Dereck Whittenburg

4Dereck Whittenburg is one of the most revered athletes in NC State history. As a star guard on the men’s basketball team, he helped lead Coach Jim Valvano’s squad to the 1983 national championship, which culminated with a historic 54-52 victory over heavily-favored Houston. Whittenburg won an Emmy Award for his work as the executive producer of ESPN’s acclaimed 30 for 30 film, “Survive and Advance.” Whittenburg was a third-round selection of the Phoenix Suns in the 1983 NBA Draft, and earned a B.S. in business administration from NC State in 1984. He has more than 25 years of college basketball coaching experience, and has worked as an analyst for ESPN and as a regional NBA scout for the Utah Jazz. Whittenburg serves on the Board of Directors for The V Foundation for cancer research.

Dereck Whittenburg was also recently promoted to the position of Associate Athletic Director for Community Relations and Student Support within the athletics department.

“The new position will develop and promote programming aimed to benefit current and former student-athletes, while also working to cultivate relationships with local and regional businesses regarding future employment opportunities for Wolfpack graduates.”

To read more about Whittenburg’s new position, click here.

As a member of the Professional Sports Counseling Panel, Whittenburg helps athletes both on and off the court.  He is dedicated to the Wolfpack and advises on how to avoid the common pitfalls of going pro.