Del Negro To Represent State In ACC Legends Class
2/3/2015 12:00:00 AM
GREENSBORO - Vinny Del Negro will represent NC State in the 2015 class of ACC Legends at the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament in Greensboro.
Del Negro was the MVP of the ACC Tournament following NC State's remarkable run to the championship in 1987. Del Negro epitomized the scrappiness and never-give-up attitude of head coach Jim Valvano's Wolfpack teams. The Springfield, Mass., native emerged as a team leader during his junior year, keying NC State to the ACC title with three stellar tournament games. He had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the Wolfpack's overtime victory against Duke in the first round, 12 points and five rebounds in a double-overtime victory over Wake Forest in the semifinals, and scored the winning two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in NC State's one-point win over top-seeded North Carolina in the championship game.
As a senior in 1988, Del Negro earned All-ACC honors after averaging 15.9 points, 3.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. Del Negro went on to play professionally for 13 years - including 11 seasons in the NBA - and then remained involved with the game as broadcaster and front office executive before becoming head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 2008. Del Negro's teams compiled a winning percentage of .533 in his five seasons as head coach of the Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Legends will be recognized during the 2015 New York Life ACC Men's Basketball Tournament, which will be held March 10-14 at the Greensboro Coliseum. They will be featured at the annual ACC Legends luncheon, which will be held Friday, March 13, beginning at noon in the Guilford Ballroom of the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel. They will then be introduced that evening to the Greensboro Coliseum crowd during halftime of the first semifinal game. Ticket information for the ACC Legends Luncheon is available at theACC.com
The 2015 ACC Legends Class
Malcolm Huckaby, Guard, Boston College
Horace Grant, Forward, Clemson
Shane Battier, Forward, Duke
Doug Edwards, Forward, Florida State
Bobby Cremins, Head Coach, Georgia Tech
Junior Bridgeman, Guard/Forward, Louisville
Darius Rice, Forward, Miami
Franklin "Rusty" Clark, Center, North Carolina
Vinny Del Negro, Guard, NC State
Troy Murphy, Forward, Notre Dame
Billy Knight, Guard/Forward, Pitt
Derrick Coleman, Forward, Syracuse
Donald Hand, Guard, Virginia
Charlie Moir, Head Coach, Virginia Tech
Dave Budd, Forward, Wake Forest