As it became more apparent that the 2005-06 men’s basketball team was going to lose a close game at Duke, various members of Bragaw Residence Hall Suite 423 shouted their displeasure at their television screen.
A few objects went flying as some vented their frustrations.
Ten minutes later, cooler heads prevailed and all was back to normal. A few inhabitants started studying.
One of them, Justin Clark — not one of those who threw something — had already managed to mix some of his studies in between commercial breaks during the game in preparation for his civil engineering courses.
Consider the balancing act of school and N.C. State basketball on that day as practice for what laid ahead for Clark.
Eight months later, Clark, a senior, and two others — senior Kenny Pittman and junior Chad Williams — joined the Wolfpack as walk-on members after tryouts in early October.
“I just wanted to go out there and play as good as I could,” Williams said. “And if I made it, I made it. If I didn’t — then I know I tried. At least I tried out. I didn’t want it to get three or four years down the road and say ‘Man I wish I would have tried out.'”
Approximately 40 people turned out for the chance to suit up for the red and white as the entire coaching staff was present for each day of the tryout. The numbers were whittled down to 10 and then five, before the trio became the only ones left standing.
“The pressure was on,” Pittman said. “Once it got down to 10 and five people — that’s when the real pressure was on because everyone in there was decent. You had to do the best you could in every drill to accomplish the goal you wanted to reach.”
The walk-ons were still learning plays and getting used to their surroundings when the rest of the team competed in the Red-White game.
The next week, the three jogged onto the court of the RBC Center as members of State’s basketball team. Almost overnight, three athletic students became three student athletes.
“It’s one of those things that really won’t hit you [until later]. It really won’t overwhelm you until you think about you’re playing in the top conference in the country,” Pittman said.
#45 Justin Clark, Forward: 6-foot-4, 215 pounds
Clark played high school ball in Artesia, N.M., attending the same high school as State softball pitcher Abbie Sims.
He was offered scholarships at small colleges in New Mexico, but with his parents moving to Charlotte, Clark decided to choose a larger school that would be both close to his parents and had a higher engineering prestige.
“I really didn’t want to go to a small school. [I wanted to go to college] for school not just basketball. I wanted to come here because it’s definitely a better education,” Clark said. “I wanted to play ball but I thought education was more important.”
The thought of getting a chance to fulfill both dreams in his senior year is something that hasn’t sunk in yet for Clark.
“I haven’t really have time to yet,” Clark said. “Everyone I’ve talked to has said it’s a great opportunity. It’s a situation that a lot of people don’t get and I know a lot of people would like to have it. I’m just trying to take it all in stride.”
Clark was assigned jersey No. 45, a number he did not choose.
“I hate that number,” Clark said. “It’s like a big fat guy jersey, the big, slow man on the team. I felt a little bit disrespected, but I’m fine with it. I’m glad I got a jersey.”
#22 Kenny Pittman, Guard: 6-foot-4, 200 pounds
Pittman, a Rocky Mount native, said when the news hit home, it took his family by storm.
“My family was real excited,” Pittman said. “This Thanksgiving everybody was clapping when I walked in the door. It’s like it made their day to see somebody come from Rocky Mount be able to play at this level.”
The family environment that coach Sidney Lowe and the rest of the team provide has been something Pittman is thankful for.
“Coach Lowe is pretty helpful,” Pittman, majoring in mass media communication, said. “He was helping me with my free throws yesterday. Wherever he sees an area that you may be weaker in he’s real sociable.”
When Pittman played pickup games in Carmichael Gymnasium, he said he often got fouled as result of his drives and others’ lack of defense.
But since practicing with the team, he has found that nobody gets slowed down and resorts to fouling the way they used to against him.
“As long as you learn the plays it’s pretty simple,” Pittman said. “It’s a bit different than open gym ball, [which is] less organized and you don’t run as consistently.”
It wasn’t the first time Pittman has prepared himself for donning a jersey for the Pack. He tried out once before, during his sophomore year.
“I expected to make the team [this year],” Pittman said. “I tried out a few years ago when Herb was here and just had a schedule conflict. So this time I felt like I was going to make it no matter what.”
#25 Chad Williams, Guard: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
Williams’ family was excited in a different manner when they found out the news. There was already a member of the family playing in the ACC, his cousin Ishmael Smith at Wake Forest.
“Everybody was excited,” Williams, a major in criminology, said. “There’ll be a little family battle going on.”
With himself just another ACC player in the family, Williams should be used to playing against some impressive talent. But the stakes are higher when doing it on a daily basis. He said it’s a whole new world from playing pickup in Carmichael Gymnasium.
“The talent level is a lot different,” Williams said. “You got to bring it every day or you’re going to be embarrassed.”
After first hearing about tryouts in a Technician Wolf Fact, Williams said he felt like there was nothing to lose by putting himself out there.
“At least you can say you tried out for a Division-I ACC basketball team,” Williams said.
