March 7, 2007

By Jim Sumner
TheACC.com

"When you find yourself stuck in a hole, stop digging." That's the so-called first rule of holes. Twenty years ago Jim Valvano's North Carolina State Wolfpack were stuck in a pretty big hole. A once promising season was falling apart, the losses were mounting, and the NIT beckoned. State had talent but it wasn't meshing. Valvano stopped digging. He adjusted his lineup, retooled the offense, and oversaw a dramatic and implausible run to the 1987 ACC Tournament title.

North Carolina State made it as far as the Elite Eight in 1985 and 1986, losing in regional finals to St. John's and Kansas respectively. Starting guards Nate McMillan and Ernie Myers were seniors on that 1986 squad but a more surprising loss was that of center Chris Washburn, who left after his sophomore season for the NBA draft.

Valvano had some key holdovers from 1986, most notably forwards Bennie Bolton and Charles Shackleford and wing player Walker Lambiotte but he also was blending in some newcomers. Mike Giomi was a burly post player, a transfer from Indiana, who sat out 1986 under the NCAA's transfer rules. Avie Lester, Andy Kennedy, and Brian Howard were promising freshmen.

The key addition was point guard Kenny Drummond, a junior-college transfer from California. Drummond was a lightning-quick, 5'10" player who could shoot and pass. He also was in a high-profile role, the latest in a line of State point guards that included Sidney Lowe, Spud Webb, and McMillan.

State began the season with an 84-80 win over David Robinson and Navy in the Tip-Off Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts. State played well in the Great Alaska Shootout, sandwiching two wins around a one-point loss to Iowa. They jumped to 11th in the AP poll before a shocking loss at Tampa, a game that Valvano missed because of illness. There were some minor injuries, road losses to nationally-ranked Clemson and North Carolina, and several wins. When Drummond scored 26 points to lead the Wolfpack to an 87-74 win over 12th-ranked Duke, State was 12-4 and firmly entrenched in the top 25.

Then the wheels started coming off. Powerful Kansas beat State 74-60. Next was a visit to Virginia that resulted in a bizarre loss. Leading by a point, State got a big defensive stop late. Guard Vinnie Del Negro, a 90% foul shooter, was fouled with 10 seconds left. Virginia called timeout before he could shoot. The officiating crew thought that State came out of the timeout late. The ball was placed on the foul line. When Del Negro entered the jump circle, he was whistled for a violation and the ball was given to Virginia. John Johnson hit a layup at the buzzer and Virginia won 61-60.

Jim Valvano's post-game remarks were caustic. Acknowledging that State heard the warning horn, he added, "It didn't seem like 15 seconds. We've lost ball games in a lot of different ways but this is absurd. It's an embarrassment to our league. I've always felt that the game should be decided by the players, by what happens on the court. Our kids are very, very upset."

Even winning coach Terry Holland was sympathetic. "It's an awfully tough way for State to lose a game."

State's schedule was brutal. Oklahoma edged the Wolfpack, DePaul blew them out, and North Carolina won in Reynolds 95-79. Louisville handed State its sixth consecutive loss.

There was trouble on and off the court. Drummond--described by Valvano as "a tough street kid . . . very aggressive and hard-nosed"--was clashing with his teammates.

One of them, Quentin Jackson, recalls, "Kenny was from the West Coast. He had a different mindset. He didn't understand the tradition or the culture. He was older so maybe that made it harder for him to adjust. Kenny just never became part of the team."

State broke its losing streak against Winthrop but fell to Clemson and Georgia Tech. Drummond left the team following the Tech loss, which was State's eighth in nine games and dropped its record to 13-12. Valvano made some changes. He slowed down the tempo. Promising sophomore forward Chuck Brown began playing more. Del Negro started taking minutes from the slumping Lambiotte. Most importantly, Jackson took over the reigns at point guard.

Del Negro, now the Director of Player Personnel for the Phoenix Suns, says, "Quentin settled everybody down. He brought a calmness to the team. We slowed down and players started understanding their roles on the team."

