ATLANTA — The image we always remember, the one that summarizes what the North Carolina State Wolfpack did 35 years ago this spring, is the one of ওJimmy Valvano running up and down the length of the court at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M., searching for someone to hug.
Lorenzo Charles had just dunked the ball at the buzzer, and the ’Pack had finished off an unthinkable upset of the Phi Slamma Jamma Cougars of Houston, and there was Valvano — out of Corona, Queens, and Seaford, Long Island — trying to celebrate with a🐼nyone who would have him.
“I wish I could describe to you exactly what it feels like when the ball goes in, when the buzzer goes off, when suddenly you realize: Holy cow, we really are the national champions,” says Terry Gannon — who was a guard on that ’83 Wolfpack team, who was on the floor when Dereck Whittenburg’s 40-footer dipped south after 39 feet, only to be redirected by Charles, ou🍸t of Brooklyn Tech.
“All I’ll tell you is this,” says Gannon, now a ꧟prominent broadcaster who works mostly college basketball, golf and figure skating. “It was everything you would think it wꦗas. Times 100.”
For me, though, the real magic of that team was hatched earli💫er. By the time they played the Cougars🀅, after all, State had already mastered the form of “survive-and-advance,” because they’d done it in the most audacious way possible — call it legal gambling, if you like. Or just playing a hot hand.
The only reason the Wolfpack were even in the tournament, of co♒urse, was that they had stunned top🃏-ranked Virginia in the ACC Tournament.
“And once we were in,” Gannon says, “Cꦫoach said, ‘As long as we’re here, we may as well pull out all the stops and go for it.’ ”
State had been sent West, to Gill Coliseum on the campus of Oregon State University, and in its very first game faced doom against a very good Pepperdine team, coached by Jim Harrick. It was then that the ’Pack devised what became a signature weapon: fouling late, aggressively, whenever they fell🃏 behind. And they fell behind a lot.
“I want the rock,” Valvano declared.
He was helped along by the rules of the time, ofಌ course. In those years, every foul after seven in a half resulted in a oꦐne-and-one: You needed to make the first to earn the second.
“And Coach knew that the ball could get awfully heavy in your hands if you had to start thinking a🌳bout making front ends all the 💧time,” Gannon says.
Against Pepperdine, the Wolfpack twice benefited by putting the Waves’ best player, Dane Suttle, an 84 percent foul shooter, on the line; both times he botched the one-and-one. State tied the game, won in overtime 69-67, and a pattern was born𒀰.
The next game, also at Gill, this time against a powerful UNLV team, the same thing: They trailed late, started fouling and figured ouඣt a way to eke out a 71-70 victory.
“Now, we had a bunch of clutch players in Whittenbuꩵrg and [Thurl] Baile🐭y and [Sidney] Lowe,” Gannon says. “And those guys all made some incredible shots, critical shots, but they were in a position to because Coach kept rolling the dice. It was amazing.”
Most amazing of all was the West Region final, a rematch with Virginia. Tied at 61, less than a minutes to go, Valvano ordered Whittenburg to foul guard Othell Wilson — “Fouling in a tie game! Who does that?” Gannon asks — and when Wilson made one of two, Stateꦦ had a chance to control its own destiny. Charles sank two free throws, the Pack survived a Virginia flurry at the end …
“Sometimes, you think about it and it’s still hard to beli🎶e൩ve,” Gannon says.
After the Wolfpack were done writing their fairy tale, the sport’s rulesmakers intervened, and now it’s impossible to fully replicate Valvano’s strategy be﷽cause all fouls after 10 are two-shot fouls. Maybe that’s 𒁏for the best. Thirty-five years ago, though, night after night, a team graced by destiny exploited that quirk and became a product of legend.
H🌞istory hugs Valvano now, 35 years later.🐬 Eternally.
Vac’s Whacks
I’ve been as excited about the Islanders’ future home as anyone, but if they can’t actually ever get around to signing Mr. Tavares at some point, don’t y💜ou kind of have to ask: Wh🃏at’s the point?
Thℱere’s a bobblehead that was released Friday of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, and I’m just going to go ahead and say it: The good Sister is coming dangerously close to jumping the shark.
Not that you really need to be put in the mood for baseball season this clos🀅e to Opening Day, but if you need that final nudge, may I suggest “Dynastic, Bombasic, Fantastic,” Jason Turnbow’s rollicking read about the 1꧑970s Oakland A’s.
All these nജew emergency shows on TV now … there’s still nobody who slings Ringer’s lactate with quite the same panache that Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto did for Squad 51 back in the day.
Whack Back at Vac
R. Fisher: I hope your Kawhi Leonard column was tongue-in-cheek. I’m a Knicks fan for 50-plus years and want to see an honest-to-God rebuild: length, defense, live bod♔ies and “want-to.” This would be Melo all over again — sacrificing young talent and draft picks is not𝔍 direction to pursue.
Vac: If I felt better about the young talent and the draft picks, I think I’d be more apt to be on board with th🌞e full rebuild.
William Thurlow: Great columns on Loyola! As a Catholic school alum, it’s great to watch. All these atheists are quaking in 🥂their boots, LOL!.
Vac: My motto for March is: If 😼it can’t be the Bonnies, wh🐈y not the Ramblers?
@gbpackjerry: To call what’s going on at Fordham basketball a “dumpster fire” ♊is an insult to dumpsters … and fires.
@MikeVacc: And yet the men in charge on Rose 🎃Hill march merrily on without a care in the world. What 𝔍a disgrace.
Jack Werther: As I was reading your column on John Fogerty and “Centerfield” I🌳 noticed a smile had spread across my face. That combined two of my favorite things, baseball and music, and you captured those two favorites in your column. Thank you for bringing that smile to my face.
Vac: I justꦯ co🥃nsider it another satisfied customer for Mr. Fogerty.