Watching N.C. State’s David Thompson present Michael Jordan at the NBA Hall of Fame last week was somewhat of a bittersweet moment. It was nice to see Thompson recognized by Jordan as his role model growing up but it was also somewhat sad to sit back and think about how many students at Thompson’s alma mater don’t know about his incredible career at NCSU.
A career where Thompson led our team to an undefeated season, one of our two national titles and is generally regarded as one of the best college players to ever step foot on the court.
Unfortunately for Thompson, his time was a generation before ESPN provided us with around the clock sports information and highlights.
Some schools have individual halls of fame, others choose to honor their legends with statues and stadiums — the University needs to take a step forward and honor our outstanding coaches and players as well.
As a school, we have an incredibly rich basketball heritage. Reynolds Coliseum was a model stadium, envied nationwide when it was built. Head coach Everett Case has been credited as the founding father of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 1950s; Norm Sloan won a national championship by taking on the University of California, Los Angeles’ unquestioned reign in the 1970s; and Jim Valvano built a program in the 1980s that won the University’s second championship in 1983. Coach Kay Yow, who passed away this spring, also deserves to be honored after being an institution in women’s basketball and at NCSU.
We need something on campus near Reynolds Coliseum that honors these coaches and Thompson.
The banners in the RBC Center are nice, but not a single one of these coaches won a game on that court. Reynolds was their domain.
Bronze statues would be simple enough, and I’m sure we could find a talented alumnus that would do an excellent job. The athletics department would need to turn to outside funding, but that shouldn’t be a problem since those years in basketball created some of the greatest collegiate stories of their generation.
These coaches and players were larger than life on the basketball court. Valvano and Yow’s legacies live on through their incredible passion for the game and the philanthropic organizations that bear their names.
While Case, Sloan and Thompson laid the groundwork and delivered on a basketball tradition that should be honored for the incredible contributions to our community. Students need something on-campus that will serve as a remembrance, even if it’s nothing more than a passing reminder of our legacy a generation before.
