Even though I wasn’t even born back then and even though I’m a UNC fan, I still have a lot of respect for Lorenzo Charles and one of the great moments in college basketball history. He was the guy who took Dereck Whittenburg’s “air ball” shot and turned it into the dunk that gave Jim Valvano’s underdog NC State team the 1983 National Championship. 

Today, I was shocked to hear that Lorenzo died in a bus accident right in North Carolina. Apparently he was working for a charter bus company and crashed the bus he was driving on the highway.

I just want to say thanks to a great player in the game of basketball who was just in the right place at the right time and solidified his place in sports history. As Dick Vitale tweeted: “Lorenzo THANKS 4 a super moment in the history of the NCAA – Your DUNK created magic 4 hoop lovers -will be treasured by many forever- RIP!”