NC State legend Chucky Brown watched in amazement along with the rest of the world when his alma mater went on a storybook run to win the ACC and go to the Final Four.
The Wolfpack legend and current head coach at Saint Augustine’s University talked about his alma mater’s run with Chris Clark of CBS17. He also compared this season’s run to the 1987 team he was on, coached by the legendary Jim Valvano.
“We weren’t getting along,” Brown said with a laugh. “Then it finally clicked. We finally started realizing we needed to play for the name on the front of the jersey instead of the name on the back of the jersey. Now this team, I don’t know what was going on – if anything was going on – in the locker room. But outside looking in, it looked like to me, some guys that were at the end and they just didn’t want it to end.
Brown says he got calls from some Duke and UNC legends as NC State began to make its run.
“He told me he was thinking about making a bet, but then he changed his mind,” Brown said. “I did hear from Kenny Smith and Sam Perkins, some of my Carolina guys that I know and played with and Christian Lattener. So it was good to brag to them a little bit.”
Go to Page Two for the state of Saint Augustine’s University basketball heading into the 2024-2025 season.
Chucky Brown just wrapped up his second season as head coach at Saint Augustine’s University. While located in the same city as NC State, it’s a far cry from the ACC school. The team finished 12-17 overall, a pretty solid record considering the turmoil that the school has been dealing with due to accreditation and financial issues. But it now appears that Brown will have to start over from scratch
“With what’s going on at the school, all of our players entered the portal. So I don’t have a team right now, so Im actively recruiting guys right now letting them know that we are going to have a season.”
Brown said he does have some players he’s hoping to land, but he isn’t selling them any fairytales.
“I have to be honest with the recruits,” Brown said frankly. “I have to tell them ‘look, I’m interested in you. I want you. If you don’t have anything when we’re ready to sign, then come on – I want you. But I have to be honest with them. If you have something that you feel like is better, you gotta go ahead and take it.”
The NC State legend is keeping himself busy as he waits to fill his roster. He’s starting a podcast with former NBA All-Star, ACC legend and Fisk University head basketball coach Kenny Anderson called ‘Dropping Dimes.’ The podcast is slated to drop May 8 on Instagram.
“Everybody’s doing it,” Brown said. “So I got together with a guy I played with – who I still talk to a lot. And we’re gonna do this.”