Phil Spence is a retired American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 basketball player and coach. He was a key contributor on the 1974 North Carolina State Wolfpack national championship team and later was an accomplished high school and college head coach.

A 6'8 forward, Spence starred at Broughton High School

Needham B. Broughton High School

Needham Bryant Broughton High School, or simply Broughton High School, is one of the flagship schools of the Wake County Public School System. It is located at 723 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Broughton was named after the Raleigh aristocrat, Needham B. Broughton, who...

 in Raleigh and was recruited to and played for Junior College

National Junior College Athletic Association

The National Junior College Athletic Association , founded in 1938, is an association of community college and junior college athletic departments throughout the United States. It is held as Divisions and Regions. The current NJCAA holds 24 separate regions.-History:The idea for the NJCAA was...

 power Vincennes

Vincennes University

Vincennes University is a public university in Vincennes, Indiana, in the United States. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. Since 1889, VU has been a two-year university, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are...

. He then transferred to NC State

North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...

 in time to become a key reserve on their National Championship

1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It was the first tournament to officially be designated as a Division I championship—previously, NCAA member...

 team. Spence was the first player off the bench and averaged 6.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore as the Wolfpack went 30-1 and broke UCLA's

UCLA Bruins men's basketball

The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...

 string of seven straight titles. Spence started the next two seasons at NCSU, averaging 13.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a junior and 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game as a senior.

Spence was drafted in the 6th round of the 1976 NBA Draft

1976 NBA Draft

The 1976 NBA Draft was the 30th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 8, 1976 before the 1976–77 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...

 by the Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

 (92nd pick overall), however he did not make the final roster.

Following the conclusion of his basketball career, Spence turned to coaching. After a brief stint as a volunteer assistant at Broughton High, he spent 10 years (1979–1989) coaching junior varsity and varsity basketball at Cary High School

Cary High School

-History:Cary High School, one of three high schools in Cary, North Carolina, was established in1896 as the first public high school in North Carolina. The school was originally located in downtown Cary on Academy Street, until it moved to its current location in 1960...

, then the next ten years as head boy's coach at East Wake High School

East Wake High School

East Wake High School is the only public high school in Wendell, North Carolina. East Wake is one of 19 high schools in the Wake County Public School System. The school is unique in the Wake County School System because it is subdivided into four separate smaller schools...

 in Raleigh. On July 14, 2000, Spence was named head coach of North Carolina Central University

North Carolina Central University

North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....

, replacing Greg Jackson

Greg Jackson (basketball coach)

Greg Jackson is the head men's basketball coach at Delaware State University. In 2006, Jackson led the Hornets to their first and, to date, only NCAA tournament bid....

.

Spence coached at NC Central through the 2003-04 season.