Help From Down Lo’: Remembering The Cardiac Pack
Whittenburg…Oh! It’s a long way….
The shot…or was it a pass…that stopped the hearts of millions of Americans on April 4, 1983…needed help. It seemed improbable that Dereck Whittenburg, having almost had the ball stolen, against one of the greatest college basketball teams ever to play the game, on his own, could complete a miracle with a wild desperation shot. He needed help…
The ‘83 season had been a long, complicated one. In the previous year State saw their archrivals win the National Championship, but Jim Valvano’s second squad gained momentum. With a 21-8 regular season mark and a first round NCAA Tournament exit, the Wolfpack felt like they could continue building on solid foundation in ‘83. They had some pretty darned good players returning; one of the nation’s best backcourts (Lowe/Whittenburg/Gannon) and a strong frontcourt trio (Bailey/Charles/McQueen).
The Pack went into that first game in ‘82 against Virginia with a 7-2 record. That was the game in Reynolds where UVA’s Othell Wilson came down on Dereck Whittenburg’s 5th metatarsal, and seemingly doomed the Pack’s hopeful season. While a determined Whittenburg pushed himself through rehab, the Pack needed help, and got it as freshman Ernie Myers rose to the occasion. While the team’s overall results were mediocre in that stretch, they played well enough to keep a glimmer of hope for a successful season alive.
* * *
1983 was the first year that the ACC Tournament was played in Atlanta. Ever fans of visiting Atlanta, my family got tickets for the tournament. We were en route while Lorenzo Charles’ free throws disposed of Wake Forest just a week after blowing out those same Deacs 130-89. It was also the first time that perennial cellar-dwellers Georgia Tech were able to win an ACC Tournament game. Behind a little rookie named Mark Price, seemingly the entire Omni crowd got behind the Jackets and showed the evil Lefthander and Maryland a first-round exit.
We only had two tickets for Saturday’s session, so we hit the plaza with two fingers held high to the scalpers; we had to get two more tickets. The team needed our help! We found a pair and Saturday provided one of the tournament’s great historic games, as NCSU overcame a late 6-point deficit to win in OT over the Tar Heels. Once Jordan fouled out, I knew the Pack had it. My family made sure that on Sunday (assuming we could find two more tickets) with the Pack facing Ralph Sampson and the mighty Virginia Cavaliers, we would sit in the same pairs, with our programs in our laps, eating more Omni nachos, and drinking out of the Omni-labeled Coca-Cola paraffin cups.
When UVA went down and the Pack cut down the nets, we vowed to take our paraffin cups home and keep using them. We also whimsically paraded through the concourse holding 4-digits high pleading,”FOUR FOR ALBUQUERQUE!” (I made darned sure that Matt Doherty and his family standing by the exit doors heard me). We needed those tickets because in the tournament, they needed help!
***
The Cardiac Pack was born in that tournament. The Pack, seemingly always down by 6, was able to scoot by coaches named Harrick, Tarkanian, and Holland. For each game, we sat in our den holding those Omni programs and Omni cups, and pulled that team through. They needed help, right? The team didn’t even come back to Raleigh after the second game because their West Regional assignment led them from Corvallis, Oregon to Ogden, Utah. No problem for us, though; because as limp as they were getting, we had those cups!
The team won the West Region and returned to Raleigh and staged an open practice. Of course my family attended. The team needed help! It was a great week in Raleigh. While it was the school’s first trip to the Final Four since the Thompson era, everyone just enjoyed the ride. The Cardiac Pack was the favorite against Georgia in the semis, but a vast underdog to the other side of the ticket. To win a championship, they were going to need a LOT of help.
April 4th, Championship Day, rolled around and I was in knots. It was Spring Break, luckily, because there was no way I could have concentrated in my 8th grade classes. We didn’t get tickets to Albuquerque, but we still had our seat assignments, our programs, and our poor Omni cups. The cups were so limp, we put them inside larger stadium cups fearing a blowout (of the cup, that is).
At halftime State was BEATING Houston by 8! EIGHT! That’s four possessions, my friend. This was unbelievable. Little did I know…
Houston came out of the gates on all cylinders and the Pack found itself late in the game down by, you guessed it, SIX. They needed help…big time. However the Pack tied the game and found themselves in a position to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports. Whittenberg was a master of the catch-and-shoot, especially from the ACC’s ridiculous 17’9” 3-point line that year. However this desperation heave from 40’ with :04 remaining in the National Championship? He needed help.
