Inside Pack Sports beat writer Rob McLamb opines that NC State legends Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe (aka "Fire & Ice") should have their respective jersey numbers permanently retired by NC State’s men’s basketball program.
Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe had recently completed their junior seasons at NC State. It was a moment of truth.
Looking ahead, there were options galore for the duo, and with the college experience limited to four seasons at most, the idea of repeating the psychologically draining campaigns that marred their previous year was unappealing, to say the least.
Corchiani and Monroe did not have to put up with other people’s nonsense.
As with many other schools, NC State requires certain athletic accomplishments to be met before a jersey number can be honored or retired.
With the Wolfpack’s men’s basketball program, David Thompson is on an island of his own. Thompson defied logic and gravity. He soared to the rim and sometimes beyond, and he climbed the ladder to cut down nets. Without a doubt, he is the greatest Wolfpacker of them all.
The discussion of individual greatness in men’s basketball at NC State starts with Thompson, but it does not end there.
The honoring of jerseys that are not retired serves as an appropriate reminder of the terrific lineage of NCSU men’s basketball, and there are many deserving players with their numbers displayed in that way.
Corchiani and Monroe cleared that hurdle with ease. The duo's greatness is backed by statistics.
Monroe sits as the fifth all-time leading scorer in ACC history (fourth all-time in the conference among players who did not receive a fifth season of college basketball due to the recent global pandemic) and has the most points scored by an NC State player (63rd all-time in NCAA history).
Corchiani is second all-time in assists by an ACC player (third-most in NCAA history) and is currently in third place on the conference’s all-time steals list (27th on the NCAA’s all-time list).
Points scored, assists, and steals. The pair remains near the top of the ACC and NCAA all-time lists in those three vital statistics despite not having played a game of college basketball in over 35 years.
They also put up those career numbers despite being denied the opportunity to participate in the NCAA Tournament as juniors.
And yet the statistics are only a small reason why Corchiani and Monroe require separation among the greats in NC State history.
The guide NC State uses to decide a jersey number being retired in men’s basketball is a strong indicator of the standard of excellence and expectations that the program seeks to anoint a player to an elite status.
Unfortunately, it does not allocate for certain intangibles.
What is the numerical measurement for commitment? How does a statistician compute integrity? Can loyalty during the lowest of ebbs be calculated, especially when a school needs it the most?
Corchiani and Monroe were there for NC State when they did not have to be.
In the spring and summer of 1990, Fire and Ice had plenty of attractive options for the future of their respective basketball careers, and many of those choices involved getting as far away from NC State as possible.
No one at that time needed a crystal ball to see that the basketball program was about to enter an abyss. The drum beats got gradually louder by the day, and many of the ‘breaking news’ stories of alleged transgressions were simply people repeating the same story from the day before with little to no new insight.
After being denied an NCAA Tournament appearance by forces out of their control in 1990, what incentive did Corchiani and Monroe have to return?
Whether Fire and Ice realized it at the time or not, being Wolfpackers for eternity meant more than anything offered to them from elsewhere.
In an era of confusion, Corchiani and Monroe chose the clarity of a life with only NC State.
In a time of squabbling, including a significant portion among those within NC State’s ranks, Fire and Ice decided to unite with their alma mater.
During the lows after their graduation, the pair stayed steadfast with their love of NC State and its basketball program, while providing the Wolfpack and its followers both a beacon of hope and a reminder of what can be achieved at NCSU.
When they decided to remain at NC State, they also chose to align with each other.
Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe will be forever linked together as much as they are with NC State, which is why any honor bestowed on them by the University should be done with them as a tandem.
The time for that honor has arrived.
For excellence on the basketball court, duty to the school in the hardest of times, commitment after graduation, and an enduring, peerless representation of the University for almost 40 years, North Carolina State University should permanently retire the men’s basketball jersey numbers of Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe.
