2003 Top 50 List: No
Dan Collins List: Yes
In the fall of 1976, NC State was just two years removed from the glories of 1974. Norm Sloan’s recruiting class of Hawkeye Whitney, Clyde “The Glide” Austin (sorry Drexler, Austin was the original), Brian Walker, and juco Tony Warren was supposed to return the Wolfpack to the top of the ACC. It didn’t happen. After decent years in 1977 and 1978, the 1979 Wolfpack was supposed to be one of the nation’s best teams. They were ranked #12 in the preseason. An 11-2 start with wins over #4 Louisville and #15 Long Beach State had the Wolfpack ranked #8 going into ACC play. That turned out to be the highwater mark of the late 1970s Wolfpack. The rest of the season consisted of one agonizing loss after another, including a double overtime loss to Maryland, a one-point loss to UNC on the infamous Dudley Bradley steal with seconds remaining, and a one-point loss to #1 Notre Dame. The 1980 team was the final year for that class and the freshman year of the 1983 class of Lowe, Whittenburg, and Bailey; to their credit, the Wolfpack rebounded to finish 9-5 in the ACC and make the NCAA Tournament.
Tony Warren stayed with the program but wound up being a role player. Brian Walker played one year with the Wolfpack and transferred to Purdue. But the biggest disappointment was Austin. Here’s what Sloan had to say about him before his freshman year:
“Clyde ‘The Glide’ Austin is something special,” Sloan beamed. “Last year our fans sat on their hands most of the time because something was missing. We didn’t have that turn-on type of player. But, Clyde is that type of player and he’s going to blow the roof off. He’s a great athlete and he’s the most exciting player I’ve ever seen and that includes a kid that grew up very close to here (referring to Phil Ford) and he’ll be a challenge to that player before too long,” Sloan smiled. “Our competition will call him a ‘hot dog’ but he’ll do things with a basketball that you won’t believe. You loved David Thompson and you’ll love this kid also.” – Vince Grosso, Rocky Mount Telegram, October 14, 1976
Nowadays a coach would never say that in public about a player. In 1976, things were different; those words were spoken to about 75 boosters at Parker’s Barbecue in Rocky Mount. But it gives you a sense of what Sloan thought he had. Austin was an OK player, but never achieved the stardom than Sloan envisioned.
But the one player who was a good as advertised was Whitney. A product of Coach Morgan Wootten’s storied DeMatha program, Whitney had an outstanding freshman year, tying Mike Gminski for ACC Rookie of the Year. He went on to make first team All-ACC in 1979 and 1980, finishing second to Albert King in Player of the Year balloting in 1980. He was named to several All-America teams in 1980 as well. He is NC State’s fifth all-time leading scorer, after Rodney Monroe, David Thompson, Julius Hodge, and Sam Ranzino.
Whitney always struggled with his weight. He was drafted in the first round of the 1980 NBA draft by the Kansas City Kings. During a promising rookie season, he tore up his knee, gained weight while rehabbing, and never could get back into playing shape, effectively ending his professional career.