball team to win an ACC championship, and was named to the All-ACC Tournament team for four consecutive years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the prospects for a career in basketball seemed dim when Lacey earned her degree in business management. There was no WNBA yet, and still few female coaches in college basketball. \u201cI thought I would go into banking,\u201d Lacey says. When an aunt asked her why, Lacey\u2019s response was simple \u2014 \u201cTo make money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not satisfied with that answer, Lacey\u2019s aunt asked her what she loved. \u201cI said I love basketball,\u201d Lacey recalls. \u201cAnd she said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you pursue that?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"288\" height=\"194\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/WNBA-Head-shot-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3422\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo courtesy of Trudi Lacey \u201982, \u201990 MS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And so she did, playing for the U.S. team in two World University Games before working her way up the coaching ladder (including a stint as a graduate assistant at NC&#160;State) until she was eventually named the head coach for the WNBA team in Charlotte, N.C. She also worked as the head coach and general manager of the WNBA\u2019s Washington Mystics, and as an assistant director for USA Women\u2019s Basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It adds to a pretty impressive career in basketball, topped off by her current position as director of athletics at Johnson &amp; Wales University in Charlotte. It also led to her latest honor \u2014 as one of the 15 newest members of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Lacey and the others (including former NC&#160;State tennis star John Sadri) will be inducted into the hall on April 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m obviously thrilled,\u201d Lacey said in a recent interview. \u201cIt\u2019s a great honor, and I\u2019m just really pleased about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-sandwich-narrative with-image\"><div class=\"ncst-sandwich-narrative\"><div class=\"sandwich-narrative__image-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"209\" height=\"241\" class=\"sandwich-narrative__image wp-image-3424\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TLcoaching-1.jpg\" \/><\/div><div class=\"sandwich-narrative__text-container\"><h2 class=\"sandwich-narrative__heading\">By the Numbers:<\/h2>\n\n<p>Trudi Lacey \u201982, \u201990 MS fell just 43 points of being one of the handful of Wolfpack players to score 2,000 points in their career playing for the women\u2019s basketball team. But four decades after her NC&#160;State playing days ended, Lacey still ranks high on many of the team\u2019s all-time lists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-collapsible-more ncst-collapsible-more\"><div class=\"collapsible-more__collapsed-content-container collapse panel-collapse \" id=\"collapsible-more-0\" aria-labelledby=\"collapsible-more-heading-0\">\n<p>#5 in scoring<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#7 in scoring average<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#3 in rebounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#6 in steals<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#5 in made field goals<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#4 in double-doubles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#7 in games played<\/p>\n<\/div><a class=\"collapsible-more__interaction-cta collapsed\" href=\"#collapsible-more-0\" id=\"collapsible-more-heading-0\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" data-target=\"#collapsible-more-0\" aria-controls=\"collapsible-more-0\"><span class=\"collapsible-more__expansion-indicator\"><span class=\"ncst-plus-minus-toggle\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-more__text\">Expand to read more<\/span><span class=\"collapsible-more__text-collapse\">Collapse<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>The recognition reflects, in part, Lacey\u2019s role as a trailblazer at NC&#160;State \u2014 she was the first Black woman to be offered a four-year scholarship at the university. Lacey says she didn\u2019t realize she had blazed that trail until well after her days as a Wolfpack player were over, but it\u2019s a historical milestone that she now carries with pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s maybe one of my proudest moments at NC&#160;State,\u201d she says. \u201cThat helped set the tone and foundation for future athletes, particularly Black females.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lacey attributes much of her success in life to her coach at NC&#160;State, Kay Yow. \u201cI met her when I was 12 years old, and she had an instant impact on me,\u201d Lacey says. \u201cShe was a great teacher of the game, but we also learned life skills from Coach Yow. We called them Yowisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"732\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TL_Pinkgame19-1-732x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TL_Pinkgame19-1-732x1024.jpg 732w, https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TL_Pinkgame19-1-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TL_Pinkgame19-1-768x1075.jpg 768w, https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TL_Pinkgame19-1-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TL_Pinkgame19-1.jpg 1429w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe used a lot of positive affirmations, not only in her teaching but in the way she lived her life. She challenged us to become a kindler, gentler version of ourselves. I took that to heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So as she had success, Lacey has strived to be a role model for others. In addition to her normal duties as athletics director, she is the senior lead for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and established a social justice court for the school\u2019s athletes. She also has a foundation that holds a food drive each year and hosts an \u201cAll Sports Day\u201d to bring kids from underserved communities to campus to learn about their sports offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s always in the back of my mind,\u201d she says, \u201cto inspire people, particularly Black females.