Jim Bennett Feature Articles
E.mail Jim at jwbnnt@aol.com
INDEX
1/23/03 -- ETTNER TWINS ARE CRUCIAL TO THE GROWTH OF IWU BASKETBALL
11/14/02 -- "CAMARDELLA, TITANS SEEK DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN ‘02-’03"
10/17/02 -- "A DUNK ONLY COUNTS TWO POINTS? IWU'S BRIDGES STANDS BY IT"
4/5/01 -- "AT IWU, MIKE ROGERS HAS BEEN 'A TRIBUTE TO THE HUMAN SPIRIT'"
12/5/00 -- "JACK HORENBERGER A LEGEND? WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT?"
1/20/00 -- "HOW DOES KOREY COON DO THE THINGS HE DOES?"
ETTNER TWINS ARE CRUCIAL TO THE GROWTH OF IWU BASKETBALL
EMILY ETTNER MAY HAVE weak ankles, but she's clearly got plenty of backbone.
While her Illinois Wesleyan University basketball teammates knock themselves out in practice, guard Emily Ettner rides her bicycle. It's the stationary type; the kind that never moves. During games, the talented senior rides the bench. Luckily for Head Coach Mia Smith, there are two of her....or so it seems. Her identical twin, Elisa, plays and practices for keeps.
That's because Elisa has healthy legs; her sister doesn't. "Em can only play five to seven minutes a game," says Smith, "because the pain in her ankles is just too severe. Every time she takes the court I live with the fear that she might snap an ankle. But even though she doesn't get to practice much, it's a bonus for us if she's only able to play a few minutes. Em shows perseverance and leadership even if she's only able to play for 2 or 3 minutes."
Emily Ettner suffers from a painful condition in both ankles. The disorder is called "compartment syndrome." "At first," Smith recalls, "we all just thought she had a bad case of shin splints which could be treated with rest. But that wasn't the case."
Emily says she's had shin splints since the end of her freshman season. "However," she adds, "with rest and time off, my condition never got better. By the end of my junior year the pain had gotten substantially worse, so I had a bone scan done....I've never had any bad leg injuries other than the shin splints, so the doctors feel it's genetic."
Compartment syndrome can be nearly disabling. According to MEDLINEplus Medical Encyclopedia, it's "A painful condition that results when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels, preventing nourishment from reaching nerve and muscle cells. In muscle groups --with the nerves and blood vessels that flow beside and through them--are covered by a tough membrane (fascia) that does not readily expand.
"The resulting unit is called a compartment. If pressure within the compartment is excessive, it can cause damage to blood vessels and nerve and muscle cells.....Chronic compartment syndrome is not a medical emergency, but can be a significant problem for an athlete."
THE ETTNER TWINS are small guards with speed and quickness. They stand five feet, six inches tall, but Emily outweighs her twin by 10 pounds (130 to 120). Emily accounts for the difference by citing lack of active practice time and limited game time. They aren't big enough to knock you down but in IWU's full-court pressure they are relentless. They are the gnats at the picnic.
They are part of Coach Smith's first recruiting class as head coach. The other seniors are Jenny Birkholz, Katie Cantrell, and Kristin Scott. Scott, a Bloomington Central Catholic product, is one of three co-captains. Elisa Ettner and Normal Community's Cantrell are the other two.
"Those are five terrific young women," says Smith. They have formed a foundation which has been crucial to the advancement of IWU women's basketball.
Smith's first team (1998-99) finished at 14-10 overall, with a CCIW mark of 7-7. They slipped the following year to 10-14 (6-8) in the league. 2000-01 saw a dramatic improvement to 16-9 over all and 11-3 in conference play. Now, after Saturday's win over North Park, their 5-0 conference record has them in sole possession of first place.
In additon to the Ettner twins, Cantrell has been on a mission of her own. The versatile co-captain, who has suffered through her own injuries and depleted playing time, is on a rip. Her 16.6 points per game average is her highest at the collegiate level. At IWU she has scored 819 points to go with the Ettners' 707 (Elisa) and 583 (Emily). Elisa is one of three double-figure scorers for the Titans, with 12.5 ppg. Junior Brooke Bailey chips in 10.7 ppg, and plenty of rebounds.
This senior-led team has ambitious goals. "We talk about the CCIW conference Championship every day," says Smith. "It is THE goal. I was never much of a believer in the idea of teams with dominant senior leadership until this season. Coach Bridges (IWU athletic director) told me it was real, and I'd know it when I saw it. This year I'm seeing it. I'm now a believer."
