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TRACKING THE PACK NC STATE HONORS PAST WITH NEW UNIFORMS AT JIMMY V CLASSIC The late Jim Valvano, the former NC State head coach, was part of the Wolfpack���s inaugural Hall of Fame class last October, and seemingly not a week ��� or possibly even a day ��� goes by when something doesn���t remind Wolfpack fans of the legendary figure. NC State was able to pay tribute to its former coach Dec. 4 in defeating UConn 69-65 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in Valvano���s home state of New York. NCSU had last played in the Jimmy V Classic when the Wolfpack made its first appearance in 2002, falling 69-60 to Gonzaga in East Rutherford, N.J. Valvano arrived from Iona in 1980 and won a national title at NC State in 1983 with the Wolfpack���s miracle run through the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. He passed away April 28, 1993, after his fight with cancer. NC State wanted its return to the Jimmy V Classic to be memorable, and had jerseys created for the UConn game. ���The event is named after him, the Jimmy Junior point guard Lorenzo Brown showed the special jersey the Pack wore for the Jimmy V Classic, with the late coach's famous saying on the back. PHOTOS BY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS V [Classic], and our school is unique in this event,��� NC State head coach Mark Gottfried said. ���I went to the guys at adidas last summer and we talked possibly about creating something unique for this one night. I wanted to know if they���d be interested in helping us.��� The red jerseys had a net around the neckline on both the front and the back, and ���DON���T EVER GIVE UP��� was on the back where names of the players normally would go. ���They [adidas] came up with the design, which I thought was pretty good when I first saw it,��� Gottfried said. ���I thought it was really cool. I liked the net somewhat around the neck. It���s sort of lightly seen, but it���s really there. I really love the back of the jerseys. I even like the old style of lettering with State in the old fashioned block ���STATE��� lettering for that one night.��� Different uniforms have become all the rage across the country ��� see Oregon and Maryland in football ��� mostly for marketing and recruiting reasons. The Jimmy V Classic jerseys hit home in a different way and received a coast-to-coast audience on ESPN with its No. 1 announcing team of analyst Dick Vitale and play-by-play man Dan Shulman. ���When you look around the country, a lot of people in the country will be watching and recruits will be watching, we are trying to do things that will set us apart,��� Gottfried said. The impact Valvano made is still helping individuals today, and will long into the future through the V Foundation, which is raising money to help cure cancer. His widow, Pam Valvano Strasser, accompanied the team on the Wolfpack���s flight Monday to New York City and was able to speak to the team Monday. ���I thought that was great,��� Gottfried said. ���I���m excited she accepted the invitation to fly with the team. I think it is a privilege for us to be in that game and I think it���s a big deal for NC State. ���I want to make sure the guys know who she is. She���s been a good friend to me in my short time here. She���s reached out to me a number of times. I���ve gotten to know her pretty well. ���She���s a special person that obviously went through an unbelievably difficult time. Now, the legacy for him and I think she carries that torch in a great way.��� ��� Jacey Zembal 14 I THE WOLFPACKER 10-12,14,16,18.Wolfpack News.indd 14 12/11/12 2:40 PM