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the opportunities for women in sports have grown in Lacey\u2019s lifetime, she says women\u2019s sports still suffers from a lack of media coverage and salaries inequities for female athletes, coaches and administrators. \u201cWe\u2019ve made some progress, but we are still lacking in some areas,\u201d she says. \u201cWe still have a lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although her playing days are over, Lacey still occasionally joins a friend in the gym to put up a few shots. She does it to \u201cclear her mind and sweat a little bit.\u201d But she acknowledges that touching a basketball still \u201cfeels like magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt has afforded me so many opportunities,\u201d she says. \u201cI had dreams of playing basketball and traveling all over the world. It\u2019s crazy that that happened for me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"<!-- wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n<!-- wp:ncst\/default-immersive-post-header \/-->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"className\":\"is-style-lead\"} -->\n<p class=\"is-style-lead\">Trudi Lacey \u201982, \u201990 ms set all sorts of records when she played basketball for the Wolfpack in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was part of the first NC State women\u2019s basketball team to win an ACC championship, and was named to the All-ACC Tournament team for four consecutive years.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>But the prospects for a career in basketball seemed dim when Lacey earned her degree in business management. There was no WNBA yet, and still few female coaches in college basketball. \u201cI thought I would go into banking,\u201d Lacey says. When an aunt asked her why, Lacey\u2019s response was simple \u2014 \u201cTo make money.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Not satisfied with that answer, Lacey\u2019s aunt asked her what she loved. \u201cI said I love basketball,\u201d Lacey recalls. \u201cAnd she said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you pursue that?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":3422,\"sizeSlug\":\"full\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img src=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/WNBA-Head-shot-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3422\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo courtesy of Trudi Lacey \u201982, \u201990 MS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>And so she did, playing for the U.S. team in two World University Games before working her way up the coaching ladder (including a stint as a graduate assistant at NC State) until she was eventually named the head coach for the WNBA team in Charlotte, N.C. She also worked as the head coach and general manager of the WNBA\u2019s Washington Mystics, and as an assistant director for USA Women\u2019s Basketball.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>It adds to a pretty impressive career in basketball, topped off by her current position as director of athletics at Johnson &amp; Wales University in Charlotte. It also led to her latest honor \u2014 as one of the 15 newest members of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Lacey and the others (including former NC State tennis star John Sadri) will be inducted into the hall on April 21.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m obviously thrilled,\u201d Lacey said in a recent interview. \u201cIt\u2019s a great honor, and I\u2019m just really pleased about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/sandwich-narrative {\"heading\":\"By the Numbers:\",\"imageID\":3424,\"imageURL\":\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TLcoaching-1.jpg\",\"imageAlt\":\"\"} -->\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-sandwich-narrative with-image\"><div class=\"ncst-sandwich-narrative\"><div class=\"sandwich-narrative__image-container\"><img class=\"sandwich-narrative__image wp-image-3424\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TLcoaching-1.jpg\" \/><\/div><div class=\"sandwich-narrative__text-container\"><h2 class=\"sandwich-narrative__heading\">By the Numbers:<\/h2><!