AND NOW FROM the American Gothic files: The Ettner twins grew up on a farm near Marengo, a small town in McHenry County, just east of Rockford. "Our farm is just like any other small town farm," Elisa declares. "We have aunts and uncles all living on the same street with the actual farm being in the middle. During our grade school years, my father would have the shed cleaned out for us girls to go and shoot around in the winter.
"He had nailed a square piece of plywood to the wall and screwed in a rim. It wasn't fancy by any means. He would fire up the space heater and we would just start shooting around with a few games of H-O-R-S-E. It was more for fun than actual practice but it was a good time."
"The twins have a lovely, close-knit family," says Smith. "They talk a lot about their older sisters Aimee and Sara paving the way for their development as basketball players. Their dad (Michael) is sort of an unofficial scout for me. He'll call and tip me off about possible prospects. I got to know their family awfully well because I recruited Em and Lis harder than any of the other players on our roster."
The twins did not have a pact or agreement to go to the same college. They might have gone their separate ways. Their older sister Sara was a shooting guard on four consecutive national title teams at Washington University of St. Louis.
But Sara did not pressure her younger sisters to attend Wash. U. "It was never really an issue with Sara about her wanting us to attend Wash. U," Emily reports. "She wanted us to go where we would be happiest."
Smith's real competition came from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. "DePauw and IWU were our top choices," says Emily. "I'm not real sure why we didn't go to Wash.U, but I think it was because Bloomington was so much closer to home. So our friends and family could see us play. It worked out well that Bloomington was the half way point from Marengo to St. Louis....so we were always close to our family at home and Sara." There's that family thing again that Coach Smith alludes to.
Emily recalls a tournament in Greencastle she and her family attended while the twins were still in high school. "The purpose of our trip was to see Sara play and visit with the DePauw team and campus. Coach Smith persuaded us to to visit IWU's campus. So on our way home from the tourney, we stopped by the campus and walked through the Shirk Center....this is when we fell in love with the school. After this we remained in constant contact with Coach Smith."
Smith made sure of that. She wanted these twins badly, and she has learned well that despite the compelling ambience of the Shirk, recruiting top players at IWU never comes easy. "If we can continue to recruit at the rate we are, our program will be at the top of the conference. But our admissions requirements are tough. Finding good players that are strong enough academically is really difficult and very challenging. It is the hardest part of the job."
IT WOULD BE exaggeration to suggest that Elisa Etner is having a "breakout year" on the court. But it would be accurate to identify this senior season as her best. In addition to her double-digit scoring average, she is, according to Smith, "The finest three-point shooter I've ever coached, based on her percentage and the fact her range is so deep." Elisa's numbers from beyond the arc on the current season are .358 on 24 of 67 shooting.
Many studies have been done on the nature of the bonding that occurs between identical twins. Coach Smith suggests that this unique connection may be significant in terms of Elisa's 2003 power surge. "I think this is similar," she says, "to a mother eating for two. Lis is trying to do what she should be doing and more. She's trying to make up for Em's injury. I think she has really stepped her game up and added dimensions." If it sounds like we have stumbled into the twilght zone here, consider Elisa's summary of the situation: "I can see the frustration on her [Emily] face and that makes me want to play harder. In a sense, for 'both of us.'"
If the Titans are to reach their goal of a CCIW championship, it will be vital for Cantrell and "Lissy" Ettner to maintain their scoring. Cantrell's size allows her to post up or shoot the three.
Ettner is too small for that, but she is extremely strong with the ball, quick and creative. According to Smith, "Opponents have to prepare for what Lis does every time she is on the floor. Stop the three, take away the offense, stop dribble penetration. She does it all. Em does the same only on a shorter scale."
The "shorter scale," of course, is dictated by Emily's chronic medical condition. Has she considered surgery? Not really. "I decided not to have surgery because it is not always successful, and I wanted to have a shot at playing in my final season at IWU." She has played a little in all of IWU's games. But she hasn't started a game. "I don't want to start her," says Smith, " and exhaust that 6-8 minutes window of opportunity. I want to monitor the flow of the game for a while so I can use her when the game is on the line or when the team needs a lift from the bench."
As is usually the case with Titan athletes, both Ettners are on track to graduate on time, in May. Emily carries a GPA of 3.2 in business administration, while her sister is 3.0+ in risk management.
