With all the hype that surrounds football, I’m afraid we as a school sometimes lose sight of what put N.C. State on the map athletically — we are a basketball school.
As a program, we are one of 13 schools around the nation that can boast two NCAA Championships in basketball. N.C. State was home to arguably the best college basketball player ever to grace the hardwood in David Thompson.
Most people concede that N.C. State brought basketball to the South with Everett Case as a coach and the construction of Reynolds Coliseum. Case also began one of the first ever holiday invitational tournaments in the Dixie Classic, which put some of the best teams in the nation against the “Big 4” (UNC, Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest) right before Christmas every year. Case is also credited with starting the tradition of cutting down the nets after winning a championship in college basketball
After Case, there was Norm Sloan, who guided N.C. State to the 1974 National Championship and put together teams that featured David Thompson, Tommy Burleson and current N.C. State assistant coach Monte Towe. Sloan was known for his colorful personality that earned him the nickname “Stormin’ Norman” and competed toe-to-toe with Dean Smith, UCLA’s John Wooden and Maryland coach Lefty Driesell for national dominance. After Sloan, Valvano took the helm in the 1980s and led the 1983 N.C. State team through one of the most improbable runs to the NCAA Championship ever. The season culminated with a last second shot that put the Pack over top of a star studded Houston team.
Ever since Valvano left, N.C. State has had a hard time filling the void and finding a coach that can replicate the success that Case, Sloan and Valvano brought to the school. With our decline came the rise of Duke and UNC, timed perfectly with the rise of 24-hour cable sports networks. The respect we once commanded has slipped through our grasp and for the past decade and a half we’ve struggled to compete in the shadow of the media hype that surrounds Duke and UNC.
Fortunately, I believe the times are changing. We finally have a coach that understands not just basketball, but what N.C. State basketball is. Coach Lowe understands the heritage, he wears his 1983 Championship ring and he consistently reminds players not only of their potential, but also of the past history they represent when they don the red and white on the court. A few weeks ago, he carried the entire team to listen to David Thompson speak at a Raleigh church.
Coach Lowe gets it.
He knows what it means to be a part of N.C. State basketball, one of the most storied and traditional programs in the country.
Last night’s game against Barton demonstrated the amazing talent we have as a team. We have the potential to beat anyone in the nation on any given night. So as N.C. State’s season begins, and the pundits begin their usual hype of the “traditional” powers keep in mind that before there was the Maui Invitational there was the Dixie Classic, before there were Cameron Crazies there were the Reynolds Rowdies, before there was Dean Smith there was Everett Case, and before there was Michael Jordan there was David Thompson.
Go to games, support the team, because this year could be special.
What do you think of this year’s team? Let us know at [email protected].