-- wp:ncst\/text-heading-section -->\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Trudi Lacey \u201982, \u201990 MS fell just 43 points of being one of the handful of Wolfpack players to score 2,000 points in their career playing for the women\u2019s basketball team. But four decades after her NC State playing days ended, Lacey still ranks high on many of the team\u2019s all-time lists:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/text-heading-section -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/collapsible-more {\"instanceID\":0} -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-collapsible-more ncst-collapsible-more\"><div class=\"collapsible-more__collapsed-content-container collapse panel-collapse \" id=\"collapsible-more-0\" aria-labelledby=\"collapsible-more-heading-0\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>#5 in scoring<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>#7 in scoring average<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>#3 in rebounds<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>#6 in steals<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>#5 in made field goals<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>#4 in double-doubles<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>#7 in games played<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div><a class=\"collapsible-more__interaction-cta collapsed\" href=\"#collapsible-more-0\" id=\"collapsible-more-heading-0\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" data-target=\"#collapsible-more-0\" aria-controls=\"collapsible-more-0\"><span class=\"collapsible-more__expansion-indicator\"><span class=\"ncst-plus-minus-toggle\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-more__text\">Expand to read more<\/span><span class=\"collapsible-more__text-collapse\">Collapse<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/collapsible-more --><\/div><\/div><\/aside>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/sandwich-narrative -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The recognition reflects, in part, Lacey\u2019s role as a trailblazer at NC State \u2014 she was the first Black woman to be offered a four-year scholarship at the university. Lacey says she didn\u2019t realize she had blazed that trail until well after her days as a Wolfpack player were over, but it\u2019s a historical milestone that she now carries with pride.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s maybe one of my proudest moments at NC State,\u201d she says. \u201cThat helped set the tone and foundation for future athletes, particularly Black females.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Lacey attributes much of her success in life to her coach at NC State, Kay Yow. \u201cI met her when I was 12 years old, and she had an instant impact on me,\u201d Lacey says. \u201cShe was a great teacher of the game, but we also learned life skills from Coach Yow. We called them Yowisms.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":3427,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TL_Pinkgame19-1-732x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3427\" \/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cShe used a lot of positive affirmations, not only in her teaching but in the way she lived her life. She challenged us to become a kindler, gentler version of ourselves. I took that to heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>So as she had success, Lacey has strived to be a role model for others. In addition to her normal duties as athletics director, she is the senior lead for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and established a social justice court for the school\u2019s athletes. She also has a foundation that holds a food drive each year and hosts an \u201cAll Sports Day\u201d to bring kids from underserved communities to campus to learn about their sports offerings.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s always in the back of my mind,\u201d she says, \u201cto inspire people, particularly Black females.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>While the opportunities for women in sports have grown in Lacey\u2019s lifetime, she says women\u2019s sports still suffers from a lack of media coverage and salaries inequities for female athletes, coaches and administrators. \u201cWe\u2019ve made some progress, but we are still lacking in some areas,\u201d she says. \u201cWe still have a lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Although her playing days are over, Lacey still occasionally joins a friend in the gym to put up a few shots. She does it to \u201cclear her mind and sweat a little bit.\u201d But she acknowledges that touching a basketball still \u201cfeels like magic.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cIt has afforded me so many opportunities,\u201d she says. \u201cI had dreams of playing basketball and traveling all over the world. It\u2019s crazy that that happened for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A pioneering career leads to NC State\u2019s Trudi Lacey \u201982, \u201990 MS being inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":3426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"backgroundColor\":\"gray_600\",\"subtitle\":\"A pioneering career leads to NC State\u2019s Trudi Lacey \u201982, \u201990 MS being inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.\",\"displayCategoryID\":6,\"caption\":\"Photograph courtesy of Special Collections, NC State University Libraries.\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8,9],"tags":[611,613,645,896,1186,1215,1244,1272,1279,1286],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-4812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-bets","category-newswire","category-stories","tag-john-sadri","tag-johnson-wales-university","tag-kay-yow","tag-north-carolina-sports-hall-of-fame","tag-trudi-lacey","tag-usa-womens-basketball","tag-washington-mystics","tag-wnba","tag-womens-basketball","tag-world-university-games"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":6,"name":"Campus Lens","slug":"campus-lens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":6,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4812"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5096,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4812\/revisions\/5096"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4812"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=4812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}