* * *
Lorenzo Charles came to Raleigh from Brooklyn as one of Valvano’s first recruits. Valvano, hailing from Queens, always felt like he could give inner city guys a chance, and Lorenzo would be one of his first projects at State. Charles got in trouble his Freshman year, ‘81-‘82, for robbing a Domino’s Pizza man. It was a bad way to start his tenure in Raleigh, taking things from people. That isn’t help. Charles hit the weight room and matured quite a bit in the ensuing 12 months. The Cameron Crazies were still waving pizza boxes at him that Sophomore year, but Lorenzo was past that, and his game was starting to connect. In his Senior season, Charles earned First Team All-ACC honors, and that was against some of the league’s all-time greats like Kenny Smith, Brad Daugherty, Len Bias, Adrian Branch, John Salley, Bruce Dalrymple, Mark Price, and Johnny Dawkins. These are players who went on to have good, solid NBA careers.
The NBA game was probably too fast for Charles, but he had a nice pro basketball career in Europe for several years before returning to the Triangle. For years Charles did what he loved; driving people. He mostly drove limos, but also drove buses, including several jaunts for the Duke basketball team. Everywhere he went he was an instantly recognizable celebrity. However Lorenzo Charles was just doing what he learned under Valvano, helping people.
He only scored 4 points in that championship game, however those final two were timeless. It was a miracle in the making, and Whittenberg’s short shot, that seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, along with that miraculous run could never have become legend without a little help…from Lorenzo.
The ‘83 team’s legacy still lives strong in Raleigh. The lessons learned about perseverance, focus, fundamentals, second-chances, teamwork, and, oh, yeah, help live deep within Raleighites. The 1983 story isn’t one about basketball. It’s one about life; how to live it, how to love it, and how tragically it can suddenly end.
***
Lorenzo Charles was driving an empty bus on westbound I-40 in moderately heavy traffic on June 27, 2011 when his bus inexplicably ran off the road and into an embankment. Charles’ life ended instantly, adding more complexity to the Cardiac Pack story. I erected a small monument to #43 today at that site ( map it ). It stands as a symbol that Lorenzo’s legacy survives. He may have completed a miracle in far away Albuquerque, but that spirit we all had in 30 years ago today still survives right here in Raleigh, especially when we need a little help.
…The Cinderella Team has done it…The glass slipper fit…The Wolfpack has won the National Championship!
Pondering Greensboro’s Future
Growing up in Raleigh I’ve had several occasions to do things in Greensboro, especially in the Coliseum area. During my lifetime Greensboro seemed to get all of the great concerts, got great stores before Raleigh, and got to host the ACC Tournament. For many, many years there were real reasons to not only visit Greensboro, but to live there over Raleigh.
Greensboro was a thriving mill town in the first half of last century, which led to the prolific growth of gorgeous classic neighborhoods. Hayes Barton is the bastard child of Irving Park in that regard, but even in the middle income areas there is a prodigious number of houses that were built before Suburbia kicked in. In that era Greensboro invested smartly in their road system, implementing many Wade Avenue type arteries around the older parts of the city. Around Greensboro’s city streets, traffic problems really only exist out in the Suburbian Battleground Avenue, a US1 North-esque sole artery north out of the city. When I-85 was planned, it was a no-brainer to include Durham and Greensboro, as they were thriving, productive cities, unlike Raleigh, the sleepy government town. As Raleigh quickly grew through the 70s and 80s, the two cities were relatively the same size and seemed to have a remarkable number of similarities.
We went to Greensboro for the Friday evening session of the ACC Tournament. Knowing that the Coliseum food is expensive and terrible, we opted to stop at a gas station for beer and stop at a downtown restaurant for take out before tailgating before the game.
While driving around downtown on a beautiful Friday afternoon we got to see downtown Greensboro at its most vibrant. “Dull” probably exaggerates the experience. I was stunned by the comparative lack of interesting restaurants, the lack of downtown bars, and the overall lack of people. There is definitely a vibe in downtown Raleigh, and there is definitely no vibe in Greensboro. This was the first time that it really struck me how much further along downtown Raleigh’s vitality is than Greensboro’s. The number of young people making something to do, creating a sense of place, and moving the city forward is just, scant. The difference is quite palpable.
The point isn’t to beat Raleigh’s chest and flame Greensboro at all . Rather, it struck me on this trip; where is Greensboro headed? Ultimately the I-85 spine will keep all of the cities on the string in fabulous shape. Asheville and Wilmington will exist as creative outposts, and the rest of the state will become severely depressed. I like to call the string of cities the “Carolina Crescent”. Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, and Raleigh will be linked by better and better rail service, and the spine will be a magnet for all important growth moving forward. Much like our current thinking of the Triangle, the crescent will eventually be thought of as a “macrometro” as transportation improves.