CAMARDELLA, TITANS SEEK DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN ‘02-’03
“THAT’S NOT GONNA happen again,” he will tell you, and he won’t blink His confidence will ooze and you’ll have no cause to doubt him.
“He,” in this instance is John Camardella, Ilinois Wesleyan University’s 6-4 senior forward and co-captain. He will begin the 2002-03 season strong and injury free, a blessing he does not take for granted. His basketball career at IWU has been undermined by knee surgeries as well as a bout with reactive arthritis, a condition that can be nearly paralyzing.
“That,” in this instance would be losing. Last year’s Titans stumbled, finishing at 12-13, below .500 for the first time in a generation or two. They were 6-8 in the College Conference of Illinois (CCIW). They even lost three games at home. Illinois Wesleyan losses at the Shirk Center, where NCAA banners hang from the ceiling, come along about as often as the state of Illinois elects a Democrat for governor.
This is a basketball program used to winning and winning and then more winning. In the NCAA post-season playoffs, the Titans have nearly always been present to raise a hand when the roll is called. Head Coach and Athletic Director Dennie Bridges led the Green and White to the Division III Final Four in 2000-01, his final year of coaching.
It was not unfamiliar territory. In 1996, IWU advanced to the national semifinals; in 1997, they went one better by winning the national championship.
Bridges remains at his post as athletic director. During his 36 years of coaching IWU basketball, he established himself as a coaching legend, leading teams to 667 wins, 17 conference titles, and numerous playoff appearances.
ENTER SCOTT TROST. This is the act he had to follow. Bridges handed him the reins as head basketball coach in the fall of last year. His first season at the helm, the one "That's not gonna happen again," was a bumpier transition than Trost expected. "My first year was a difficult one, one that was more difficult than I imagined it would be. I knew it would be difficult to follow someone like Dennie, but it was even more so. I think it took a while for me to get to know the players and trust them and vice-versa. I feel a lot more comfortable with each and every one of them this year."
Trost's respect for Camardella developed in a hurry. Anyone who has watched John play is aware of his warrior-like competitiveness and his tenacious rebounding. There may be a better rebounder, inch for inch, in the CCIW but I doubt it. In high school, while playing for Hersey High in Arlington Heights, Camardella was an all-state volleyball player as well. "Volleyball is big in the suburbs," he says, "just as big as basketball. I consider it my best sport."
There is almost no scholastic volleyball for downstate boys, and certainly none for men in the CCIW. But playing volleyball had to be beneficial for him as a basketball plalyer. He's been a "player" ever since he enrolled as a freshman. Trost says, "I chose John as captain for a variety of reasons. One being his leadership qualities and the respect he demands from his teammates. You combine that with his ability and you have a great captain."
6-7 senior center/forward Luke Kasten, who has led IWU in scoring and rebounding in recent years, is the other co-captain. At IWU, Kasten has made a habit of earning a spot on the all-conference team. Once again, he will be Wesleyan's "go-to" guy on the offensive end.
Camardella seconds Trost's analysis of the substandard 2001-02 season. "We like Coach Trost and respect him, but last season's transition period accounts for the drop-off. It shows how the relationship between a coach and players is underestimated. There has to be a rock-solid trust and belief. We've established that now with Coach Trost."
BUT THE BITTER taste of defeat is still like acid on the tongue. “It was the worst year of my life,” says Camardella, “and not just because of the losing. What was worse, I couldn’t help the team. I couldn’t contribute anything because of the arthritic condition and the knee surgery. I felt really helpless.
"Because of it, I had to wait until late fall to have the surgery. By the time I was well enough to play again, I was out of shape; my wind was bad and so was my vertical [jump]. I probably only had three or four good games all season.” The record shows that Camardella played in only 18 games while starting but four. Still, he averaged 4.8 rebounds a game.
Last year's reactive arthritis (Camardella and his doctors attribute its onset to a nasty case of food poisoning) nearly disabled him. "Every joint in my body was like, agonizing. I couldn't put my clothes on or tie my shoes. I could hardly even walk. I couldn't get better. I kept taking the medicine day after day, and all the doctors could say was, 'just keep taking your pills and this thing will run its course in a few months.'
"I was really discouraged. I didn't have six or seven months, I needed to get well so I could have the knee surgery to repair the damaged cartilage. And practice was already starting."
You know those ads on TV, the ones that proclaim the benefits of Vioxx and Celebrex? If their manufacturers are looking for endorsements from athletes, Camardella is not their man. "I just kept taking those meds week after week, and they never did any good," he says.
