RALEIGH, N.C. -- Lorenzo Charles was remembered Saturday for more than a last-second dunk which stays one of a NCAA tournament's signature moments.Charles' funeral was held five days after a hero of North Carolina State's title-winning upset of Houston in 1983 was killed in a single-vehicle bus wreck."It's a tough time for family, teammates, fans as well as friends, but it's also a time to celebrate as well as reflect upon a wonderful man's life," teammate Dereck Whittenburg said.Charles caught Whittenburg's 30-foot heave as well as dunked it at a buzzer to give underdog N.C. State its second national championship. Late coach Jim Valvano scurried onto a court during a wild celebration in Albuquerque, N.M., searching for anyone to hug as well as creating an unforgettable highlight which is replayed every March."For a past 28 years, Lorenzo as well as we have been linked together in one championship moment," Whittenburg said, "and we'll be linked forever."Charles was also remembered for his imposing presence upon a court as well as a different sort of demeanor off it."Lorenzo was always a strong guy, a big, powerful guy," teammate as well as best friend Cozell McQueen said. "But at a same time, he was a gentle guy."Whittenburg recalled making fast-food runs with Charles when they were still in school. His niece Ericka Charles pronounced she once asked her uncle, who embraced his second career as a charter bus as well as limousine driver, who his most famous passenger was."He said, 'I drove Lorenzo Charles,'" she said, drawing laughs from a crowd.Charles scored 1,535 total points -- 15th upon a N.C. State scoring list -- as well as his .575 shooting percentage in 1985 stays a school record for seniors. He played one season in a NBA, averaging 3.4 points in 36 games with a Atlanta Hawks in 1985-86, then played internationally as well as in a Continental Basketball Association until 1999, before he started his second career as a driver."More than anything else, we know which Lorenzo meant most more to his fam! ily, his teammates as well as to us at a university than being a basketball player," N.C. State athletic director Debbie Yow pronounced during a ceremony. "Those of you who today knew him best knew firsthand of his kindness, his affection as well as ... his smile."Charles was killed Monday when a Elite Coach charter bus he was driving crashed along Interstate 40 in Raleigh. No passengers were aboard, as well as police don't know what caused a wreck.Along a meandering, two-lane road which led to a church where Charles' funeral was held, someone placed a portable basketball hoop in his front yard as well as affixed a ball upon a rim with a poster upon a backboard which read: "Thanks Lo 43."Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
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