Jackson agrees. "We wanted to maximize each possession. I had been with these guys awhile and knew their strengths and weaknesses, where and when they wanted the ball. I didn't have any NBA aspirations. I was content to run the team and distribute the ball."

State won four of its final six regular-season games, including its last three. An overtime win at Wake Forest proved they could win a close one. They entered the ACC Tournament with some confidence. Jackson says, "By the end of the season, we had some continuity. Coach Valvano had given us a sense of organization and stability."

Still, they were a sixth seed and few expected them to be around long. Del Negro says "the enormity of winning the whole thing was too much. We approached it one game at a time, one possession at a time. That way it was manageable."

The 1987 ACC Tournament was held at Landover, home territory for Jackson and Bolton, both of whom had played at fabled DeMatha High School. Ironically, State opened against third-seeded Duke, which started four players--Danny Ferry, Tommy Amaker, Billy King, and John Smith--from the greater D.C. area. Jackson laughs and says, "this could have been a D.C. pickup game from a couple of summers earlier."

State and Duke had split in the regular season, each winning at home. It was a competitive game, sloppy at times, the last of the four played that day. State led most of the way but Blue Devils took the lead at the mid-point of the second half when Kevin Strickland scored 13 straight points for Duke. It was a see-saw affair down the stretch. State led by two when King blocked a Del Negro lay-up with 43 seconds left. Ferry tied the game with two free throws and Bolton missed at the buzzer.

Del Negro scored only six points in regulation but found an extra gear for the extra period. Jackson remembers, "Vinnie taking it upon his shoulders to end the game the right way."

Shackelford scored on an offensive rebound, Jackson made two free throws and Del Negro closed the door with nine points in the final 90 seconds. State prevailed 71-64.

In the same bracket, Wake Forest had upset second-seeded Clemson 69-62 behind Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues' 21 points and 9 assists. State had defeated Wake twice in the regular season but both games were close. Bogues had the ability to thoroughly disrupt the opposing team. Jackson says, "Our game plan was to keep the ball away from Muggsy. By letting somebody else bring the ball up court, it took him somewhat out of the game on defense."

The strategy worked. Bogues did not have a single steal. But his offense was not affected. Bogues shot the Deacs into a 23-18 lead before picking up his third foul with 8:34 left in the half. He then picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and had to sit again. Wake hung tough until its leader came back. They led 55-54 with two minutes left when State pushed a rare fast break. Jackson scored in transition and Wake's Rod Watson was called for an intentional foul. Jackson made two free throws and State led by three. Bogues tied it with a three-pointer with 1:27 left. Each team had chances to win in the final 90 seconds but came up empty.

Having finished an overtime game around midnight the night before, State hardly needed another one. There were four lead changes. Bogues had five points and a pair of assists, having a hand in all nine of Wake's points. Kelsey Weems made two free throws with nine seconds left to put State up 67-65 but Bogues hit Antonio Johnson for a lay-up at the buzzer. Another overtime.

By this point Wake had lost two starters to fouls. State got some separation in the second overtime, breaking a 71-71 tie with a Brown field goal, two Del Negro free throws, and a pair of Bolton foul shots. The final was 77-73. Shackleford led State with 17 points, Bolton added 16, and Del Negro scored 15 with a dozen rebounds. State outrebounded Wake 50-37, while Jackson ran the team skillfully, dishing out five assists.

State advanced to the title game against North Carolina, which had defeated Maryland and Virginia. The North Carolina-Virginia semifinal was as riveting as the State-Wake Forest game, with the Tar Heels prevailing 84-82 in two overtimes.

Still, on paper the finals looked like the bad side of a good news-bad news joke, at least from the State perspective. Led by seven future NBA players, including consensus All-American guard Kenny Smith, third-ranked North Carolina was undefeated against ACC teams and had pounded State twice in the regular season.

North Carolina was an explosive offensive team, with size, speed, and depth. Aided by the NCAA's new three-point shot, they would end the season averaging 91.3 points per game, still the fifth-highest scoring average in ACC history.

State would have to slow them down to have a chance. Jackson says, "Coach Valvano made this very clear. We couldn't beat them in the 80s but if we controlled the tempo, then we could frustrate them. Hit the boards, make every shot count, control the tempo, keep it in the 60s, and we could win."