On the other hand, the community of acupuncturists would find him an enthusiastic spokesperson. "My mom," he says, "found out about this acupuncturist in Lake Forest named Dr. Meng, who was the acupuncturist for the Bulls and the Bears. She called him up and made an appointment for me."
Acupuncture is a form of treatment for various ailments which dates all the way back to ancient China. The acupuncturist inserts needles beneath the skin into carefully-chosen pressure points.
"As soon as I told him about my condition, Dr. Meng just laughed. 'Easy,' he said. He wanted me to come for three treatments a week over a three-week period. I remember leaving his office after the first treatment. I could actually lift my arms again. By the time I finished the course of treatments, I was completely pain free. It was almost like a miracle."
IF TROST WAS DISCOURAGED with last season's win-loss record, he has to be smiling about the nine talented freshman he welcomes to the fold, all players he recruited in the spring. These are not glorified walk-ons. "All nine freshmen were recruited to IWU," he says. "It just so happened that most everyone we recruited ended up coming here."
Camardella says, "We have to have the best division three recruitng class in the nation." On Bob Quillman's website, (iwuhoops.com), Kasten says of the freshmen, "Man are they good." He also evaluates Mike McKean, a 6-5 forward from Cissna Park: "He's a ton; he'll probably get varsity playing time."
Another IWU senior, guard Eric Starkey, is blown away by the talent of Keelan Amelianovich, a 6-6 forward who prepped at Neuqua Valley in Naperville. "Before he's done," says Starkey, "Keelan will be the best player in the CCIW. There's no doubt in my mind." The website also includes Trost's assessment of Delavan all-stater Jason Fisher, as "the most athletic player I've ever coached at this level."
Generously listed as 6-2, Fisher won the slam-dunk competition at state tournament festivities in March.
Quillman's website, by the way, is a mother lode of information about IWU basketball. It is pleasingly designed, easy to navigate, and always current. It also provides numerous related links. Most Titan followers should probably bookmark it.
TROST HIMSELF would probably appreciate it if the seniors would restrain themselves a bit while exalting the new recruits. Why put extra pressure on them? Yet, he too acknowledges their talent and potential. "I would be careful to call this class the best recruiting class in the nation." But he's quick to add, "All of the freshmen have impressed me at one time or another. Because of the senior class, it is going to be difficult for many of them to get a lot of varsity minutes this season.
"I do anticipate a couple of them contributing to the varsity squad this year. Particuarly, [Adam] Dauksas and Amelianovich." And what about his dunkathon diaper dandy? (Lord, I watch too much ESPN.) "Jason Fisher is extremely talented," says the coach. "He is very athletic and shoots the ball extremely well. He's a young man that is going to be a very good player in the CCIW."
Trost has already alluded to the depth and talent of his seniors. He will have the luxury of bringing his frosh along slowly. In addition to Stark, Kasten, and Camardella, he welcomes back guard Laban Cross, center/forward Marty Eich, guard Chris Silagi, and center Seth Hubbard.
Competition for playing time at the guard positions should be downright fierce. In addition to the three seniors and those gifted freshmen, juniors Jim Lehan and Shawn McGuire bring skills and experience of their own to the talent pool.
CAMARDELLA RELISHES rebounding and defense. "Rebounding is my game," he says. "I'm like the fullback in there, rooting around; I'm not afraid of the dirty work. And I always work on my rebounding in practice with Coach Martell." Martell, a Trost assistant, is also the school's head baseball coach. "There's always more to learn about anticipating the carom of missed shot, whether on the strong side or the weak side."
But he is too modest about his scoring ability. He doesn't feed exclusively on "garbage" points. He has an effective jump shot, and can take his man off the dribble on the perimeter. His shooting percentage from beyond the arc is well over .400 for his three seasons at IWU.
A combination of unique circumstances joined to bring Camardella to IWU. He didn't have to be recruited at all. Or if he did, his mother was the point man (woman). And why not? Any mother who can ferret out the right acupuncturist should be capable of finding the right college. "As for Coach Bridges and how I found IWU, that's simple," says the senior forward. "My mom made me come visit. She heard about the school and during the summer before senior year we visited, and I fell in love. Mom is always right."
And that's probably not tongue in cheek. Off the basketball court, Camardella is all "Yessir," or "No, Sir." He insists on calling old sportswriters "Mister." And if you invite him to communicate on a first-name basis, he replies, "I'm sorry, but I can't. It's just not the way I was brought up."
