Character: the mental and moral qualities of an individual.
"Let the party begin in Raleigh," ESPN's Dan Shulman said. The final score flashed on the screen: N.C. State 84, Duke 76. Fans streamed toward midcourt, led by Andy and Will. Then came the unmistakable voice of commentator Dick Vitale.
"It has begu -- oh, watch the young guy with the wheelchair. Oh, they got a wheelchair out there."
The red wave had reached midcourt, engulfing Andy and Will.
"Unbelievable," Vitale said. "Did you see that? Oh, my heart goes out."
Will's mother, Debbie, stood up.
Oh my goodness, she said. That's Will.
Will, youngest of their four children, born without a pulmonary valve or a right tibia.
As the crowd pressed in around the players and the fans, Rodney Purvis, a freshman guard for the Wolfpack, was knocked against Will's wheelchair. The wheelchair tipped over. Will's phone fell from his hand and his glasses fell off his face and his wallet fell out of his pocket. Andy fell over too. He reached for Rodney with one hand and Will for the other. People surged around and above them. They were trapped on the floor.
As the crowd pressed in around the players and the fans, Rodney Purvis, a freshman guard for the Wolfpack, was knocked against Will's wheelchair. The wheelchair tipped over. Will's phone fell from his hand and his glasses fell off his face and his wallet fell out of his pocket. Andy fell over too. He reached for Rodney with one hand and Will for the other. People surged around and above them. They were trapped on the floor.
With them in the mass of bodies was C.J. Leslie, a 6-foot-9, 200-pound junior, the second-tallest player on the team. He had played all but two minutes of the game and scored a game-high 25 points. At some point he looked down and noticed Will on the floor. He called to the other students, telling them to get back, get back, and then he reached down and picked up Will Privette, 110 pounds, and held him in his arms.
Later, on the Today show, C.J. said he intended to pick up Will and put him right down in his chair. But something changed his mind. Will made the Wolf Hands. The party would go on. And C.J. just held him there, way up high above the crowd, in the center of the raging Wolfpack, for what seemed like a very long time.
Character.
photo credits: www.freep.com, www.sportsillustraed.com (Zumapress.com)
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