Valvano Trying to Settle Release from Wolfpack : College basketball: Lawyer says coach no longer has option of staying at N.C. State.

Given no chance of keeping his job, North Carolina State basketball Coach Jim Valvano was trying to work out a financial settlement to end his career at the school, his lawyer said Tuesday.

“It appears that the option of him staying on as coach is no longer available,” attorney Woody Webb said.

Asked if Valvano had given up the fight for his job, Webb said: “I don’t know that it’s fair to say that we’ve given up. It’s been made abundantly clear to us that they are not going to entertain that idea. But there are people in the Wolfpack Club and elsewhere who are continuing to work for Jim.”

Webb said a court fight would be “the only way I know of” to keep Valvano’s job, but he also noted that the coach would “rather be on the basketball court than in court.”

Valvano was in his office but would not take telephone calls from reporters, his secretary, Beverly Sparks said.

Webb said his client appeared to accept the fact that he wouldn’t be coaching the Wolfpack next season.

“He just said, ‘If it’s impossible for me to stay on here, then I guess we’ll have to focus on a financial settlement,’ ” Webb said. “He’s talking with his financial people to come up with figures that might be agreeable.”

Still a problem for State is a $500,000 buyout clause the school must pay Valvano if he is fired without cause. The contract also calls for Valvano to pay the school $500,000 if he leaves to take another Division I or professional coaching job.

Valvano, who has coached the Wolfpack the last 10 years, led North Carolina State to a stunning victory over heavily favored Houston in the 1983 NCAA championship.

Since January, however, he and the basketball program have been the targets of controversy. State was placed on two years’ NCAA probation last fall for violations involving the sale of sneakers and tickets, although Valvano was never accused of any wrongdoing.

Recently, there were allegations of point-shaving involving former Wolfpack players. Valvano came under increased pressure when former player Charles Shackleford, now with the New Jersey Nets, admitted accepting loans while playing at N.C. State--an NCAA violation that could cost the school up to $1 million in postseason revenue.

Last week, the N.C. State Board of Trustees voted, 9-3, to ask its attorneys to find a way to remove Valvano. Monday, the university was given permission by the UNC board of governors to sue Valvano for breach of contract.

Webb, however, didn’t think the school would take that route.

“It is less likely than last night that they’ll sue, at least that’s the way I read it,” he said.

Webb said he still hasn’t been successful in getting the board to meet with Valvano.

“I once again renewed our request for Jim or some representative of Jim to appear before the Board of Trustees,” he said. “While they politely jotted down my request, as far as I could tell there was no desire to have him do that.”