To replace Valvano, NC State turned to East Tennessee State coach Les Robinson, who had played for Case in the 1960s. Robinson was the 1991 District Coach of the Year as selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) after leading NC State to a 20–11 record in the first season. He was the first first-year coach in ACC history to win 20 games, post a winning regular season conference record, and win games in both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. The only other coach to pull off this feat is North Carolina's Bill Guthridge.