LUMBERTON — The ACC Tournament remains a big draw in the state of North Carolina and beyond, and the men’s basketball event will have plenty of eyeballs on it as it is played next week in Washington, D.C., running from Tuesday through Saturday.

But the intensity and tension of the event is nothing close to what it once was, says a man who was a part of two ACC Tournament championship teams.

Duke’s Steve Vacendak spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Robeson-Lumberton Wednesday, recalling his memories of playing in the ACC while also discussing the ever-evolving state of college sports today.

Vacendak and the Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament title in both 1964, his sophomore season, and 1966, his senior campaign. This came in an era where only the conference champion could advance to the NCAA Tournament, creating far more high-stakes situations for nationally-contending teams in the ACC Tournament than what is seen today.

“That was really great pressure, because all four years I was there we won the regular-season championship, but we had to go over to (N.C.) State every night of the tournament, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and win all over again to go to the NCAA Tournament,” Vacendak said. “I think that the intensity level was much more precise. Now, eight teams go to the NCAA, what’s the big deal. It’s an expensive party in Greensboro, or an expensive party in Charlotte, wherever it might be. But in the old days, you went and there was something on the line.”

Vacendak was the ACC Player of the Year as a senior in 1966, and played professionally in the ABA. Now a Raleigh resident, he came to Duke after being offered scholarships by both Duke coach Vic Bubas and North Carolina coach Dean Smith before his senior year of high school even began in his native Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was the first player who Smith offered a scholarship as head coach, he said.

“Coach Smith was wonderful and Coach Bubas was too, and it took me until the following June to make a decision, and Coach Smith held that scholarship for all that time. And we remained great friends over the years — because he was so appreciative I didn’t accept that scholarship and screw up his coaching career at the beginning,” Vacendak joked. “We really got along well. It was a tough decision to make. And how can you lose — before you go to the first day of class of your senior year you’ve got a scholarship to Duke and Carolina.”

The ACC Tournament is far from the only element of Vacendak’s college experience that is far different today. Vacendak, who later became an associate athletic director at Duke and athletic director at Winthrop, stated concerns with the changing landscape in modern college athletics, with players now having the ability to be compensated for their name, image and likeness (NIL) and more mobility via the transfer portal.

“I wish I could assure you that they have a resolution in hand that’s fair to everybody, that makes everybody feel good about the experience. I don’t think they do,” Vacendak said. “And that’s a shame, because I want you to know my experience was great. I’m proud of my experience, and I’m proud of the way Duke handled it, I’m proud of the opportunity to have competed against Carolina and State, on the same level, same reasons, same value system.

“My memories are good people doing things for the right reasons in the right way. I’m talking about coaches players, everybody. Almost all of my teammates graduated in four years, and they’re wonderful gentlemen, some of the finest men I’ve ever met in my life. Now the rosters change every year. No coach knows who’s going to be on his team next year, because no coach knows what someone else is going to offer his star player.”

As an administrator, Vacendak was instrumental in Duke hiring Mike Krzyzewski as head men’s basketball coach in 1980. After a coaching stint at Greensboro College, Vacendak had just been hired as associate athletic director, and was delegated by athletic director Tom Butters to lead the search. He recommended Krzyzewski, then the Army head coach; the coaching legend would go on to win five national championships and 15 ACC Tournament titles with the Blue Devils.

“When you coach at Army, you’re not coaching a game of talent, you’re talking a game of X’s and O’s. It’s a great coaching war,” Vacendak said. “For me, someone who can get others to do what’s in your way of thinking and buy into it is a great leader. I saw that leadership in Mike. Mike’s bright, he’s articulate, he’s intense, he knows the game of basketball, and he coaches at Army, where he has the same type of character traits as many of the students at Duke have. … He thought it was nirvana as far as a coaching opportunity goes. Mike was very good for Duke, but let me tell you, Duke was great for Mike Krzyzewski. Don’t let anybody kid you, that’s not a one-way road.”

Once Vacendak was the athletic director at Winthrop, he hired Dan Kenney from UNC Pembroke to lead the Eagles men’s basketball program; Kenney later became athletic director at UNCP, currently lives in Lumberton and was Vacendak’s host at Wednesday’s Kiwanis meeting.

“I have done a lot of hiring, and I’ve done some firing, and I can tell you that I had two great hires in Mike Krzyzewski and Dan Kenney,” Vacendak said. “There’s not a difference in the world between them except Mike had a bigger budget.”

In addition to Vacendak’s career as a player, coach and athletic administrator, he also had a stint as the east coach regional manager for Converse shoes, which had a plant in Lumberton at the time; he said he visited the area frequently during his time working with Converse.

Wednesday’s meeting marked the 100th anniversary of the Kiwanis Club of Robeson-Lumberton. The date was acknowledged in the meeting, and the club is also currently raising funds for a $500,000 inclusive playground in a project commemorating its 100-year milestone.