North Carolina State University Athletics
And there were the characters...
10/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
And there were the characters...
Just the mention of Cozell McQueen still makes people smile.
Fans continue to remember those lasting images of the 6-11 center from Bennettsville, South Carolina: his grimace after each foul called against him; that "thing" on his right shoulder; his stance atop the basket at the Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, immediately after the Wolfpack won the 1983 national championship, his arms stretched to the sky.
No one smiles broader, though, than McQueen's former teammates. Whether he wanted to be or not, McQueen was the comic relief on a team full of comedians, starting right at the top with head coach Jim Valvano. They dearly loved to poke fun at the lanky, left-handed center with limited offensive skills but an unlimited capacity for challenging some of the biggest names in college basketball.
Valvano loved telling people that McQueen chose NC State because he always wanted to "go up north" to play college basketball ...
