Valvano: Which way do I go?
These days, to a generation of hoopers who never saw him on a sideline, Jim Valvano is the man with the ESPY speech, the guy with the basketball tournament in New York or just Dick Vitale's friend. It sounds wild, but the calendar turns quickly.
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| It has been so long since Valvano has coached, it should be in black-and-white. (US Presswire) |
Time flies when you're ... actually, time just flies.
Having fun isn't a prerequisite. Time moves at a fast-pace regardless. Then one day you look up, see the date and realize Jim Valvano hasn't coached in 17 years, hasn't been alive in nearly 14.
Maybe it seems strange because we still see him on TV every once in a while telling us not to give up, not to ever give up, a visibly sick man who would succumb to cancer less than two months after delivering his legendary speech. Either way, 14 years feels like a long time, particularly because it means it has been 24 years since Valvano made the most famous jog by a coach ever.
| Memorable Moments Archive | |
| No. 1: | One shot, one memory |
| Turn and shoot | |
| No. 2: | Jimmy V's elation |
| Which way do I go? | |
| No. 3: | Webber seals Fab 5's fate |
| Bewildered Webber | |
| No. 4: | Bo's lefty tribute |
| Kimble's free throws | |
| No. 5: | Valpo's Drew sinks Ole Miss |
| The Shot | |
Oh, that jog.
It was wonderful, wasn't it? One part emotion. One part confusion. All parts memorable -- which is why it ranks second on CBS SportsLine.com's list of the Top Five Most Memorable Moments in NCAA Tournament History.
Before there was Rick Pitino telling us exactly which Celtics were not going to walk through that door, before there was John Calipari ready to throw fists in a press conference with a man nearly twice his age, the prominent Italian-American character in basketball was James Thomas Anthony Valvano (Jimmy V, for short). This boisterous and controversial operator, on and off the court, landed a job at North Carolina State, limped through the 1982-83 season and still somehow found himself coaching on that final Monday against Houston and its roster of runners and dunkers nicknamed Phi Slama Jama.
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N.C. State had 10 losses; Houston had two, not to mention a 26-game winning streak.
In other words, this was the mismatch of all mismatches. So the question wasn't whether Houston would win, but by what margin -- leading Valvano to joke that if his team controlled the tip they might just hold the ball 39 minutes, take a jumper at the buzzer and see if they could win a title by the final score of 2-0, considering the shot clock did not yet exist.
Instead, the Wolfpack played.
They played hard. They played smart.
They played 39 minutes dead-even with Houston and had the ball in the final seconds with an opportunity to win. Derek Whittenburg launched a long, desperation jumper with 3 seconds remaining, but it was short of the rim. No problem, Lorenzo Charles was there. The sophomore jumped for the ball, caught the ball and dunked it all in one motion at the buzzer to give N.C. State a 54-52 victory.