He does take issue (politely) with respect to the title of Athletic Direcor Bridges' recent book, "A dunk only counts two points." Did you ever notice it's the guys who coudn't touch the rim who find their solace in the refuge of scoreboard? "Actually that's not quite true," says Camardella. A dunk can inspire a team, increase their players' adrenaline rush and change momentum."
Camardella has dunked many times in the Titan uniform, but the one he remembers best occurred his sophomore year in a game against Wheaton at the Shirk Center. "It was a high lob pass from Todd Wente during a critical part of he game. I caught it and dunked as I came down, I felt the whole Shirk Center stand up. It will always be one of my fondest memories at IWU. We all know that a dunk only counts two points, but the momentum it can bring is immeasurable."
I'll go with John on this one. Any play that gets the crowd into the game is worth three points at least.
A DUNK ONLY COUNTS TWO POINTS? IWU'S BRIDGES STANDS BY IT
AN ANNOYING THING happened to Illinois Wesleyan University Athletic Director Dennie Bridges on the road to writing his first book. Dave Kindred used the “R” word.
“R” as in revising.
“I sent Dave my manuscript in its rough draft form,” Bridges recalls, “and he told me I needed to rearrange some of my chapters, add development in certain instances, and allow chapters to feed off of one another. My heart sank.
“For example, he told me I needed to move the chapter on our national championship season (1997) closer to the front of the book.
“I told him ‘Oh no, Man,’ I don’t think I’m ready for this.’”
“Dennie,” he reminded me, “that’s what writing is all about: Rewriting.”
Bridges’ new book, which has been available for approximately a month now, is titled “A Dunk Only Counts Two Points.” Its subtitle is, “Stories of my life in small college basketball.” Even though he reveals many details about his personal life, "A Dunk" is more memoir than autobiography.
He could have done worse than asking Kindred for help. The ‘62 IWU grad is one of America’s leading sportswriters, having moved from “interning” at the Pantagraph to work for several of the nation’s most prestigious newspapers. Nowadays, he is a columnist for The Sporting News. Kindred, who wrote the book’s foreword, was also a teammate of Bridges on Titan baseball teams in the early ‘60s.
Bridges is a terribly busy man, so his only opportunities for working on the book came early in the morning in his office or late at night at home. “I think it took me about eight months to write the first draft,” he says. “But it was hard to really get started. I’d stare at the computer screen and keep drawing blanks. I’d say to myself, ‘Oh no, there’s no way I can do this.’
“But when I finished the chapter on recruiting Jack Sikma, it made me feel like I was over the hump. Then I thought, ‘Maybe I can do this after all.’ The next chapter was about Coach Horenberger. I was on my way.”
IT ISN'T REALLY SURPRISING that Bridges has joined the ranks of authors. "Writing" is the title of the book's opening chapter. In it he states, "It is hard to say what other career I would have chosen had coaching not worked out. I always felt that I would like to be a writer......I had a great high school English teacher named Louise Reeder......She used to say that I would race into class at the last minute, borrow a piece of paper from one friend and a pencil from another, and write an "A" theme."
The writing of "A Dunk" has brought the Titan AD into closer company with Kindred and renewed respect for quality writing. "We have become reconnected as friends." says Bridges. "Dave took his craft to the highest level....[he is] now acknowledged as one of America's top sportswriters."
Bridges even flirts with fiction, albeit on a slippery slope. "Fiction, I think, would really be difficult to write.....Creating characters......writing dialogue...." But these reservations haven't stopped him from fashioning fiction in his head. A kooky plot dances there: He says, in the opening chapter, "...my book idea was about a man who found himself as the last man alive on earth.....the protagonist is volunteering for an experimental body scan...he and this very attractive nurse seal themselves in this body-scanning capsule, and suddenly some cataclysmic solar event that oxidizes all the rest of the people in the world...."
Now hold that thought. At the 2001 Masters Tournament at Augusta National, Bridges attended as a guest of Kindred. "Dave arranged for me to get a Masters badge....I stayed and had breakfast at the house that Dave and a Hall of Fame lineup of sportswriters rented for the week. The list included John Feinstein and Tom Boswell."
At breakfast with Feinstein and Kindred, Dennie shared his dream of becoming a writer. Only problem was, he laid the "two lone survivors on earth" brainchild on them. Both men were underwhelmed. Bridges writes, "I was a little disappointed when neither Dave nor Feinstein got excited about my idea....."
But let Kindred speak for himself: "When Dennie told John Feinstein and me at breakfast that he wanted to write a book, I thought it was wonderful. He'd do it, and we'd learn all about his times at Wesleyan. Then he told us his book idea, which turned out to be the end of the world and the most elaborate scheme dreamed up to play a round of golf at Augusta National. I guess I didn't say anything. I probably ate another pancake."
And Bridges freely admits, "I really have no ending. I'm certain that it has to have something to do with discovering other survivors somewhere else in the world."
"A DUNK ONLY counts two points" is a treasure trove for fans and followers of IWU basketball. And why not? In his 36 years as Titan head basketball coach, Bridges recorded 667 victories, numerous College Conference of Illinois (CCIW) championships, and 25 post-season appearances. That's a lot of trips to the dessert bar, but the 1996, '97, and 2001 seasons put the icing on the cake. IWU reached the NCAA final four in all three cases. The '97 team won the national championship by beating Nebraska Wesleyan, 89-86.
It's not surprising that the book takes a very close look at Jack Horenberger and Jack Sikma. Horenberger, who died in December of 2000, began coaching at IWU in 1942; he was ever, even up until a month or two before his passing, the soul of Wesleyan athletics, be it as basketball coach, baseball coach, athletic director, or retired counselor.
In several ways, that other Jack, Sikma, put Titan basketball on the map on a nationwide scale. It's probably fair to say Sikma was the finest player in Wesleyan history. It's certainly safe to say that he is the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. And that he went on to score more than 17,000 points during a 14-year NBA career.
It was Horenberger who coached Bridges at IWU (he earned 11 letters in baseball, basketball, and football) and guided him into coaching. In chapter four, "My Dream Job," Bridges recalls the Titan icon's guiding hand: "What Coach wanted to see me about pretty much knocked me off my feet. He said he had talked to the President of the University about hiring me to succeed him as basketball coach.
"....in the meantime he had arranged an interview for me at Plainfield High School. He wanted me to get some coaching experience and prepare to come back to the Titans....Coach Horenberger was taking a big gamble committing a college head coaching job to someone who had never coached a game. He was acting on instinct, I'm sure, and the leadership qualities that he saw in me as a player."
BRIDGES' BOOK summarizes the recruitment of Sikma in great detail. In fact, there is an entire chapter, "Recruiting Jack Sikma," devoted to it. "In the fall of 1973, a routine memo came to me from the admissions office about a 6-9 basketball player from St. Anne, Illinois. The kid's name was Jack Sikma; he had a 27 ACT and was ranked third in a class of 117. I wrote Jack a handwritten letter introducing Illinois Wesleyan and myself...."
What followed was a daunting, time-consuming endeavor. Dennie was about to go to battle with some of college basketball's heavy artillery. Sikma had an older sister who was a student at Wesleyan. Bridges had several talks with her but "....it became fairly clear that having a sister at Illinois Wesleyan would not be a major factor for or against success in recruiting Jack.
"As expected, the list of schools interested in Jack grew and was a little intimidating. I had been following Jack doggedly for over two months, and now, all of a sudden, Illinois, Purdue, Kansas State, and Indiana State were in the picture. This was really deep water for Illinois Wesleyan.
"After his visits to Kansas State, Purdue, and Indiana State, Jack fairly quickly narrowed his choice to Illinois Wesleyan and the University of Illinois. I'm sure many would have said the University of Illinois and Illinois Wesleyan?....The issues as I tried to define them in Illinois Wesleyan's favor were these: Illinois would want to red-shirt him, as all of the big-time schools had indicated they would, because of his need to mature and get stronger. I promised him that he would be my starting center as a freshman.....In 36 years, Jack was the only player that I promised a starting job."
Well, all's well that ends well. Sikma indeed committed to the Titans and the results were as dramatic as Bridges forecast. He says in chapter 11, "He did indeed become as I predicted, 'The greatest player in Illinois Wesleyan history.'" Sikma's presence in the post took an already-good program to the next level. Before Sikma arrived on campus, Bridges had already coached the Titans to three outright CCIW titles as well as a tie for first in 1971.
"In Jack's final three seasons we won the conference championship with a three season conference record of 44-4 and an overall record of 71-20." Of the 20 losses, eight were on the road against Division I teams. "The Division I games," Bridges explains, "were important for Jack to showcase his game for the NBA scouts.
"For me personally in coaching, recruiting Jack was my biggest off-the-court accomplishment and raised the bar for Illinois Wesleyan basketball forever."
BUT "THE DUNK...." is much more than "the Jack Tales" (ouch). A good deal of it is fascinating travelogue material. Bridges recalls in great detail individual teams and players. He takes us along on team trips ranging from gritty New York car caravans in the snow to exotic adventures in sun-drenched Hawaii.
He brings us with him on other team trips to California, Florida, and the Southwest. Many of these trips involved playing Division I teams, so the guarantee money would offset the costs. Even though his teams usually took a whipping in these games, they were still fun. His primary goal was always a CCIW championship, so the games against the "big time" schools in pre-conference action were designed to "toughen up" the Titans.
The Bridges travelogue also takes us along the post-season trail. He outlines the NAIA years when winning the District 20 playoffs meant heading to Kansas City for the national championship playoffs. IWU accomplished this milestone seven times between 1966 and 1980.
Although the Kansas City trips were exciting and memorable, at the end of the 1982-83 season Wesleyan left the NAIA to join the NCAA. In chapter nine Bridges explains why: "The reasons were many. The NCAA was doing a much better job of financing post-season play in all sports and the NCAA opportunities were better for our other sports. There were advantages for our conference if all of the schools in our conference were NCAA, and we were the last NAIA holdout."
OF THE MANY individual games which are narrated in this book, there are two which were highlights for me. And no, the '97 national title game is not one of them. In late December of '82, Bridges took his team to Tucson to play Arizona. The Titans won. The coach remembers it this way, "Arizona really got after us physically in the second half. With little more than a minute to go they took a one-point lead. We went back down the floor, ran our offense and scored, then stole the in-bounds pass and got fouled. The two free throws made us the winner, 67-64.
"As we celebrated and walked off the floor, the crowd sat in stunned silence. A Pac-10 team had lost to a CCIW team at home."
The second game was a 1986 NCAA quarterfinal game against LeMoyne-Owen in Memphis. Bridges spends an entire chapter (16) on this one, "Memphis--the NCAA Guarantees Our Safety." Bridges' first response was the logical one: "Why don't you send us somewhere that you don't have to guarantee our safety?"
IWU lost the game 95-87, but the NCAA came up short on its promise. There was no safety and no real evidence of NCAA control. Wesleyan players were mugged and cursed. The game was played in a high school gym which didn't meet NCAA requirements. The game ball was not standard issue, either. Bridges recalls his apprehension at the conclusion of the nightmarish game: "At the end of the game the crowd was out of control in a frenzy of happiness. I didn't feel safe at this point. My thought later was, what if we had won and it was a frenzy of unhappiness?"
BRIDGES REVEALS in the book that he has always been a New York Yankees fan. There's no telling what flaw in his character accounts for this. Perhaps it's a genetic condition over which he has no control.
He is candid about his personal life on more substantial fronts. Why did he always cry real tears at halftime of "senior night" games? It's in the book. Why was he a substandard student during his first two years of college? It's in there. Why his passion for golf and what are his 10 favorite courses? It's in there.
Would you like to know why the basketball series between IWU and ISNU/ISU was discontinued after 1969? Would you like to know the actual facts? The behind-the-scenes controversy associated with the termination of this storied rivalry? "A Dunk Only Counts Two Points" will tell you.
Behind the scenes on less contentious subject matter, readers will learn how the Shirk Center was built, how the Jack Horenberger Baseball Field was funded and constructed, how the IWU football stadium was renovated and upgraded, how new softball and soccer facilities came to fruition. In short, "A Dunk..." divulges how, over the past decade, IWU athletic facilities have been transformed from ho-hum to a grand complex envied by small colleges and universities across the nation.
The book is a "must read" for area basketball fans. The cover price of $15 will not generate any income for Bridges himself. All of the proceeds are headed directly for the Jack Horenberger Scholarship Fund (this is not a fund for athletes, by the way, but part of the university’s general scholarship kitty.)
Copies are available at the Alamo II, the Illinois Wesleyan book store, or by calling the Shirk Center at 556-3196.
AT IWU, MIKE ROGERS HAS BEEN 'A TRIBUTE TO THE HUMAN SPIRIT'
IT WAS THE ENGLISH poet Thomas Moore who wrote, "The heart that is soonest awake to the flowers is always the first to be touched by the thorns." Mike Rogers would understand the sentiment. In fact, he might well use it as a personal mantra.
