The Wolfpack are enjoying a renaissance of sorts after winning last season’s ACC Tournament, the team’s first since 1987. With DJ Burns and DJ Horne now gone the team will need to find a new identity. Most folks know the program for Jimmy V and his incredible story, but which players belong on our NC State Basketball All-Time Starting Lineup?
NC State Basketball All-Time Starting Lineup
Guard: Rodney Monroe
Rodney Monroe is North Carolina State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,551 career points. The Baltimore native played under legendary head coach Jim Valvano for three years before Les Robinson was brought in to clean the program up. As a senior Monroe was named the ACC Player of the Year, and led the Wolfpack to the big dance. Seeded sixth in the 1991 NCAA Tournament NC State fell in the second round to Oklahoma State. Chris Corchiani was Monroe’s running mate, and the pair was dubbed “Fire and Ice”. Together they helped Jimmy V reach the 1989 Sweet Sixteen in his final postseason appearance. After college Monroe was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, but spent most of his time as a pro overseas.
Guard: David Thompson
The only NC State alumni to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, David Thompson is largely considered the GOAT of ACC Basketball. Known as “Skywalker” for his high-flying abilities, Thompson is second all-time in ACC career field goals with 939 buckets. Additionally, Thompson was largely responsible for bringing home the Pack’s first NCAA Championship in 1974. He won ACC Player of the Year and was named to the All-ACC 1st team every season besides his first. It’s easy to see why many view Thompson as the best player ever to grace the storied conference. Skywalker went on to have a successful NBA career as a four-time NBA All-Star, and his jersey was retired by the Denver Nuggets. The crafty guard is one of only 10 players in NBA History to score at least 70 points in a single game.
Forward: Julius Hodge
Nowadays Julius Hodge is the Head Coach at Division II HBCU Lincoln, but back in his playing days at NC State, the do-it-all forward was a formidable force. Hodge was the first Wolfpack member to record a triple-double, doing so in 2002 against North Carolina A&T. Born in Harlem, Hodge chose to attend NC State after an outstanding senior year at St. Raymond in the Bronx. Impressively, from Hodge’s freshmen to senior year the future first-round draft pick did not miss the NCAA Tournament. Hodge is listed sixth all-time at North Carolina State in assists and field goals, totaling 454 and 665 respectively. Also, the former McDonald’s All-American is 10th all-time in career free throws for the ACC getting 596 points at the charity stripe. Hodge was selected 20th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft. Hodge played for Denver and Milwaukee before enjoying a decent professional career outside the NBA.
Forward: Thurl Bailey
Jim Valvano won his only NCAA Championship in 1983, due in large part to Thurl Bailey’s dominating play. Thurl the Pearl is second in career blocks at NC State with 207 denials. Interestingly, Bailey and some of his former teammates recently sued the NCAA regarding archival footage of their National Championship used nearly every year during March Madness. After college Bailey was selected seventh overall by the Utah Jazz. There, Big T became a fan favorite playing in Salt Lake City from 1983 to 1991. Bailey had his jersey honored by NC State along with teammates Dereck Whittenburg and Sidney Lowe. Today, Bailey can be found as an analyst for the Jazz.
Center: Tom Burleson
Standing at seven-foot-two, Tom Burleson likely would’ve set the all-time record for blocks at NC State. Unfortunately, blocks were not recorded as an official statistic during the big man’s collegiate career. Still, Burleson ranks second among Wolfpack alumni in rebounds pulling down 1,066 boards during his time in Raleigh. A phenomenal defender down low because of his size, the towering Center is largely credited with containing UCLA’s Bill Walton in the 1974 national semifinal. Burleson was a member of the 1972 USA Olympic Basketball silver medal squad that controversially lost to the USSR. The seven-footer went on to have a solid NBA career playing for the SuperSonics, Kings, and Hawks.
