North Carolina State Legend Dereck Whittenburg Talks About Winning 1983 NCAA Championship, Head Coach Jim Valvano And ACC Battles With Michael Jordan of The University of North Carolina.

By David Jordan Jr

CBS Analyst Billy Packer: They've got to drive to the basket, it's down to seven seconds.
CBS Analyst Gary Bender: You can see the time. Whittenburg...oh that's a long ways. It's there!
CBS Analyst Billy Packer: Ohhhhh!  They won it! On the dunk!

As the Men’s NCAA Final Four takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana, this weekend, the tournament will provide a new collection of NCAA legends and shining moments. 43 years ago, the North Carolina State University Wolfpack (Cardiac Pack) won the 1983 NCAA title, defeating the University of Houston, 54-52 on a last-second dunk by Lorenzo Charles.

The irony of the Wolfpack’s victory was that the game-winning point was scored on a dunk over the Houston Cougars, also known as Phi Slamma Jamma (Dunking Fraternity), a team that was known for the dunking exhibitions that they put on during pre-game warm-up and during their games.

Lorenzo Charles was the recipient of a final shot attempt by senior All-ACC guard Dereck Whittenburg. Whittenburg, an all-conference performer for the Wolfpack, came to N.C. State from Maryland from DeMatha Catholic High School as a high school All-American under the legendary Coach Morgan Wootten. He shared the backcourt in high school with Sidney Lowe, who would be his teammate at N.C. State. Whittenburg followed in the footsteps of his cousin, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and 1974 NCAA Champion (North Carolina State University), David “Skywalker” Thompson. The Phoenix Suns would draft Whittenburg in the third round of the 1983 NBA Draft.

Whittenburg talked to ESHE about the 1983 NCAA Title Game, Head Coach Jim Valavano, and ACC battles with University of North Carolina Tar Heels legend Michael Jordan