Post 7 of 1973-74: Reliving the NC State Wolfpack's Title Run
Junior Varsity program dropped; Did probation hurt State?
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: As the 50th anniversary season of NC State’s men’s basketball team winning the 1974 NCAA Championship progresses, my book—1973-74: Reliving the NC State Wolfpack’s Title Run—is being published in its entirety throughout the 2023-24 season on this website. You are invited to read the book in this space, or, if you want to jump ahead to read how NC State played each game, or if you need a gift for a NC State Wolfpack basketball fan, please purchase a paperback or hardcover edition. Click these links Paperback or Hardcover for the best source to buy a copy of 1973-74: Reliving the NC State Wolfpack’s Title Run.
The book, which I published in 2015, contains 94 chapters of actual game stories in the Technician, the NC State University student newspaper, some written by me and others penned by other staff writers. The game accounts are preceded by a Dedication; Foreword; a short story; and, Introduction. At the end of the book, there’s an Afterword; a Postscript: Interview with David Thompson; an Overtime: The Stuff of Memories; Acknowledgements; player and team stats; and, season results. This book is a different kind of narrative, putting you into the season as it happened. Enjoy!
POST 7: JV program dropped; Did probation hurt State?
Sloan sees move as beneficial to players
Reprinted from the Technician, October 31, 1973
By Ken Lloyd, Sports Editor
Although his decision to drop State’s junior varsity basketball program has been met with mixed reactions, Coach Norman Sloan maintains the move is “best for all concerned” and does not “see anything constructive about having the junior varsity program.”
“Bobby Knight at Indiana University did away with his junior varsity program last year and thought it was one of the best things they ever did,” said Sloan. The Hoosiers made it to the NCAA finals last season.
However, the other 3 coaches of Big Four schools plan to keep their junior varsity teams and consider them an integral part of their programs. Carolina’s Dean Smith said he will keep his junior varsity because “it is important to involve as many students as possible in the overall athletics program.”
Sloan, on the other hand, sees many advantages in the move but takes exception with a recent newspaper account that quoted him as saying the main reason behind the decision was the embarrassment jayvee ball causes those involved.
“It’s true it is embarrassing for a scholarship player to play on the junior varsity, but that was only one of the reasons,” he said.
“The primary reason was I thought it would give every player on the team a better chance to be a varsity player,” continued Sloan. “He wouldn’t be confused as to where he stood. He wouldn’t be thinking in terms of junior varsity but strictly in terms of playing varsity ball.”
In addition, Sloan said he didn’t “feel the junior varsity competition was good enough for our players to really benefit by it. I thought at times it was so weak it worked in the reverse. They could do things that were unsound fundamentally and get away with it. You don’t want that kind of competition for a training program.
“So I felt the move would benefit our players as far as being varsity players,” said Sloan, “and that is the ultimate objective of the program anyhow.”
With no jayvee games preceding the varsity games, other teams on campus will have a chance to play in the preliminary games. Sloan sees this as a positive reason for dropping the junior varsity program.
“It will give increased opportunity for intramural teams to play in the preliminary games,” said the coach. “The Girls’ Basketball Club could use some of those preliminary games, and that would give them some exposure before the crowd. It would also give us an opportunity to have some wrestling matches, which would expose the wrestling program to a larger crowd than they would normally get.”
Sloan said another reason behind the move is that it will lead to smaller teams and thus fewer scholarships. “Ultimately, I want to cut the number of people on scholarship to 15 anyhow. I don’t see any point of carrying 18 on scholarship. I would rather have 14 to 15, so everybody knows he is playing, and everyone’s happy. A playing player is a happy player.”
Since there are 18 players on scholarship and only 15 will dress out for the games, there could be a morale problem with those who do not get to suit up. In addition, last season only 8 to 10 players were used in many of the games. Thus, many players this year will be laboring mostly on the bench.
