It’s been quite the year for N.C. State sports. Big-time upsets, last-second miracle finishes, new coaches — you name it, it’s probably happened to the Wolfpack this year. And since it’s always fun to recount the memorable moments, I figured I’d list a few of my own from the 2006-2007 school year.

But I’m not going to rank them. That’s lame.

State, 83; UNC, 79

The North Carolina basketball game was the first thing that came to mind when I thought of this column.

Gavin Grant’s dunk, Ben McCauley’s scream, rushing the court after toppling the No. 3 team in the nation — all the ingredients are there for a noteworthy experience.

Here’s the fun part: I wasn’t there. I won tickets through the student lottery, and I was ecstatic. Over the course of six years, I’d never won tickets to a UNC basketball game.

Around the same time as the claim period began, I was helping a friend paint her new apartment and move out of her old apartment. Between moving, painting, working and studying, I lost track of the schedule. I tried to claim my tickets a day too late.

At first, I was crushed. How could I be so careless to miss my chance to see this game?

Then, the certainty of the situation dawned on me: I was supposed to be at this game, yet I lost my opportunity. There was no doubt in my mind after all the events that transpired: we were going to win the game.

Sure enough, 83 points and thousands of fanatical students later, we won. I felt like I played my part.

The Evans Bomb

I’m sure you knew this event was coming next. I’m in the stands with my girlfriend. The Pack is down 15-10, and the game is in the waning seconds. An emotion set in that should be taught at orientation for N.C. State fans: dejection. Utter despair.

A student behind me, who undoubtedly had to be a freshman, wondered aloud why all the people were leaving. “Come on, guys. We still have a chance. The game’s not over.”

I told my girlfriend our poor freshman would learn. He hadn’t experienced being a State fan, yet. Even when the game’s not over, sometimes it feels like it is.

But then, quarterback Daniel Evans started moving the ball down the field. Suddenly, we were only 30 yards away. There wasn’t much time left, but another staple State-fan emotion came up: the hope that miracles are always possible.

And there it was: the miracle touchdown actually happened. That game was a one-of-a-kind experience.

Chuck chucked

Of course, the rest of the season tanked, and Chuck Amato was canned at the end of the 3-9 campaign, his worst year at the helm of the Wolfpack ship. I was sad when I heard of the move, which many had deemed inevitable.

When Amato was hired in 2000, I was starting school here as a freshman. I’ll never forget the excitement everyone around here felt. What a year it was: the emergence of Philip Rivers, a 4-0 start to the season, a double-overtime thriller against Georgia Tech and of course, the national championship whispers that started to whirl around Raleigh.

Because he was a State alumnus, it was easy to be excited for Amato. And because he was a State alumnus, I was saddened when he was fired.

There’s no doubt in my mind it was a move that needed to happen, but that doesn’t mean I liked it.

Reynolds return

The NIT basketball game in Reynolds Coliseum is my favorite moment of the year, though. I didn’t grow up a State fan. I didn’t even grow up in North Carolina. I had no real sense of the magnitude of N.C. State basketball or of the ACC. And by the time I started school here in 2000, Reynolds was but a memory — Heritage Games notwithstanding.

Sitting outside for four hours while waiting to get tickets to the game, watching the building fill up minutes after the doors opened and then hearing the roar of the crowd when the team hit the floor for the first time.

It was an awesome sight to see, and it made me wish I grew up around here so I could have gone to games in the heyday of Reynolds.

And following the team’s win over Marist, the entire Pack basketball team stood at mid-court and applauded the crowd.

The team’s way of thanking the crowd at the end was the perfect way to seal the team’s final home game of the season.

It’s been a magical year — lots of ups and plenty of downs. The future is bright for N.C. State sports.