Top 5 NC State men's basketball players of all time ft. David Thompson 

No. 11 NC State basketball has a deep and rich history, one which could land it in third place in the state of North Carolina. Despite the best efforts of Duke and UNC, the Wolfpack have remained relevant. NCAA titles in 1974 and 1983 could be equaled in 2024, if the Wolfpack can get past No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers.

Here's a look at the greatest ever to play for North Carolina State.

Top 5 NC State men's basketball players of all time

Thurl Bailey, star of the 1983 NCAA title team, became a Wolfpack basketball legend. Could a similar surprise star join him in NC State immortality this spring?

#5. Chris Corchiani, 1987-91

Corchiani was simply one of the best passers in college basketball history. In fact, when he finished his NCSU career, he was college basketball's all-time assist leader with 1,038 assists. Bobby Hurley broke his record two years later, but Corchiani remains second on the all-time NCAA assist list.

Corchiani also scored 1,425 points and is NC State's all-time steals leader with 328. The 6-foot guard was a three-time All-ACC selection. He was a career 40.8% 3-point shooter. While his NCAA Tournament career never went beyond the Sweet 16, Chris Corchiani was one of the best point guards in ACC history.

#4. Thurl Bailey, 1979-83

Bailey was arguably the best player on the most shocking championship team in the history of college basketball. His accolades are impressive, with two All-ACC selections highlighting 1,495 points and 759 rebounds. But Bailey is outside NC State's career top 10 in either stat.

However, the 6-foot-11 Bailey stood tall in some of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. He helped hassle Akeem Olajuwon into a subpar game in the 1983 NCAA championship.

In that season, Bailey's 16.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg highlighted his importance to the team. He was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 1983 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz and had a 13-year NBA career.

#3. Ronnie Shavlik, 1953-56

Shavlik was a 6-foot-8 post player who was a two-time All-American at NC State. He scored 1,740 career points, which is still seventh on the Wolfpack career scoring list. But more amazingly, he managed to snare 1,567 career rebounds. That's not only the highest total in NC State history, but it's 501 rebounds ahead of the second-place finisher, 7-foot-4 Tom Burleson.

Shavlik played only briefly in the NBA. He died in 1983 at 49 years old. But if his name is familiar, it's not a coincidence. His grandson, Shavlik Randolph, grew up in Raleigh and went on to play college basketball at Duke.

#2. Rodney Monroe, 1987-91

A three-year starter, Monroe scored a school-best 2,551 points. His 322 3-point shots are still second in Wolfpack history. A three-time All-ACC pick, Monroe was the ACC Player of the Year as a senior in 1991. He scored 27.0 ppg and made 104 3-pointers on the year.

Monroe helped NC State win a regular season ACC crown and reach the Sweet 16 in 1989. A second-round draft pick by the Atlanta Hawks, Monroe played a single season in the NBA. His scoring mark will be difficult for anyone to ever best in the modern era.

#1. David Thompson, 1972-75

Thompson was a 6-foot-4 forward who was one of the greatest athletes in college basketball history. Many insist that without Thompson, there would have been no Michael Jordan. His high-flying, up-tempo style was the template for today's modern superstars. Not that Thompson was exactly chopped liver in his own time.

A three-time All-American at NC State, Thompson scored 2,309 points in just 86 career games. He also made 55.3% of his shots. Thompson led the Wolfpack to the 1974 NCAA title, breaking up UCLA's run of otherwise uninterrupted dominance. A 26.8 ppg scorer in college, Thompson was a five-time All-Star in the ABA and NBA and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.

Thompson is the only NC State player to have his jersey number, No. 44, retired.

If NC State pulls off a surprise championship in 2024, do you think DJ Hodge or DJ Burns Jr. will earn a spot on this top five list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.