Jimmy Valvano: A Great College Basketball Coach

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When you think of great college basketball coaches many would list John Wooden, Coach K, and Bobby Knight. These coaches all achieved great things and are more than worthy of this recognition. However, I believe there is a man that deserves it way more than these great coaches and that is Jimmy Valvano. This was a coach that contributed more than just wins and knowledge of basketball to the players in his programs or around the world. He taught lessons to people that would help them in their everyday life and could find ways to motivate individuals no matter the task at hand.
Jimmy was a former Rutgers University star that started his coaching career right after graduation where he accepted a head coaching job at John Hopkins for just one season. He would go on to see coaching stints at Connecticut, Bucknell, Iona and North Carolina State. Valvano would spend ten seasons with NC State where he helped lead his coach to two ACC conference tournament titles and two regular season championships. His most notable achievement comes from a miraculous run in 1983 where his team would have to win three straight games and the ACC …show more content…

As motivation to get ready for this run Valvano scheduled a practice prior to the NCAA tournament, however there were no basketballs being used at this practice. The athletes walked in and seen a ladder positioned under the basketball net, Valvano then talked to his players and had them cut down the net. This was in order to get them to understand what they are working for and what it will feel like to achieve greatness by winning a National Title. Surviving and advancing is exactly what his squad did all the way to the title game. A game that would end in his NC State team cementing their spot in history by knocking off the number 1 seeded Houston on a buzzer beating dunk to take home the National

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