Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 2, 1990 TAG: 9004020103
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RALEIGH, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Lawyers for N.C. State are going to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors today seeking authorization to pursue legal action against Valvano.
As they do, Wolfpack point guard Chris Corchiani is entertaining proposals to transfer to other schools. N.C. State has granted permission for other universities to talk to Corchiani, who says he will leave if Valvano is forced out.
"There's so much uncertainty about what is going to happen with the program," Mark Rodgers, a West Palm Beach, Fla., attorney who specializes in sports law, said Sunday. "The uncertainty has affected Chris Corchiani. It has affected his mental well-being.
"I think college basketball is supposed to be fun for a kid. Chris has been hounded by the media. This has not been what Chris Corchiani wanted in college basketball.
"This kid should not be penalized for the actions of other people."
Corchiani is the only Wolfpack player who has sought formal permission from N.C. State to seek a transfer, said Harold Hopfenberg, the school's interim athletic director.
But Corchiani says he's not the only player planning to leave if Valvano is dismissed. He said in an interview at a rally for Valvano on the N.C. State campus on Friday that junior guard Rodney Monroe, the team's leading scorer, sophomore forward Tom Gugliotta and freshman reserve Bryant Feggins have decided to leave if Valvano does.
"If they leave, they'll be playing with half a deck," Corchiani said.
Corchiani was in Pittsburgh with a friend, Rodgers said, adding that he did not have a phone number. Phone numbers for Monroe, Gugliotta and Feggins are not listed.
But after speaking to the rally on Friday, Corchiani made it clear that he was standing by his coach.
"There's no question, I will leave if Coach V is fired," he said. "I don't want to be a part of an institution that I can't support."
Corchiani's father, Gabe Corchiani, told The Charlotte Observer that he and his son made a list of six schools last week and that he has met with coaches from four of the schools this week in Denver - Louisiana State, Minnesota, New Orleans and Syracuse.
Gabe Corchiani said the four schools have all indicated they would like to sign his son if he leaves N.C. State. He said his son's list includes only teams he thinks he can help contend for the national championship.
"They were all very receptive," he said. "They'd love to have him. They're willing to sit Chris out a year if necessary."
Under NCAA rules, Corchiani would have to be redshirted next season if he transfered and would then be eligible in 1991-92. Rodgers said he is seeking a waiver of the rule.
"His whole dream has been to get to the Final Four," Gabe Corchiani said of his son. "One of the reasons he went to N.C. State, along with coach Valvano being there, was their tournament record."
The N.C. State program has been under fire since last January amid allegations of NCAA violations, academic irregularities and, most recently, point-shaving by players on past teams.
Hopfenberg said he sympathized with the players and would be fair with them as they weighed their options.
"... I certainly understand the players in these very, very uncertain times, that they want some stability," he said.
Negotiations over Valvano's contract have reached an impasse, said Woody Webb, a Raleigh attorney representing Valvano in the talks. N.C. State trustees voted 9-3 earlier this month to instruct their attorneys to seek the termination of Valvano's contract.
Howard Manning, a private attorney hired by the school, told the trustees that the school could sue Valvano on the basis that the coach failed to ensure the academic progress of his athletes.
The UNC Board of Governors, the governing body of the state's 16-campus system, must authorize litigation pursued by any member school.
Webb has pressed for Valvano to be allowed to speak to the board, but board chairman Robert "Roddy" Jones said the coach would not be invited.
Webb said Valvano's dismissal would disrupt the Wolfpack program in many ways.
"I think most of the players would leave. I think many of the other coaches would feel very vulnerable, not just at N.C. State," he said. "It would be very difficult to recruit and difficult to be competitive for years to come."
"I think it will also have adverse revenue implications," Webb said.
Hopfenberg was circumspect when asked if alumni had threatened to withhold donations if Valvano is fired.
"I would say in every case they've been sympathetic and objective. Even in these very emotional times, all the alumni have been very, very fair," he said.
by CNB