JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 ■ 25
"
They were the best set
of guards that ever were.
There may have been some
better individually, but there
has never been a set like
them together.
Former NC State head coach
Les Robinson, who led the Wolfpack
in Corchiani and Monroe's senior year
Monroe and Corchiani led the Pack to 84 wins, one
ACC regular-season title and three NCAA Tournaments.
PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN
PHOTO
COURTESY
NC
STATE
ATHLETICS
Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be
reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.
he had to be convinced to become a high school
coach in 2008. He was hired at Lake Norman Chris-
tian School, a K-12 private school where Monroe
taught middle school, junior varsity and varsity play-
ers the fundamentals of the game, as he had always
done in clinics.
"I always enjoyed teaching the game," Monroe
said.
Just as important, Corchiani noted, is that Monroe is
sharing life lessons with his players.
"Rodney cares about life and the people in his life,"
Corchiani added. "Every day when I get up, Rodney
texts me and Googs a morning prayer. It means some-
thing to us that he thinks about us every day."
Thirty years since their last college game seems
just as unfathomable to them as it does to the fans
remembering their careers. It's been a journey of
highs and lows and the steadiness of daily life.
"We came to NC State as boys," Corchiani admit-
ted. "We went through a lot while we were there.
We've been through a lot since then. But I'm proud
of the men we became." ■
