RALEIGH, N.C. — One of the most historic houses in Raleigh rises out of a small hill, almost hidden, off of Daniels Street and steps away from the Village District near downtown. Since its construction in the mid-1950s the city has changed all around it. A new apartment building towers over the backyard; new condos are opening next door. Parts of old Raleigh are being repaved and built over.
Drivers pass by the old house all day, unaware of who used to live there. Sometimes the front yard is in need of a good mowing. The driveway is often crowded with cars parked at odd angles. A small old boat, long out of the water, rests up against a fence. Few people know anymore that a long time ago the house was built for Everett Case. The memory and knowledge of the man slowly fades.
It is not a stretch to say Case is the grandfather of ACC basketball, or that North Carolina can trace its roots as a college basketball haven directly to him. In the 1940s and early ‘50s, his teams at N.C. State captured the attention of the South. Rival schools tried to catch up. The Dixie Classic, and then the ACC tournament, became must-see theater at State’s Reynolds Coliseum. A state’s love affair with college basketball began.