Like Pittman and Clark, he said he’s found the Pack basketball team to be full of people ready to assist the transition as much as possible.
“From coaches to players to trainers, academic support, everybody’s been pretty helpful in trying to get everybody adjusted,” Williams said.
Another adjustment for Williams is, like the other two, he went from being one of the best in Carmichael Gymnasium to a reserve role on the State team. It’s something he’s had no problem with doing.
“[We] go out there and make it tough on the scholarship players, give them a good battle, a good test so they’re well prepared,” Williams said.
Athletics and Academics
With all three players having junior status or higher, the transition to playing in the ACC is only compounded by having to take upper-level courses.
Not to mention each registered for classes last spring without the thought that he might have to schedule around practice time.
“I’m pretty much running from the class to the gym every day, then running home to finish homework. It’s definitely taken a lot of time,” Clark said. “It’s definitely made me have to manage my time a lot better.”
However, each player said next semester will be a lot easier, in part because they can schedule around practice time and also because they will have acclimated to the routine.
“It’s a bit of a strain on a couple of my classes. The work level is a bit difficult at times,” Pittman said. “It’s helped me focus a little more. I know I don’t have as much idle time as usual.”
Study hall is available to all players, including those not on scholarships. This service has helped ease the players into their new gig by helping them focus
“It’s been easier with me because academic support has been helpful,” Williams said. “I don’t feel like I’m just out there on a limb trying to go to practice and hit the books hard knowing I don’t have any help.”
Just because they will be playing for State next semester does not mean any of the players will be forced to take fewer hours than they need to take, so all their graduation plans are still on time.
The Prospect of Playing
The three were brought in as the team lacked eligible players. If they had not walked on, State would have just nine players available for fall-semester games and just 10 in the spring.
The players realize they might be just one injury away from getting meaningful playing time. So they have learned plays and got themselves ready just in case just as they also push the starters for the good of the team.
“We’re definitely trying to help the first team get a lot better and get ready for games and stuff like that. We also want to be ready ourselves just in case something happens. We’re getting the other team ready and we’re getting ourselves ready,” Clark said.
Only Clark has, so far, played in a game. Clark checked into the home match versus Gardner-Webb with less than a minute left.
“I was just sitting there on the bench and I heard ‘Justin’ and I didn’t think anything of it the first time and they kept yelling my name — it was pretty funny at first,” Clark said. “Once I got in the game I don’t even remember the rest of the game. It was pretty crazy. I got that foul. I didn’t think it was a foul.”
With several mid-major schools left on the out-of-conference schedule, the chance for each to play may present itself within the coming months.
One that looks promising is the game in Reynolds Coliseum versus Savannah State.
“We had C-Fells tell us yesterday ‘You guys are getting in,'” Clark said. “Hopefully it happens. My parents are coming down [for that game] so that’d be cool.”
The walk-ons said they expected the crowd to go crazy if they got in and scored.
But conflict of interest is often the case in last-minute substitutions. The coach wants the players to hold the ball, while the players want to score.
“If the opportunity presents itself, I’m going,” Clark said. “But I’m not going to try to put it in someone’s face if they’re sitting back and there’s like 10 seconds left in the game. But if we have like two or three minutes left, you got to score. You got to run through the game. It just matters what the situation is.”
The players consider whether they score this season as just a bonus to what has already been a dream come true.
“Coach always tells us to be respectful to your opponent and play the game the right way. So we’re not going to go out there and do anything crazy and jack up shots,” Williams said.
“If we have an opportunity to score, that’s great. But the opportunity to play for N.C. State — I think it’s just a blessing we’re even on the team so I’m definitely not going to disrespect coach Lowe.”
Unexpected Attention
In the home game versus Michigan, the camera focused in on the three as the announcer broke into dialogue about State’s new walk-ons and how it had fewer scholarship players than the Wolverines.
Their nationally televised 15 seconds of fame prompted all sorts of attention as people tried to contact them through any medium possible.
Whether it was via Facebook message, Myspace post, phone call or text message, each of the players said he had several people calling up saying mostly the same thing.
“I was flipping through channels and I saw your face.”
“Can I get some tickets?”
“Can I get some gear?”
“So you get tickets, right?”
Pittman said he had people call him that he didn’t even know had his number.
Clark kept things under wraps as long as he could. Several of Clark’s friends had little idea he had made the team until he trotted onto the court in the team’s first exhibition game.
“I didn’t want to jinx it,” Clark said.
“I’ve had some loyal fans in a couple games. One of my friends, he keeps jumping in with all the little kids trying to give us fives and yelling my name and stuff. It’s sort of embarrassing but I enjoy it.”
Perhaps the most unusual case of the unexpected attention came when Clark and Pittman exited an RBC elevator.
Clark said the pair was approached by a girl who appeared to be 15 years old. The girl asked them if they would autograph her jeans.
“Her mom was just standing right there,” Clark said. “That was a little weird — weird treatment I guess, stuff I’m just not used to.”