During the spring of 1970, just after the season's end, Sloan signed Tom Burleson. Burleson, a 7'4" native of Newland, NC, was the first major player of the Wolfpack squad that would have a combined record of 57–1 during the 1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons to be signed. The following spring, Sloan signed the remaining pieces of the 1974 championship nucleus, 6'4" David Thompson, 5'7" point guard Monte Towe, and 6'7" power forward Tim Stoddard. At the time, the NCAA prohibited freshmen from competing on varsity squads and the team struggled in the following two seasons, finishing seventh in the ACC in 1970–71 and fifth in 1971–72. At 13–14 overall, the 1970–71 season was Sloan's worst and his only losing season as the Wolfpack head coach.