Dereck Whittenburg, star of 1983 championship team discusses Wolfpack's run: 'This is their time'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Forty-one years after cutting down the nets after winning the national championship, Dereck Whittenburg and his teammates hope this year's NC State team can do the same.

"You got here this far, everything is possible. Just keep believing," said Whittenburg, who led the 1983 team in scoring.

Whittenburg got hurt during the regular season, and the team struggled during his absence. Though he was able to return late in the season, the team seemingly needed to win the ACC Tournament to make the Big Dance, common lore, if not entirely true. The 2024 team definitely needed to win the ACC to qualify for the NCAA tournament and in doing so, became the first double-digit seed to win the ACC Tournament.

"Nobody believed but them, and they kept with their run. It's just like us. Nobody believed in our run more than us. When everyone sees you win, everyone's going to jump on the train," said Whittenburg.

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The similarities don't stop there. Each squad upset UNC and Virginia to win the ACC Tournament, featured several close wins, and was full of experience (including Whittenburg, a senior). Still, Whittenburg wants to make sure the focus stays on the current group of players.

"I like to tell everybody it's nice for the comparisons to '83, but this is their time. This is the 2024 team. I'm happy for them and they've already made history. Let's see if they can make more history by going to Arizona and winning the national championship," said Whittenburg.

He was originally recruited to NC State by Norm Sloan, who left for Florida after his freshman season. Jim Valvano took over the role, and the two formed a close bond.

"This man loved people, loved life, and I can't tell you how special it was to play basketball for Jim Valvano," Whittenburg said while looking at Valvano's statue outside Reynolds Coliseum.

The guard, who served as an executive producer of the 30 for 30 documentary "Survive and Advance," now serves as an Associate Athletics Director at NC State.

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"When you come to college as an athlete, you want to get your degree and you want to be a better person. But the icing on the cake is to do something special, like this year winning the ACC championship and go to the Final Four, there's nothing better than that," said Whittenburg.

His cousin, David Thompson, starred for the school's 1974 national championship team, and Whittenburg grew up a big fan of the school.

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"What's even more special for me is that I'm a first-generation graduate and I was the first in my family to receive a college scholarship. So when I came to NC State, it was more than just basketball, and I came out a better person," said Whittenburg.

Whittenburg, Thompson, and other members of the team's prior championship teams will be in Phoenix this weekend for NC State's game against Purdue, hoping to watch this year's team cut down the nets (a tradition created by former Wolfpack Coach Everett Case).

"Enjoy the moment right now. But later on, as they get older and ahead, their kids, they're going to say 'wow, that was pretty special," said Whittenburg.