The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1497827
50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Players Ensure That The Impact Of Their Legendary Mentors Lives On Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. PACK PERSPECTIVE BY TIM PEELER F or late NC State coaches Jim Valvano and Kay Yow, their legacies are in the hands of for- mer players. That's nothing new, really, be- cause the foundation of memories has been built by the accomplish- ments of the men and women who played for the Wolfpack during the coaching tenures of those two greats. Still, legacies can fade with time. For both Valvano and Yow, they seem only to be getting stronger. During the Final Four weekend in Houston, the Naismith Memo- rial Basketball Hall of Fame an- nounced that Valvano had been elected as one of 12 members of its 2023 class, thanks in large part to the work of former ACC Tourna- ment MVP Vinny Del Negro, who played for Valvano from 1985-88. Del Negro is a native of Springfield, Mass., the city where Naismith in- vented the game in 1891. He grew up in the shadow of the facility and played in all manner of clinics, youth events and pick-up games hosted by the hall. "It didn't sit well with me when I would go back to the hall and Coach V was not in there," Del Negro said. "It seemed like something was missing." Last fall, he helped raised $150,000 to purchase a granite bench in Valvano's memory at the Naismith Coaches Circle, a precursor to the coach's election to the hall for his contributions to the game and his vision to begin the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The charity — the establishment of which was Valvano's dying wish — has raised more than $310 million to fund cancer research grants since its inception 30 years ago and has fully restored the coach's reputation that was diminished at the end of his NC State career. "To me, Coach Valvano embodied what sports are all about: leaving a last- ing positive impact on the lives of those who play and who watch," Del Negro said. "Coach did that as a player, as a coach, as a broadcaster and especially with his idea to begin the V Foundation charity. "I believe he would have been a Hall of Fame coach had he not died so early, but he still left a legacy that has continued until now and will continue forever." Del Negro is not the only former Wolfpack player looking to make sure the best version of Valvano is remem- bered through the work of the V Foun- dation. Dereck Whittenburg, a star player on the 1983 NCAA championship team, a former NC State assistant coach and a member of the V Foundation's board of directors, is a tireless promoter of Val- vano's legacy. "For me, it's a calling to do what Coach wanted to have done — to join in his fight against cancer," Whitten- burg said. "The man really loved people and cared about people. He knew the V Foundation wouldn't save his life, but it might save someone else's." The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is also undergoing a transformation with the hiring of former Pack player Jenny Kuziemski Palmateer as its fourth chief executive officer, a move that was announced in late March. Palmateer, a two-time Wolf- pack captain and a 10-year as- sistant under Yow, had a player- coach relationship that evolved into a mentorship from 1999- 2009. After leaving NC State, she went back to her home state of New Jersey to continue coaching. She returned to Raleigh five years ago to join the staff at the Yow Cancer Fund and now be- lieves she is fully prepared to serve as the organization's gate- keeper. Since its inception on Dec. 3, 2007, the charity has awarded more than $8 million in cancer research grants and other pro- grams related to women's can- cers and helping underserved patients. It raises money through a variety of national and inter- national events such as the annual Play4Kay games around the nation. "The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is Coach Yow's legacy," Palmateer said. "She never really sought that out, but that's what it has become. "It is a reflection of her in every way, shape and form in our mission of serv- ing others. Her goal was to impact the lives of women battling cancer and gal- vanizing the community of coaches to do it. "That was her vision, and that's what I'm here to continue. I think she would be proud of that." Del Negro, Whittenburg and Palma- teer are by no means the only ones pro- moting the memories of their coaches. Terry Gannon, Debbie Antonelli, Thurl Bailey, Sidney Lowe, Ernie Myers, Chris Corchiani, Rodney Monroe, Trudi Lacey, Chasity Melvin, Chucky Brown, Kristen Gillespie and so many others do the same thing every time they appear on television or coach their various high school, college and professional teams. In their hands, the legendary coaches' legacies will stay alive. ■ A star player under Jim Valvano in the 1980s, Vinny Del Negro (right) led efforts to enshrine his former coach in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS