Suggestion box entry:
Have a game with throwback unis from the late 70s-early 80s. Have the game at Hilltop if feasible. and for those who remember, have the Michael Stanley Band play after the game! bring back old cheer unis, Earth Wind and Fire music from the pep band, etc.
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 03, 2019, 03:31:36 PM
Suggestion box entry:
Have a game with throwback unis from the late 70s-early 80s. Have the game at Hilltop if feasible. and for those who remember, have the Michael Stanley Band play after the game! bring back old cheer unis, Earth Wind and Fire music from the pep band, etc.
;D Fun idea, but unfortunately I believe the bleachers above the south side of the ARC would need to be totally reversed so they would face toward Hilltop instead of the ARC. You could do all the other things in the ARC however.
Do the bleachers at Hilltop still exist?
To celebrate over 40 years of Divsion 1 basketball, we can also invite the all time greatest team and leaders during that span, or those who had impact on the program.
This might be a good idea for the Vandy game when I presume the Drews will be in attendance? I know it's not just the Drews but they've obviously had a huge impact and would need to be consulted\included in an event like this.
USC that is an awesome and fun idea. :thumbsup: I think it is a great investment opportunity for the university book store as well, for this event will help them liquidate a lot of their current merchandise.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on January 03, 2019, 04:16:04 PM
This might be a good idea for the Vandy game when I presume the Drews will be in attendance? I know it's not just the Drews but they've obviously had a huge impact and would need to be consulted\included in an event like this.
Isn't Vandy supposed to fulfill a schedule obligation to play at Valpo? That's the game to pull out all the stops and do it ! Lovethe idea :thumbsup:
Quote from: VULB#62 on January 03, 2019, 05:58:53 PM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on January 03, 2019, 04:16:04 PM
This might be a good idea for the Vandy game when I presume the Drews will be in attendance? I know it's not just the Drews but they've obviously had a huge impact and would need to be consulted\included in an event like this.
Isn't Vandy supposed to fulfill a schedule obligation to play at Valpo? That's the game to pull out all the stops and do it ! Lovethe idea :thumbsup:
Yes, we have been told that Vanderbilt is coming to the ARC during the 2019-20 season. It has been mentioned that Bryce wanted it this way so that all of his former players will for sure be gone from the Valpo program, including the players he recruited, before the game will be played.
I am not sure about the Vanderbilt connection for a turn back the clock game as that would be a separate event. I propose facing Western Michigan, who I believe was our first Div. 1 opponent.
First D1 in the ARC. Don't look at the score... the Notre Dame dedication game was later
Who was the first opponent we played as a Div.1 team?
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 04, 2019, 01:36:51 PM
Who was the first opponent we played as a Div.1 team?
I scraped this together from the Valpo All Time Results page on the Basketball website as well as a couple of Google/Wikipedia searches.
In 1982 Valpo was part of the start up of the AMCU, later called the Mid-Con and then ultimately the Summit League. As an AMCU D-I team that first season,
the first opponent on the schedule was Illinois Tech, but they probably weren't a D-I team. We then played Butler (and beat em) followed by a 50-94 drubbing at Illinois (
our first legit D-I opponent as a D-I team). Before 1982, it looks like we were an independent under Tom Smith and Ken Rocklitz (as we no longer were competing in the Indiana Collegiate Conference) from the 78-79 season to the 81-82 season. Throughout this period we played a ton of legit D-I teams (ND, Loyola, Bradley, Northwestern, etc).
In the dedication season of the ARC (88-89) under first year coach Homer Drew, we played the following leading up to the ND home win:
@ Butler (L)
Evansville (L)
@ W Mich (L)
Illinois Tech (W)
Air Force (L)
@ Montana (W)
Vs. Centenary (@ Montana) (L)
Ball State (L)
Notre Dame (W - OT)
I don't know if this helps in sorting out a great matchup for a Turn Back the Clock game though.
Quote from: VULB#62 on January 04, 2019, 04:31:54 PM
In the dedication season of the ARC (88-89) under first year coach Homer Drew, we played the following leading up to the ND home win:
@ Butler (L)
Evansville (L)
@ W Mich (L)
Illinois Tech (W)
Air Force (L)
@ Montana (W)
Vs. Centenary (@ Montana) (L)
Ball State (L)
Notre Dame (W - OT)
The ARC opened for the 1984-1985 season ... I think the dedication game was in December of 1984.
Quote from: zvillehaze on January 04, 2019, 06:07:08 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on January 04, 2019, 04:31:54 PM
In the dedication season of the ARC (88-89) under first year coach Homer Drew, we played the following leading up to the ND home win:
@ Butler (L)
Evansville (L)
@ W Mich (L)
Illinois Tech (W)
Air Force (L)
@ Montana (W)
Vs. Centenary (@ Montana) (L)
Ball State (L)
Notre Dame (W - OT)
The ARC opened for the 1984-1985 season ... I think the dedication game was in December of 1984.
You are absolutely correct zville. Thanks. I confused our Miracle Game with the dedication game.
In the dedication season here are the games prior to the ND dedication game. It was our 3rd season in the AMCU:
W Mich. (L)
Ill Tech (W)
@ Butler (L)
St. Xavier (L)
ND (L 57-88)
Valpo went division 1 in 1977-78. Their first opponent was Western Michigan. That IMO would be the ideal opponent, especially if it can be done at Hilltop (is that feasible?).
Norte Dame, now that they compete in the prestigious ACC, is too pompous to even play at Valpo; if a DePaul won't do it then certainly Notre Dame will not.
This can be fun; they can bring back the old logo, play Kansas, Chicago, Parliament and EWF during the timeouts. The old score boards can be used. bring back the original team at half, including Coach Rochlitz. Female students can wear Farrah and Dorothy Hamill wigs, male students can find rugby shirts, izods for former Pikes, and Members Only jackets. We can sit in the old bleachers and get splinters in our behinds. It will be a beautiful thing.
Just a nit, but we still were in the ICC in 77-78. It was the next season that we were independent (or something) cuz the All-Time Results has no conference affilliation listed. I don't know if we were actually D-I for those four years though. WMU was the first D-I game on the schedule in 78-79, however.
62 - not true - Valpo was an independent in 77-78. There were some handwritten stats that were can be googled which shows IIC, but that was incorrectly written.
Ok, so much for my insane idea of having the game at Hilltop - it looks like all the seating has been removed after googling for pictures. The gym looks great however, and I am sure the dead spots have been removed.
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 04, 2019, 09:36:21 PM
62 - not true - Valpo was an independent in 77-78. There were some handwritten stats that were can be googled which shows IIC, but that was incorrectly written.
Just going by the official Valpo Athletic Website MBB page for All-Time Results. It lists Valpo as finishing 3rd of 5 teams in the ICC in 77-78. Take it up with Aaron. .
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 04, 2019, 07:33:30 PMThat IMO would be the ideal opponent, especially if it can be done at Hilltop (is that feasible?).
Sure is, as long as there aren't more than about 100 folks at the game. There are no bleachers left at Hilltop.
Yes you are correct. my bad.
That being said, I now think a Turn back the clock event can be done with Vandy. I think it can be fun.
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 05, 2019, 08:57:35 AM
Yes you are correct. my bad.
That being said, I now think a Turn back the clock event can be done with Vandy. I think it can be fun.
A game with Vandy will be an automatic sellout. A special promotion event of any kind would be better saved for a game where attendance needs a boost.
Very good point.
Agreed. Thank goodness we have the shot clock for a game like this so we don't have to experience the 9 minute last second shot through the brilliance of coach Tom Smith.
Or the Dean Smith 4-corner offense. :o
The 1984 game against Green Bay when in an uninspiring 35-33 win was when I lost complete respect for Tom Smith destroying the beauty of the sport. We had many an argument over that game.
Back in the late 70's/early 80's there was a coach at Hammond Noll who used to stall the whole game until the defenders practically fell asleep and then they would finally take a shot. One of their games ended 10-4, with Noll being the winning team. It was an extremely boring game with possessions going 3 to 4 minutes each.
Thank you for that. ;D
Back in HS, my coach required any shot from outside 15' to be a Set Shot (God rest his soul). We were also required to take all FTs underhand (ala Rick Barry). Say what you want, I ended my sr. year with a 78% FT percentage.
What a hoot.
I love the idea. I was a freshman year two of D1 with Rochlitz the coach. We were pretty bad but I loved the short walk from Dau. Also saw the Michael Stanley Band open for REO at Hilltop. The beginning of 40 years of following MSB now simply Michael Stanley. He still
occasionally performs in Cleveland and puts out new music yearly.
You mention REO. I remember every year at Homecoming we would have headline talent "for the time" (Kingston Trio, Julie London to name two I can remember). Where has that gone? [Facilities Alert] Maybe if we had a facility that could support acts like that, NW Indiana would have a place to go for tbat sort of thing. In Green Bay it is the Resch Center. I've been to many non-basketball events there. The metro area around GB is 300K. I wonder what the metro area in NW Indiana is?
I remember Run DMC and Lifehouse during my time on campus.
Quote from: VULB#62 on January 06, 2019, 12:29:16 AM
You mention REO. I remember every year at Homecoming we would have headline talent "for the time" (Kingston Trio, Julie London to name two I can remember). Where has that gone? [Facilities Alert] Maybe if we had a facility that could support acts like that, NW Indiana would have a place to go for tbat sort of thing. In Green Bay it is the Resch Center. I've been to many non-basketball events there. The metro area around GB is 300K. I wonder what the metro area in NW Indiana is?
I would think it's mostly about seating capacity (due to ticket sales). I'm not certain it's lucrative for us knowing that 5,000 seats is about as big as any rennovated ARC should hold.
Also, most venues / show organizers have to guarantee "x" number of ticket sales...with our ability to fill seats of late, what's the rush here? 🤷🏻♂️🤪🤷🏻♂️
P.S. Lifehouse concert was fun, the football team worked it and I operated one of the spot lights from the mezzanine! That was enjoyable.
Quote from: valpotx on January 06, 2019, 02:22:28 AM
I remember Run DMC and Lifehouse during my time on campus.
Was Run DMC your freshman year? I don't recall seeing them during my time. I think Lifehouse was our freshman year and then no other real concert after that.
I recall Ben Folds doing a "thing" at the student union but that had to be tiny (winter time). Think he had "just" broken off from his band Ben Folds Five..
The University still does the concert in the spring. My freshman year they had life house, Ben Folds came by junior year and Something Corporate came my senior year. I know they have had Guster and Dashboard Confessional and then bands I don't know cause i'm old. The headliners are pretty geared towards the students (although they had Barenaked Ladies at Homecoming several years ago to kick off the Forever Valpo Campaign).
They've moved to have it outside if possible and it is now free for students. The last year they had 3 artists and it's one of the more popular things that happens on campus. The President's office donates part of it's budget every year to cover any costs needed to keep it free for the students.
Michael Stanley Band sucked. Bring in Morris Day and the Time!
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on January 06, 2019, 05:13:27 AM
Quote from: valpotx on January 06, 2019, 02:22:28 AM
I remember Run DMC and Lifehouse during my time on campus.
Was Run DMC your freshman year? I don't recall seeing them during my time. I think Lifehouse was our freshman year and then no other real concert after that.
I recall Ben Folds doing a "thing" at the student union but that had to be tiny (winter time). Think he had "just" broken off from his band Ben Folds Five..
Yes, I seem to remember Run DMC during my FR year, which was the 1999-2000 year. It was only attended by around 100 students, whereas Lifehouse was much more packed.
Perhaps George Clinton and the Mothership can land and lead the Crusaders to victory.
Anyone remember Harry Chapin in the late 70's?
His son came along on the tour which gave some poignant meaning to the song "Cats in the Cradle."
For Michael Stanley fans, Michael Stanley & the Resonators will be playing in "my town" at the Akron Civic Theatre on March 2.
https://wncx.radio.com/events/michael-stanley-resonators-coming-akron-civic-theater (https://wncx.radio.com/events/michael-stanley-resonators-coming-akron-civic-theater)
Don't recall any concerts while we were on campus, unless you count the live band outside Lambda Chi Spring Weekends, but there were the all-campus boxing championships and the Chicago Bears Charity Basketball game with Hampton, Wilson and others. Those were held in Hilltop.
Quote from: bbtds on January 07, 2019, 06:12:17 AM
Anyone remember Harry Chapin in the late 70's?
His son came along on the tour which gave some poignant meaning to the song "Cats in the Cradle."
Yep he showed up at Theta Chi l believe after the show.
Besides REO/MSB, the Outlaws played Hilltop as did a Canadian band named Wireless while I was there.
From my time on campus, I recall seeing Victor Borge and the 5th Dimension at Homecoming concerts and the Temptations as well.
Was anybody else at the Bob Dylan concert in the ARC? When my girlfriend and I showed up, we noticed the band roadies had moved a speaker right between our seats and the stage, pretty much blocking the view; so I spoke to an usher, and we were given seats in the front row.
I started Valpo as a Music major (ended with a Business Admin and Marketing degree took me a little longer than 4 years because not much of my first 2 years translated over to Business) and as far as contemporary music I was and still am a huge progressive rock fan. Imagine how excited I was when at the beginning of my freshman year the Hilltop concert was KANSAS! it was unbelievable to be seated in Hilltop and hear them open up with Song For America. Really cool to hear Robby Steinhardt, a classically trained violinist, playing with a rock band. https://youtu.be/sMok_uHFb7g (https://youtu.be/sMok_uHFb7g)
Wow! So cool! Those were top notch acts of the time! Amazing that they played in Valpo. Makes me wish I had been around in the 70's.
Judy Collins fall of 1969. Kenny Rogers while he was still with his band The First Edition in the spring of 1970 right after Kent State and Kinsey? Hall burning down (don't recall if they ever proved it was arson) on old campus. They donated their pay back to the university. I believe the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band did a concert with Jonathan Edwards while I was there if I remember correctly.
As for Harry Chapin, my first date with my wife was a Harry Chapin Concert in Cincinnati December 3, 1979. A memorable date for me, but Cincinnati remembers it more as the date several concert goers were killed when the crowd rushed the gate for open seating at a concert given by The Who at the coliseum.
Head East... with warm up group: Kansas
and of course: Sha Na Na !!
Bring Primus in and let Claypool go to work.
The Byrds played Hilltop in the late sixties. Shades of Night opened for them.
QuoteThe 1984 game against Green Bay when in an uninspiring 35-33 win was when I lost complete respect for Tom Smith destroying the beauty of the sport. We had many an argument over that game.
I remember that game as well. That was when many, many teams around the country started playing "slow-down" offense or the Four Corners, which is a big reason the NCAA added the shot clock shortly thereafter. However, I remember celebrating the heck out of this win, because wins were a rare and precious thing for the Crusaders at the time. (I remember the GB player rattling out a half-court shot that would have tied the game at the buzzer).
I was also at the 35-33 win against Green Bay. That game made it clear that a shot clock was needed.
Another infamous game in the early 80s was when Valpo beat Bradley and Bradley finished with four players. Was there for that one too.
The better memories (in person) came a little later - starting with the Notre Dame upset and followed by the conference championship game in 1995 and many more.
That Bradley win was HUGE at the time. They were NCAA tourney regulars under Dick Versace and had beaten us by 50 in Peoria the previous meeting. One of the reasons that they finished with four players at the end is that Versace only brought like 8 or 9 guys on the travel squad that night, figuring that's all he'd need to beat us given the uncompetitive blowout in the prior meeting. That was when VU had Rob Harden pre-meltdown, and when Valpo extended the lead to double digits in the 2nd half, Bradley got frustrated and started fouling guys hard. So guys in red started fouling out quick.
The Rob Harden meltdown is still one of my favorite #hilltopmagic moments!
Have heard the name. Was a VHS star who boomeranged back from Florida, right? What was the melt down?
Quote from: crusadermoe on January 08, 2019, 04:57:05 PM
Have heard the name. Was a VHS star who boomeranged back from Florida, right? What was the melt down?
Yeah, what are the details. It has been mentioned a few times.
I was there for that infamous game against Eastern Kentucky on January 9, 1984, making today the 35th anniversary of the incident. I still shake my head over the entire situation.
Background (please respond where I am off):
Rob Harden was an all state 5' 10" guard from Valpo HS who transferred from Florida. The 1983-84 season logo was "next year is here" where Harden's presence strongly contributed to the enthusiasm and hope of a successful, winning season. Harden was very vocal and passionate to win in basketball. He was beloved amongst basketball enthusiasts in the Valparaiso community for his performance in high school. However, that cannot be said in the Valparaiso University community - he was apathetic in attending class, and was very pompous. I think Tom Smith was desperate to have him at Valpo in a hopeless attempt to jumpstart success.
He transferred to Valpo in 1982 and sat out a year to start play in 1983-84. In 1982-83, basketball schedule posters were distributed. the posters showed Converse shoes with with imprinted names "Meyne" and "Harden". John Meyne played as a junior In the 1982-83 season and was a decent player and good guy; Harden had to sit out the year because of transfer rules. This appeared to be an indicator of the significance of Harden to boost the program. It seemed weird to have a poster promoting an upcoming season that refers to a member who would have to sit out and have no impact.
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 09, 2019, 06:56:13 AM
I was there for that infamous game against Eastern Kentucky on January 9, 1984, making today the 35th anniversary of the incident. I still shake my head over the entire situation.
Background (please respond where I am off):
Rob Harden was an all state 5' 10" guard from Valpo HS who transferred from Florida. The 1983-84 season logo was "next year is here" where Harden's presence strongly contributed to the enthusiasm and hope of a successful, winning season. Harden was very vocal and passionate to win in basketball. He was beloved amongst basketball enthusiasts in the Valparaiso community for his performance in high school. However, that cannot be said in the Valparaiso University community - he was apathetic in attending class, and was very pompous. I think Tom Smith was desperate to have him at Valpo in a hopeless attempt to jumpstart success.
He transferred to Valpo in 1982 and sat out a year to start play in 1983-84. In 1982-83, basketball schedule posters were distributed. the posters showed Converse shoes with with imprinted names "Meyne" and "Harden". John Meyne played as a junior In the 1982-83 season and was a decent player and good guy; Harden had to sit out the year because of transfer rules. This appeared to be an indicator of the significance of Harden to boost the program. It seemed weird to have a poster promoting an upcoming season that refers to a member who would have to sit out and have no impact.
This is a story about the death of Rob's brother, Rodny, in 2010. Rodny, Roger and Rob's father, Al Harden, was a representative for Converse and explains the use of the Converse poster.
https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/local/harden-dies-suddenly/article_253d6d11-922e-52e3-bdbd-12b3fab9e8c7.html
His dad coached at Denver University and brought a glass backboard with him when they moved to Valpo. Al worked for Converse and would pass out stuff. Roger Harden starred at Kentucky. I remembered following him in the Sporting News and the occassional TV game. I think Rob had a real chip on his shoulder about how well known his younger brother had become and how he had not been as successful at Florida. Their dad had introduced him to many very well known basketball players through his connections at Converse and Rob thought of himself as something special and that he should be treated better.
Stats for Roger Harden at Kentucky in the 80's
http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Players/Harden_Roger.html
I'm pretty sure the "incident" that signaled the end of Rob's VU career was when he flipped off assistant coach Dick Fick. During a game.
So THAT was he meltdown everyone talks about?
no, there's more to the story.
Yes, Rob flipped off Tom during a game. Valpo was a much more competitive team in 83-84. I was sitting behind the Valpo bench on what would be the visitors' bench side of the court today, although this was in Hilltop so it was all bleachers on that wall. Somewhere, I provided a bit more detail to this retelling, and there may be some who have more vivid memories. But, something happened on the court (bad call on Harden for like his 2d foul in 1st half). Smith, who was a great scorer in college, but a terrible coach and a bit arrogant himself, yelled something at Harden. Harden's body language clearly indicated that he did not care what Tom had to say. There was another thing that happened (maybe Rob missing an assignment on D after whatever Tom had said). Tom substituted Rob from the game. Rob, obviously frustrated, you might say irked, came off the court and headed to the water fountain beyond the end of the bench. Tom continued to harangue Rob while Rob was disinterested in hearing the encouraging advice from Tom. As Rob reached the water fountain, Tom was still offering instruction. At which point, Rob quickly flipped off Tom with his right hand. Tom was focused on the action on the court and didn't see it. But, we brothers in the bond sitting there did see it and started to laugh. Rob did not return to the game, and a few days later (before the next game), Rob announced he was leaving the program. Rob was a bit like Robby Benson in "One on One," but with a whole lot more grit. Some previous posts on the subject, an article on Roger and a trailer for One on One.
https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/where-are-they-now-roger-harden/article_fea60701-3aea-5537-81aa-927aeced2438.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/where-are-they-now-roger-harden/article_fea60701-3aea-5537-81aa-927aeced2438.html)
https://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=3050.150 (https://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=3050.150)
http://valpofans.proboards.com/thread/1368 (http://valpofans.proboards.com/thread/1368)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFVKLgLiujY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFVKLgLiujY)
And a Purdue practice back in the 80s/90s under Keady https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkqjjHDEt_w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkqjjHDEt_w)
Both posters here captured the incident well but the middle finger was also accompanied by an "FU" directed at Fick, who had seen the gesture and called him out on it immediately. Everyone in the first four or five rows of the gym heard the f-bomb clearly, and I remember the crowd around me gasping when he said it.
That said, I will disagree with this point:
QuoteI think Tom Smith was desperate to have him at Valpo in a hopeless attempt to jumpstart success.
I think this is mischaracterizing it a bit. Smith recruited Harden vigorously out of h.s., and VU was reportedly in his final three with two other high-major programs before Harden chose Florida. This would have been a massive coup, as Rob finished as the runner-up in the Indiana Mr. Basketball voting. No player of that caliber had ever even remotely considered VU prior to that, and when he decided to transfer, Smith was first in line and landed him. It was a MASSIVE deal at the time -- the program appeared to have its first legit "star" since moving to Division I. Also, VHS played before sellout crowds of 5,000 every night back then and getting a few of those folks to drive across town to watch VU held a lot of promise for the program at a time when Hilltop Gym crowds were often three figures.
You're absolutely correct that Rob had a massive chip on his shoulder (he always felt he was overlooked compared to Roger because he was four inches shorter than his younger brother) and that Tom Smith had a way of letting his stubbornness and ego get in the way of long-term success, though. (He ran off more than a few promising players over the years because he'd lose his temper over relatively minor mistakes in practice or games).
That said, what Rob did would get a player launched from just about any college program today. 35 years ago? There was no way he was going to be allowed back on the team that season.
I'll also add that if the incident hadn't happened and Rob had stayed, VU would have probably had its first winning season in D-1 that year. The team looked that good early in the season.
I will not promote bird flipping at the proposed Turn back the Clock event. I am not Bill Veeck.
Quote from: bigmosmithfan1 on January 09, 2019, 10:38:09 AMI'll also add that if the incident hadn't happened and Rob had stayed, VU would have probably had its first winning season in D-1 that year. The team looked that good early in the season.
If that had happened we may never have hired Homer. I'd say that was the bird that let Valpo take flight.
not sure I agree. Smith was there for 4 more years; thus 8 losing seasons. I think he got tenure since his salary demands were low, and President Shorty Schnabel placed basketball at a very low priority.
Also, Smith resigned. He wasn't fired. He basically quit to go back to D-2 because, as he put it, nobody cared enough about hoops to put him on the hot seat. Think about that.
But there is still some "what if" in that counterfactual. If Smith gets the program going with Harden (Rob would have been on the team that opened the ARC the next year, and that team would've been pretty good... and with a brand-new facility and a good team, recruiting would have picked up quickly), who knows how the program's history plays out after that? Maybe he coaches until the 1990s and Homer (and more importantly, Bryce) end up in at a different religiously-affiliated school in another part of the country.
If Harden had stayed at VU, he would have been a fifth-year senior in 1985-86 and would have played a year with Scott Anselm. That would have been cool.
After the game I saw senior guard Mike Thompson and he was really pissed with fans ripping on Rob. He praised Harden's drive to win but nothing about his antics and behavior. I kind of knew then that the team was about to collapse.
Rumor also had it that Smith do not want to suspend Harden, but a suspension was enforced by Schabel who was at the game and saw the incident.
Another weird thing was a Torch newspaper article providing empathy and support for Harden. The article emphasized the pressure Rob had in playing in the "very competitive" AMCU8 conference and the immense expectations from the university and student body. No, this was not the Torch parody edition. the AMCU8 conference pretty much consisted of schools transitioning from Div. 2 to 1.
UIC was indeed transitioning to Division I, along with Green Bay and Southwest Missouri State (now MSU). The other five teams had been D-1 for at least 5 to a dozen years.
VU had played UIC a handful of times prior to the AMCU. But they weren't yet the Flames. For extra credit, name the different institution name they played under, as well as the *two* different nicknames they played under during those early meetings.
No wikipedia-ing!
QuoteAfter the game I saw senior guard Mike Thompson and he was really pissed with fans ripping on Rob. He praised Harden's drive to win but nothing about his antics and behavior. I kind of knew then that the team was about to collapse.
Rumor also had it that Smith do not want to suspend Harden, but a suspension was enforced by Schabel who was at the game and saw the incident.
Mike was a hard-nosed competitive dude, so I'm not surprised to hear that was his reaction.
Smith probably would have let the middle finger slide, but he absolutely was going to back up his assistant after the F-bomb to Fick and was indeed going to suspend/discipline Harden regardless. Now, I absolutely could have seen Smith proposing a short suspension and Schabel insisting on something much sterner, and Harden, being the impulsive guy that he was, saying "screw this" and leaving.
A Harden/Anselm backcourt would have indeed been a lot of fun. Heck maybe Mike Jones goes straight to VU without the brief detour to Miss. State first if that happens.
University of Iliinois - Chicago Circle, home of the Chicas
Also, Eastern Ill, Western Ill and UIC started Div. 1 in 1981. I think UWGB and Sw Mo St started in 1982.
UIC also was University of Illinois - Chicago Circle, I believe.
Valpo can face UIC, where UIC can wear their powder blue "circle" unis
QuoteAlso, Eastern Ill, Western Ill and UIC started Div. 1 in 1981.
Basketball Reference said WIU went D-1 in 1972 and EIU moved up in 1978. Cleveland State moved up in 1971 per Wikipedia.
QuoteUniversity of Iliinois - Chicago Circle, home of the Chicas
You are correct! But they also used "Circle" as a nickname for a couple of years. Also, the spelling was changed to "Chikas" by the time of the first meeting with VU. "Chicas" was the original nickname which was an abbreviation of Chicago and supposed to be pronounced "Shick-as" but most people pronounced it like the Spanish word for girls. The spelling was changed in order to help eliminate the confusion but it didn't, so they just switched over to "Circle." When UICC and the UI Medical Campus merged, the school dropped "Circle" from the university name and became "UIC" and a student vote came up with the new nickname of "Flames."
Basketball reference is wrong - it is 1981-82
Turned back the clock tonight by going to the ORU vs PFW game. ORU came in tied for first in the SL with PFW at 3-0 and left humiliated after a 94-69 thrashing at the hands of the Mastodons.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/R29SnH2dn-Sb_ClNYgUbHCsy9GdG9FW49ACCe8nJ4rDMNS9i6XCS9lhZybNeWU--vqhuaBFg6HI6DQIlsAJcxn3-98k8AQWjrdXPc3ek0RWZHzIqmK4jPrqp2ITPMojcxWRcUOxwTuOBPlZfeeEQjhZEYlby7ARlanlc9BJNON5JmTCyvHfKPLVwuijeil3CAicPPGSfzF4t1tTOE8-4UDqebp8I3i01OkKMs4ts2NlXofhWtSAndUTHrEVlM0JfcFIWtFz9fZkI2WYdZWJ9y5vC_v0ynVQS0NzAISi0Q51U2pe9R9gdj-KiQnwJ4v6uEn7oN56jULjAUnDTHZOaA5zvYALyMjiuv1bsW0DpaLflUcxhX9908NQ5xC8fgjuX5NrrZCrxJDDzp9axkAceSjNAh8yC7LJtvxeHtjvmAKTjPoGIFodQANXURvDobEQnLyk8Hh_yrkTaEC03wtKz22kWg8kEpWllvq_-zUPQpMeOS3cEtFDZWkx1OeM4HyryxqJXX5Gk4RIm6l7UVyetz_95EEhii9Ujcz3PxbSuwija0BK3_0QKF-PTR5RhEfqcb5PLnUk0AkwpJf_TgV68kkeMeUSOlz9Lmm9Bb5iW5U6IsPYPY6NoeqSnq4gn0n1pA0s7iFFG-SF8-sDDm4QrZ9BH=w1266-h949-no)
John Konchar is a delight to watch and one of the most complete players in the country. His stat-line tonight: 8-12 from the field, 3-6 from 3 for 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals playing 31 minutes.
Just to give an idea how he would compare to Alec Peters' career numbers... barring injury Konchar will probably end his career with 170 more rebounds, 300 more assists, 150 more steals and 30 more blocks than AP, while scoring close to 2100 points or about 250 fewer points than Alec .
Can't wait for them to take their place in the HL more regional and recognizable teams should help PFW in the attendance column.
Regarding a turn back the clock game, it's unfortunate that Valpo could not face Marquette, where they can wear 70's untucked jersey. The moronic NCAA would never allow it...
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/352369469360-0-0/s-l140/p.jpg)
1981--Craig Maass versus Marquette and Glenn "Doc" Rivers
I was there for that game at the MECCA. Al Hudson had some killer dunks in that game.
Quote from: valpo84 on January 07, 2019, 08:31:09 AM
For Michael Stanley fans, Michael Stanley & the Resonators will be playing in "my town" at the Akron Civic Theatre on March 2.
https://wncx.radio.com/events/michael-stanley-resonators-coming-akron-civic-theater (https://wncx.radio.com/events/michael-stanley-resonators-coming-akron-civic-theater)
Don't recall any concerts while we were on campus, unless you count the live band outside Lambda Chi Spring Weekends, but there were the all-campus boxing championships and the Chicago Bears Charity Basketball game with Hampton, Wilson and others. Those were held in Hilltop.
Armory parties?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I was at the Michael Stanley band concert in 1981. A unique and fun night. The sad part was that the student fund lost big money that night due to lack of predicted attendance, and I learn much about Valpo student government cronyism which benefitted my life education.
Do any of you have pictures of rob?