from 4-24 ... to 24-4

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Those of us who have been around for a while remember the dark days.  And now, for just the second time in school history (and the first time post-Lutheran--the first time since the Harding administration, fergodsakes!) we have reversed the days of 4-24, with a good chance to set the school record for victories before the postseason.

Certainly it turned around in much faster than a quarter-century--after all, it was less than a decade from there to our high-water mark!--but at this peak, I just thought it is nice to look at the reflection in the trough.

Fer you youngins, there was a 3-year stretch when we were 14-68. No fooling.  (And let that be a lesson to people who only want to give a coach 3 or 4 years to prove him/herself...Homer was 24-87 in his first 4 years.)

What are y'alls' favorite memories of the early 90s? 

Shouldn't be too long a thread...

[talksalot]

Walking into the ARC to see the latest seating configurations.    Started with just chairbacks.  Sects A-E were backed into the wall.  the scorer's table was 1/3rd the current size and out right where it is now.  The general admission seating was above the track.    I remember distinctly a game with Eastern Michigan (the Hurons !) then the only sound in the gym was sneaker noise and some call went against EMU and their coach went ballistic.   Some student from the upper deck yelled "Hey Coach, Sit Down, can't you see we're trying to study up here?"   The ARC was quieter than Moellering Library.

Then a few years passed when the Screen blocking the upper deck was never raised until about 5 minutes before game time... to get more people to sit in the lower-bowl.

I remember what a BIG deal it was to have Channel 56 come over to broadcast a game.

Those were the days my friend... I thought they'd never end...

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I remember what a BIG deal it was to have Channel 56 come over to broadcast a game.

YES...I would get all excited.  Disappointed after watching, of course, but I loved watching.

I made my own stat sheets with ... with an early WP program...not WordPerfect...something on my Apple IIgs so that I didn't have to spend my allowance on a program.  Printed them out on the ol' Apple ImageWriter II, tore off the edges and took them to the ARC.  Kept stats religiously, even then.   Compared players' performance in games I attended vs. their season average : )

[crusaderjoe]

Ah, the good old days of 4-24, 4-22 and 5-22.  I was just thinking about 4-24 yesterday actually given our current record.

I was a student athlete for VU back then.  I only mention this because that was the only reason why some of us attended basketball games--to support some of the guys we knew on the team as fellow athletes.  The ARC was like a morgue.  Dull, dark and dank.  No ticket lines.  You could walk in to the ARC and find a seat in about two seconds.  You could hear pins dropping during games.  Three fourths of the Mezz was covered by the curtain.  During some games the entire Mezz was covered by the curtain.  No major advertising at any time back then--no demand for it at all.  Sometimes some pep band members would show up.  A guy would get a gimp or a light limp during the game, and, knowing that the injury was nothing serious, the trumpeter would start playing the theme from the TV show "St. Elsewhere", causing a smattering of chuckles.  And by smattering I say that very loosely.  If someone would have told you in the early 90's that in 1998 Valpo would be making the Sweet 16, you would have been "Baker Acted" right then and there.  Golf, women's gymnastics and wrestling were about to get the axe, as well as what we thought was a stable Mid-Con. 

[justducky]

What are y'alls' favorite memories of the early 90s? 

Shouldn't be too long a thread...

As the guy Crusaders were still emerging from the dark ages the girls had Debbie Bolen. She was a more dominate player in her game than Bryce was in his.

[valpo84]

Some quick thoughts -- memories of going to The Shoe in Cincinnati and watching the Huggy Bear-cats devour us for 40 minutes. Tony Bennett for UWGB. CSU having some really good teams in the late 80s before Kevin Mackey had his issues. Charlie Spoonhour from SWMOSt dominating the AMCU-8 (with players like Winston Garland) until he went to SLU. Eldon Miller coaching Northern Iowa. There were some good AMCU-8 teams and coaches in those days (double bids in a few years with UWGB and SWMST). We weren't talent-wise ready, but Homer kept preaching the positive messages and dreaming big -- first Tracy Gipson, who could flat out score with the best of them. The transfers of Casey Schmidt and David Redmon added legitimacy. Add in Cavanaugh and Barker and it became a raining 3s show. A 2OT game vs UIC in 1993 was an incredible game and showed that we were at least watchable. Then add Ensminger and Wayne Charles. Then Anthony Allison and Chris Artis and the stage was set for Bryce's recruiting class.

Good trivia questions are name the original AMCU-8 and which school is the only member still residing in the nka Summit League?