So Greensboro has that going for it. The tech and information job push that is filling Raleigh’s sails currently will continue for a good while, but we have to be prepared for another wave; a wave that could change the economics of the city as much as the exodus of the textile industry changed Greensboro and Burlington.
The Triangle is the educational and technological center of the state. It has a strong Liberal voice with a strong interest in environment and humanism. Charlotte will continue to be the strongest financial center in the state, and seems to be the Conservative core of the state. What identity will Greensboro develop? Will industries polarize their presence in North Carolina to Charlotte and/or Raleigh and skip Greensboro even more than ever? It’s looking that way, and the lack of an interesting market sector to ages 25 to 35 has to be the deepest concern for Greensboro in the next 50 years. Much like Richmond, Greensboro stands as a city of yesterday, with no ascertainable uniqueness to tomorrow’s economy. Its future is seemingly more loaded with questions than with answers.
* * *
Oh, BTW, we got food to go from OPA!, the Greek restaurant. The lettuce from the salad was basically from a food service, the olive oil they used was cheap, the pita bread for my wife’s sandwich was stale, the marinade for my chicken kabob was extremely uninteresting, my accompanying vegetables were bland, and my platter did not come with pita bread. This restaurant definitely needs to pick up a copy of The Grecian Plate (Durham Greek Orthodox Church’s cookbook)! An astonishingly better meal for the same price can be had a Taverna Agora ; just so you know!
Cirque’s Quidam Coming to PNC
Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam production is coming to the PNC Arena. The cast will give seven performances from July 10 thru July 14.
Cirque Club’s
presale is on currently, while general public tickets go on sale April 12. Adult tickets range from $35 to $70.
Blockbuster Video Closing Another Raleigh Location
The Townridge Square location of Blockbuster Video will close on April 28th. This leaves the former video king with just four remaining Triangle locations (Capital Blvd, Cary, Durham, and Wakefield).
My how the mighty have fallen. Pummeled by Netflix and OnDemand, Blockbuster’s sales and locations have almost completely vanished. In some ways this is not an improvement, however, as their large stores offered a large variety of titles to take home immediately. While Netflix has a superior collection, it takes a few days to get their DVD delivery. RedBox’s and Blockbuster’s kiosks have a limited selection. OnDemand by TWC, Netflix streaming, and Amazon Prime offer instant services, but their selections are extremely limited.
Perhaps consumers are finding themselves in a temporary rut, but I, for one, will miss Blockbuster’s stores. As Blockbuster fades, the classic old Raleigh gem, North American Video, still stands strong in Cameron Village. Anyone remember when they charged ~$120 for an initiation fee? Those were the days!
WRDU Returns to Air
Yesterday 100.7 became WRDU, and is staying with a tried and true AOR. “Back in Black”, “Hot for Teacher”, “Sweet Child o’ Mine”…songs we all got sick of 20 years ago, served over, and over, and over, and over. A sad salvation, indeed.
Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson Coming to TWC Pavilion
On Tuesday, September 10, Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson will play Raleigh’s Time Warner Pavilion. Tony Lucca opens. Presale tickets will continue through the end of this week, while the public sale begins at 10am Saturday.
Durham Discusses New Tower
Today the City of Durham is discussing a proposed 26-story tower that would be the city’s tallest. The project would stand next to the venerable Hill building, inside of downtown’s loop, and would contain 133 apartment units in the buildings upper 21 stories. Half of the street level would be retail while the rest of the building would be parking garage.
There is a very nice pdf of the proposal posted at the Durham website. It includes details of the project, its positive and negative impacts on the surrounding neighborhood, and many, many renderings.
I first should say that I love the architectural style of the building. The use of balconies to give the building a softer, rounded look is beautiful. The building would be a great improvement to the stale Durham skyline. I do have many deep concerns about the viability of the building as a business project, and concerns about its affect on future housing in downtown Durham.
In Raleigh we saw the addition of two “highrise” condo buildings with the West at North project and the RBC Tower. Along with other projects such as Bloomsbury Estates, the Hue and the Paramount, Raleigh saw a fast glut of high-rise condo spaces in a very few years. Predictably the market was overbuilt for condos, and some projects either went to apartments or went into foreclosure. At this point does the downtown market of Durham need 133 sky-high apartment units when it really has…none? This is a big financial step for the developers into an untested market.
Does this project improve the quality of life in downtown Durham? For sure, the Durham loop is begging for some residential component. The area has much potential as a walkable, charming 24-hour live/work/play zone. I have serious concerns about any residential project that is more than 6 stories tall. Above 60 feet or so, residents are no longer part of the community, but rather, in their own world. It is more convenient in some cases to just go down to the car in the garage and drive to destinations. Would it be any different for this project? Does the Durham market want all of its apartment demand sucked up into one portion of one block.
