The Wolfpacker Special Edition

■pack perspective An Earlier Meeting With Temple Came On A Dark Day In Pack History T By Tim Peeler emple holds a special place in the annals of NC State basketball, because of one game in particular in the seven-game series between these infrequent opponents. On Jan. 7, 1989, Temple coach John Chaney and his team brought the Owls' match-up zone defense to Reynolds Coliseum to face Jim Valvano and the Pack on a day that turned out to be one of the most infamous in the history of Wolfpack basketball. There have been two other games between the teams since then, but whenever the two meet — as they will at 1:40 p.m. on Friday in Dayton, Ohio, in the 2013 NCAA Tournament — the memories of that Saturday afternoon game on national television will always be remembered for two very specific non-basketball events. First, it was supposed to be a day of great promise and innovation; Valvano had agreed for his team to wear Nike's uniform of the future, the Unitard. It was a form-fitting blend of Lycra and Spandex that was supposed to allow players freedom of movement without being hindered by cumbersome, sagging shorts. But when the Pack players tried on the tight-fitting singlets, they were appalled at the unsightly bulges — or perhaps the lack thereof — that were there for the world and their mothers to see. The team refused to take the court without wearing regular game shorts on top of the futuristic unis. Like Dippin' Dots, the ice cream of the future, the unitards never became the next big thing. Iowa, UNLV and Seton Hall wore versions of the new uniform during the 1989 and 1990 seasons, but the Wolfpack's experiment with them lasted only two games, mainly because of embarrass- JUMP TO CONTENTS On Jan. 7, 1989, the Pack wore Nike's uniform of the future, the Unitard, to face the Temple Owls. photo courtesy nc state media relations ment, but also because of other things that were going on in the program that happened on that game day against Temple. That morning, Raleigh's News & Observer ran a front page story based on an advanced book cover it received from publisher Simon & Shuster's Pocket Books division, promoting a book called Personal Fouls by New York author Peter Golenbach. The book was subtitled "The Broken Promises and Shattered Dreams of Big Money Basketball at Jim Valvano's North Carolina State." While Simon & Schuster eventually distanced itself from the book, and the most outrageous allegations made by Golenbach and former student manager John Simonds were discredited, the publication prompted a year-long investigation by the N&O, the NCAA, the NC State Faculty Senate, the State Bureau of Investigation and the UNC Board of Governors that eventually ended Valvano's tenure as head coach and athletics director and Bruce Poulton's tenure as chancellor. The Wolfpack was eventually placed on a two-year probation, for the relatively minor misdeeds of players during the 1980s, but not for any of the sensational allegations in the book. That season, however, before the investigations took hold, the circumstances of the Temple game were a rallying point for the Wolfpack, which beat the Owls 71-59 and then closed its ranks around Valvano and became one of the most dangerous teams in college basketball. Despite a snow and ice storm that kept nearly half the team in Raleigh, the Wolfpack upset Georgia Tech in Atlanta, thanks to the sophomore "Fire and Ice" combo of Rodney Monroe and Chris Corchiani. The Pack split with Duke and North Carolina and ended the regular season with a quadruple-overtime victory over Wake Forest in Greensboro that still stands as the longest ACC game ever played. That victory gave the Pack sole possession of first place in the final ACC standings, but it became the first No. 1 seed in league history to lose its first-round game in the ACC Tournament, which was held in Atlanta. Undaunted, the Pack began a successful run in the NCAA Tournament, traveling to Providence, R.I., where it beat South Carolina and then Iowa in doubleovertime. What happened next is another big part of Wolfpack basketball lore. In a 69-61 loss to Georgetown, the game Page 35 turned on what was deemed "the worst call in the history of the NCAA Tournament" by CBS commentator Billy Packer. But that's another story for another day. The Pack played Temple the next season in Atlantic City, N.J., winning again, 7471, but it was one of the few highlights in a depressing season in which the Pack was prohibited from participating in the postseason. Valvano left at season's end, and the program began a healing process under the guidance of NC State graduate Les Robinson. The last time NC State faced the Owls was during the 2002-03 season, under Herb Sendek. It was the last non-conference game of the regular season, and Temple took a 76-54 victory in Philadelphia, the only time the Owls have ever won in the seven-game series between the two schools. Friday's match-up in the NCAA Tournament carries none of the baggage from those previous meetings, obviously. It's just a first-round game between a No. 8 and a No. 9 seed in this year's event, with both teams looking for a win to advance to the next round. For the Wolfpack, which is making its second consecutive NCAA appearance under second-year head coach Mark Gottfried, the weekend in Dayton is an opportunity to put more shine on a season that has already included a trip to the ACC semifinals, like last year, and 24 victories, which is tied with last year's team and the 1987-88 team for the most wins by the Pack since the 1982-83 squad won 26 en route to that improbable NCAA championship. ■ You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.

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