[Kyle321n]

Some quick thoughts -- memories of going to The Shoe in Cincinnati and watching the Huggy Bear-cats devour us for 40 minutes. Tony Bennett for UWGB. CSU having some really good teams in the late 80s before Kevin Mackey had his issues. Charlie Spoonhour from SWMOSt dominating the AMCU-8 (with players like Winston Garland) until he went to SLU. Eldon Miller coaching Northern Iowa. There were some good AMCU-8 teams and coaches in those days (double bids in a few years with UWGB and SWMST). We weren't talent-wise ready, but Homer kept preaching the positive messages and dreaming big -- first Tracy Gipson, who could flat out score with the best of them. The transfers of Casey Schmidt and David Redmon added legitimacy. Add in Cavanaugh and Barker and it became a raining 3s show. A 2OT game vs UIC in 1993 was an incredible game and showed that we were at least watchable. Then add Ensminger and Wayne Charles. Then Anthony Allison and Chris Artis and the stage was set for Bryce's recruiting class.

Good trivia questions are name the original AMCU-8 and which school is the only member still residing in the nka Summit League?

Well WIU is the only one left from the early 90s so I would have to say they are your answer. I started following around the time ORU joined the league, but I don't know much further back then that. Hell I was 10 then and just loved the sweet 16 run.

[IndyValpo]

Valpo, Cleveland State, UWGB, Illinois-Chicago, Northern Iowa, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Southwest Missouri

[IndyValpo]

True story, I graduated in 1981 and was giving the basketball program $250 a year. The second day he was hired Homer Drew called me and introduced himself because there were only a few people donating....

[talksalot]

From the Record Book:

3-Pt FGs - 19, Butler (2/6/89)

Made SportsCenter for I believe the first time... with a montage of all 19 3s... followed by a through destruction of the word:  Valparaiso.

[crusaderjoe]

Since we've moved a little to conference trivia, (without looking) what are the names of the current MAC schools that have been conference mates with Valpo in the past?

[valpo84]

IndyValpo hits on the first part. Those were the original members of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU-8); and Kyle had the 2d part (WIU).

[valpo84]

Akron, Buffalo and Northern Illinois both spent some transitional time in the same conference. Almost forgot Buffalo where Bobby Hurley is now doing a nice job there.

[crusaderjoe]

Bingo.  It could be easy to forget Akron too--they were in the Mid Con for only two years.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

From the Record Book:

3-Pt FGs - 19, Butler (2/6/89)

Made SportsCenter for I believe the first time... with a montage of all 19 3s... followed by a through destruction of the word:  Valparaiso.

THERE is a trivia question:  to WHAT SONG was the montage of all the 3s set on ESPN?

[usc4valpo]

The Tom Smith days were classic too. Ron harden, the mental midget who would make Valpo a bigtime school. It is amazing what the basketball program has accomplished since then.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

THERE is a trivia question:  to WHAT SONG was the montage of all the 3s set on ESPN?

any guesses?  although it's more of a "either know it or you don't" kind of thing...

[talksalot]

I'm guessing something "Disco"... and not the fight song

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot |Lyrics|

[talksalot]

I hope Ms. Benatar got some royalties !... so... does anyone have the video clip?  I can't find it ...

[LaPorteAveApostle]

couldn't find it either.  i bet karl berner has it on VHS and beta though.

[Valpo89]

Great discussion, being one of the old-timers on here.
I remember players like Brian Sommer, Mark Dick and the walk-on Jon Groll who was supposedly an intramural super star. Once in a while, when Mark Dick drove the lane, radio man Todd Ickow would use the phrase, "Dick penetrates." Oh boy.
I remember an all-DAC lineup that included Tracy Gipson, Rob Cavanaugh, Redmon and Schmidt, and The Beez - Joel Beesely from LaPorte (who, I believe is a high school coach in Illinois).
I remember Lance Barker taking an ill-advised shot at the end of a UIC game and VU suffering a crushing loss, back when UIC was tough and had Kenny Williams and Sherell Ford.
I do remember Akron being in the league. And, when I was a kid, I remember watching games in the old Hilltop. Specifically, I remember seeing Kevin Duckworth (E. Illinois?) and his 300-plus pounds lumbering up and down the old Hilltop Gym.
AND, there was a kid I went to high school with who used to sell popcorn in the stands of Hilltop. He would yell, "Paaaaaaaaaaaaaahp-coooooooooooooorn" for about 30 seconds. He was a hit.

[usc4valpo]

I remember Eastern Illinois and Kevin Duckworth came into the Hilltop at 0-13 and beat Valpo by 20. Duckworth had a great game. He was a decent, not great, NBA player.