State followed Valvano's game plan to the proverbial T. The unheralded Brown pulled down 10 rebounds, helping State to a shocking 30-20 rebounding advantage over a team that started three 6'10" players. State made its open jumpers and limited North Carolina's fast-break opportunities. The Wolfpack led 32-25 at intermission.

Still, North Carolina didn't go 14-0 in the ACC regular season without having some resources. J.R. Reid started scoring inside, Jeff Lebo hit a couple of threes, and it was a dogfight. The game was tied seven times in the second half. Brown broke a 62-62 tie with a lay-up but Dave Popson answered for the Tar Heels with a minute and a half left. State regained the lead on a Giomi putback. Reid made one of two foul shots but North Carolina took a 67-66 lead when Bolton threw away an inbounds pass.

Del Negro had the chance to win it and was fouled on a lay-up by Joe Wolf. He remembers, "Coach Valvano going over strategy at the timeout. He started `when Vinnie makes these free throws.' That's the kind of motivator he was. Stay positive."

Del Negro rewarded Valvano's confidence, making both free throws. Still, Carolina had 14 seconds, plenty of time for a final shot. Valvano pulled another rabbit out of his hat. He replaced Jackson with Kelsey Weems and gave the quick defender simple instructions. "Don't let Smith get the ball."

Jackson says, "If Smith gets the ball, they win. It's as simple as that."

He didn't get it. Carolina tried but Weems didn't give Smith any space and his teammates didn't give UNC any passing angles. Wolf missed a jumper, Ranzino Smith grabbed the long rebound, missed a hurried 20-footer, and the game was over: 68-67 State.

The winners made 56% of their field goals and all 14 of their free throws. Del Negro won the Everett Case Award as the tournament's outstanding player. The All-Tournament second team included Brown - who scored a game-high 18 points in the championship game - Bolton and Shackleford. After the game Virginia Athletic Director Dick Schultz, a member of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, confirmed that State would not have made the tournament without winning the ACC title.

It's tempting to end the story here: An out-of-the-blue ACC Tournament title, with three last-second wins over your three closest rivals. That's a pretty good weekend.

State was seeded 11th in the East Regional and sent to Syracuse. Asked if the ACC champs deserved a better seed, Del Negro says, "You can't complain when you lose eight of nine. We made our bed in the regular season."

The Wolfpack's first-round opponent? The Florida Gators, coached by North Carolina State alum and former head coach Norman Sloan and assisted by former State star Monte Towe. The NCAA has always maintained that it doesn't pay attention to this sort of thing but more than a few eyebrows were raised when the pairing was announced.

It was a close game for 30 minutes. Florida led 33-30 at the half but Bolton led a second-half surge that put State up 49-40. Florida went on a 17-0 run, keyed by a furious pressure defense and the hot hands of star guards Vernon Maxwell and Andrew Moten, who ended the game with 28 and 19 points respectively.

Del Negro remembers, "Maxwell and Moten just running up and down the floor. We just couldn't stop them when we had to."

Bolton ended his college career with 20 points, while Shackleford and Del Negro added a dozen apiece. State finished 20-15.

Jackson, now the Director of Basketball Operations at his alma mater, says "You've got to give Coach Valvano the credit. He knew where he wanted to go but he was flexible about how to get there. He was willing to adjust tactics to achieve goals. That's not as common as you think.

"Twenty years later, people still want to talk about that tournament. Leaving a legacy is what it's all about. Enjoy the experience, work and wait for the opportunity, and make the most of it. You're never out of it in this league."

---

Jim Sumner's articles on southern sports history have appeared in the ACC Handbook, the ACC Area Sports Journal, Blue Devil Weekly, Inside Carolina, the Wolfpacker, Baseball America, Basketball America, and other publications. His latest book, Tales From the Duke Blue Devils Hardwood, was published in 2005. In his bimonthly column "Looking Back... by Jim Sumner", he will examine the rich history of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

This article can not be copied or reproduced without the express written consent of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

E-mail Jim Sumner