NCAA Basketball: Mount Rushmores for the top 25 programs of all-time

North Carolina State Basketball Mount Rushmore: Jim Valvano, David Thompson, Dereck Whittenburg, Chris Corchiani

Jim Valvano

Jim Valvano only spent 10 seasons as the North Carolina State Wolfpack’s head coach, but his place in the program is secure. He led the Wolfpack to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in those 10 seasons, including three Elite Eight appearances and the program’s last national championship in 1983. His 209 wins are only third in program history, but he helped make the North Carolina State program more relevant than anyone.

After leaving coaching in 1990, Valvano served as a television analyst before being diagnosed with cancer. His lasting legacy is the Jimmy V Foundation, which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research, but he remains the most prominent face when it comes to North Carolina State basketball.

David Thompson

Easily the best player in Wolfpack history, David Thompson was the star of North Carolina State’s first national championship team in 1974. They went 30-1 that year, beating John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins team in the Final Four before knocking off the then-Marquette Warriors in the national championship game.

North Carolina State may have won the title the year before, too, as they posted a perfect 27-0 record, but they were banned from postseason play due to recruiting violations stemming from Thompson’s recruitment.

Thompson was the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American performer in each of the three years he suited up for the Pack, winning National Player of the Year in 1975. He and teammate Monte Towe are credited with inventing the alley-oop, used by the Wolfpack to take advantage of Thompson’s incredible leaping ability.

Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, Thompson was very dominant in the professional ranks as well, averaging 22.1 points per game during his time in both the ABA and NBA.

Dereck Whittenburg

Dereck Whittenburg was the face of the Wolfpack during the first three years of Valvano’s tenure and was an All-ACC selection in 1982. However, he’s best known for his play during North Carolina State’s national championship run in 1983. He averaged 20 points per game in the NCAA Tournament and shot 51.1 percent from the field during that run.

Whittenburg was also involved in one of the most famous plays in tournament history, as his errant shot/pass was dunked home by Lorenzo Charles at the buzzer to beat the Houston Cougars in the championship game.

Chris Corchiani

Chris Corchiani was one of the best passing point guards in college basketball history. He became the first player to finish his career with over 1,000 assists. His 1,038 still has him second on the all-time list behind only Bobby Hurley.

A three-time All-ACC selection, Corchiani was also an excellent defensive player. His 328 steals are third in ACC history and 23rd all-time. As a senior, Corchiani averaged 16.3 points, 9.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game before spending most of his professional career playing overseas.