In urban areas with an abundance of vacant lots, like Raleigh and Durham, I feel that the best residential plan for a viable long term community is in 3-4 story facilities. Row houses and small projects are far more likely to put pedestrians on the street, pedestrians who care about the neighborhood, than projects that allow residents to escape the very neighborhood being built.
Lilly Pulitzer Announces Archery Target
Last year Lilly brought grace to the bicycle, and they are at it again. As part of their expanding Outdoor Girl collection, Lilly announces the release of their new Archery Target. The Hunger Games made us hungry for archery, now Lilly’s daring designers have combined that thrill with the colorful engineering and grace archery experts have craved!
If we had to pick one archery target for the rest of our lives, this would be it.
Breaking News : One of our readers named “Arapahoe61” has informed us that Camp Seafarer will be featuring the Lilly Archery Girl targets during the 2013 summer sessions.
Raleigh Announces Western Blvd Pedestrian Safety Plan
Today the Raleigh City Council approved a plan that will bring dramatic changes to Raleigh’s Western Blvd. Citing the need for better pedestrian safety between Western’s intersections with Dan Allen Drive and Avent Ferry Road, engineers have devised a plan to replace the westbound side of the divided boulevard with a stream (see attached rendering). Officials say the stream will contain many logs and turtles which will offer NCSU students a safer way to get to class.
One engineer told the council,”We found that students completely ignore crosswalks and street-crossing guidelines taught in kindergarten, so instead of inventing the wheel, we went with a tried and true model”.
Engineers say that the changes comprise one of two phases for the area. Phase II comes in Fall 2015, when the city will shut down Western Boulevard in both directions during the hours that any NCSU classes are in session.
Meymandi Hall to Change Name
Raleigh’s Meymandi Hall, home of the North Carolina Symphony, is about to take on a new name. The twelve-year naming rights deal on the space expires on June 30 this year, and officials announced today that a new naming deal with Duke Energy has been completed. Beginning July 1, the hall will be called the Duke Energy Performing Arts Chamber. Officials say for convenience and clarity, the marketing department has advised that all marketing and publications will simply refer to the faculty as “the DEPAC”.
State Government Seeks Input on Mall
The state government announced today a Request For Proposal (RFP) for redesigning the state’s legislative mall that stretches north of the legislative building. The RFP states:
“Recently there has been some talk among the citizenry about a destination park on the State’s long-held Dorothea Dix property. Concerns were raised in committee about the presence of art and visitors on state land, and the State has hence revoked the lease with the City of Raleigh. Too, there has been discussion among the citizenry about art installations and festivals on the legislative mall; also state land. Because the State of North Carolina is not in the arts and entertainment business, it seeks ideas to keep the citizenry off our lawn. Possible solutions include fencing off the property from the citizenry, removal of the grass, and the installation of guard dogs and alligators. This is where the state needs help. We, the State of North Carolina, seek to find ways of protecting land that is rightfully the State’s from the tyranny of vile behavior and rogue expression.”
In-Store Craft Bars Coming to Michael’s
Big-box craft supply king, Michael’s, announced today that they will be opening craft beer bars at 20 of their locations. “The long-awaited bars fill a void that our customers have been, in some cases, screaming for for years,” said one company spokesperson. “We did market analysis and found an astounding amount of crossover with our craft customers and those in the craft beer industry.
The chain has been test marketing the concept in Cary, NC, and will expand the concept to markets such as Peoria, Racine, Toledo, and York (PA) in Q2.
Asked if Michael’s is concerned about competition from the quickly-growing Beer On Tap brew-pub/dance studio chain, the company spokesman said,”It’s been a growing concern, yes, but I’d say that were are predominantly just answering the call of our current customer base. I mean [laughing], women who drive minivans simply love Hopslam, for instance. It’s really a no-brainer.”
Speed Bumps Coming to All School Zones
Today the city’s transportation department announced that speed bumps will be installed on all city streets within a half-mile radius of any public school, especially on roads that have more than 2,000 cars per day. This includes, for example, Six Forks Road near both Carroll Middle and Green Elementary, and Glenwood Avenue near Underwood Elementary and Daniels Middle. The bumps will be rated for “25mph passage”, but will actually be 9” tall and completely impassible at speeds higher than 18mph. This is a design that as already been implemented on Northbrook, Rowan, and Lake Boone.
One traffic engineer said,“We found the bumps to be so popular via SeeClickFix, we decided to extend the traffic calmers to our least calm streets. We feel that any time a car is near a school it should move no faster than a bicycle, even if it is 11pm on a Saturday night in July.”
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