“I am sure the 3 who do not dress out for the varsity will be unhappy about it,” said Sloan. “I would be surprised if they weren’t, and, as a matter of fact, I would be disappointed in them if they weren’t. But I don’t think it can be as devastating as everyone playing junior varsity ball.”
Sloan contends it will be no more embarrassing for a player not to dress out or play much than to have him play on the junior varsity. “Last year, we had a player who became very upset and was at the point, I thought, of quitting school because he was on the junior varsity,” he said.
Under the new set up, a walk-on will have a difficult time earning a spot on the team since he will not have a chance to prove himself under game conditions. He will have to shine on preseason practice.
“It does not necessarily cut out the walk-on,” said Sloan. “Any young man who comes in and asks for an opportunity to play will be given an opportunity to try out.”
Sloan believes that any non-scholarship player that has the ability to play will surface even without junior varsity experience. He cites Al Heartley, a walk-on who was captain of the varsity in 1971, as an example.
“Al Heartley didn’t learn to play basketball on the freshman team,” said Sloan. “He was a good player when he came here, or he would never have made the team.”
Probation: Was State’s basketball program really hurt?
Reprinted from the Technician, November 28, 1973
By Jim Brewer, Staff Writer
On October 24, 1972, a shadow of gloom descended on the NC State basketball program in the form of a one-year probation by the NCAA. But instead of rolling over and playing dead, the Wolfpack went on to have a 27–0 season.
And now over a year later, the team seems to be ready to start where they left off. Saturday night, the Wolfpack will open the season against Athletes in Action, and on December 15, the Pack will meet the UCLA powerhouse in a long awaited matchup.
With this exciting future ahead, one would think happiness would flow in the streets. But this is not the case, for there is still the question of damage done to State’s basketball program lingering in people’s minds.
One basketball critic (Richard Starnes), in The Chronicle of Higher Education, has charged that probation probably cost State $100,000 in gate receipts and TV money had the Pack played in the NCAA finals.
Others wonder about the effect probation has had on alumni donations and recruiting.
According to athletic director Willis Casey, these fears have no grounds, and the damage to the Wolfpack by probation has been minimal. With regard to alumni gifts, Casey said, “probation doesn’t enter into it—one way or the other—it doesn’t hurt. In fact,” stated Casey, “the Raleigh drive of the Wolfpack Club went up almost 200% to almost $200,000.”
He was also quick to point out that the $100,000 referred to by Starnes was laced with a lot of maybes and ifs. To press the point, Casey then asked, “What did being 27–0 earn for us this year? Anything we might have lost by not going to the NCAA we will recoup 4 to 1 this year by having a 27–0 record last year.”
Assistant basketball coach Eddie Biedenbach, who does much of the recruiting, also feels that damage to the basketball program has been slight. He felt that his job as a recruiter had not been made harder by probation. He said, “No, I haven’t noticed any effect. Occasionally a boy will have a question you will have to explain, but you have to do that anyway. If you can’t explain, then you may lose the prospect.”
Director Casey stated that he thought the NCAA was pursuing a “get tough” policy with recruiting violations. Biedenbach said that he thought this was true, but added, “I like all the NCAA rules, although I think they will find that some of it is nit-picking.” He cited one rule that prevents a recruiter from paying for a prospect’s meal. “It makes you feel bad to have to split a check with a potential recruit,” he said.
When questioned about the possible use of the probation incident by other schools to aid in securing an athlete, Biedenbach responded by saying, “I don’t think the coaches in this league would do that, they’re too high class for that sort of thing. When recruiting, we never talk about another school—we try to sell NC State.” Assistant coach Biedenbach indicated that he thought this attitude has “rubbed off on the other schools.”
So according to the men who should know, the Wolfpack basketball program is alive and breathing well. Meanwhile, students, faculty, and alumni wait for proof when the season opens Saturday.
NEXT: Post 8—Season opens with Athletes in Action exhibition game
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