Once upon a time, when Wesleyan's senior forward was an impetuous adolescent growing up in a rough and tough south side Chicago neighborhood, he came home with some brand new art work.
That art work came from the tattoo parlor. He was sporting brand new filigree on both arms, just above the biceps. One spelled LOVE and the other HATE. The only thing left was explaining them to his mother.
And just how did Mom feel about the new body work? "My mother's reaction to my tattoos was that she didn't speak to me for a week," Rogers admits. "But she got over it once I explained them as well as I could to her."
It must have been a pretty compelling closing argument, as Rogers' mother is an attorney. I bet he romanced the stone by using that smile of his.
"Two days after my 18th birthday I decided to get them [the tattoos]. It seemed true then and it still does now that those two words and their subsequent meanings transcended all barriers that have been erected by humans. Sure, there are an infinite number of ways to express these truths, secular or not, black or white, or any other 'apparent' difference between people.
"The truth remains that every action and interaction between people was based upon LOVE and HATE."
The tattoo story provides a glimpse not only into Rogers' propensity for dark-side rumination, but opens onto his lyrical bent as well. Eventually, those qualities would dog him and sustain him at the same time during his five years as an IWU full and part-time basketball player.
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY has had better players than Mike Rogers. And truthfully speaking, several of them are members of IWU’s current team, the one which went on an NCAA tournament rip in March, beating four straight conference champions. That extraordinary streak landed the Titans in the final four in Ole Virginy where they lost in the semifinal round before winning the third place game.
But it would be difficult indeed to find a Titan who has engendered more warmth and affection than Rogers within the bosom of the IWU athletic family--coaches, teammates, fans, and well-wishers. “Mike has earned all of that affection too,” says Dennie Bridges, his coach. “He deserves it.”
I know what you’re thinking: Bridges is not Wesleyan’s basketball coach anymore; he retired. Nevertheless, I reserve the right to call him the coach until such time as his successor has been named (which may, in fact, occur before this article reaches print).
Rogers was not a star on this team. He wasn’t a starter, either. Bluntly put, he was a deep reserve. The congenital foot condition which forced him to take a medical redshirt during the 1999-2000 season flared up again this year. “I remember when I tried to play last year, the year that should have been my senior year,” says Rogers, “but the pain was too intense. It was excruciating at times.
“I tried all sorts of things to alleviate the buildup of calcium deposits, but nothing worked. I even had it in a cast for a while to see if that would help. But there was simply too much pain and inflammation. Eventually I’ll have to have arch reconstruction surgery, but I’m not in any hurry to face that.”
Rogers, a fifth-year senior, recently lifted high the NCAA’s Division III trophy immediately after the Titans beat Ohio Northern. He didn’t have to hoist it by himself. He had help from the team’s only other seniors, Captain Adam Osborn and forward/center Todd Wente.
BUT ROGERS MAY BE Wesleyan's best hoister, especially when it comes to little tykes. He is the "Titan of choice" for the throngs of small children who congregate near the team bench before and after basketball games. When he's not tossing them in the air, he's taking them for shoulder rides.
Caitlin Conger, age 8, is one of Rogers' biggest fans. How big? Well, big enough that she created a special photo album which she delivered to Rogers at the team's recent Shirk welcome-home party.
"The photo book idea came about when we were in Virginia and Mike asked to have a copy of a picture of Caitlin and himself," recalls Caitlin's mother, Karen. "I realized that he would probably like to have copies of pictures that we took all season. So Caitlin and I worked on the book to give him at the reception so he could always remember his little fan.
"Caitlin also thought it was cool that before games when the team was warming up he never brushed her off or was too busy to give her 'high fives' or toss her up in the air. She tried to see him on the court before every game. After the victory at Wartburg, Mike picked her up and put her on his shoulders, then took her around to each of the players so she could give the 'high fives.'
"After the Chicago game Mike took her on his 'high five' trip again and after he cut down his piece of the net he cut a small piece off of his and gave it to her. She has that piece....in a picture frame on her dresser. She was on cloud nine because she knew she had something that no other fan would get...she felt very special.
Caitlin Conger is small and petite for her age. According to her mother, "She is often left out because of her size. She thinks of Mike like a big brother...and says he is just a 'big kid.'"
Rogers would be the first to agree. "Kids have the wonderful gift," he observes, "of knowing when they see a bigger kid, which is what I am basically."
WE COULD BE excused, based on so much feel-good data, for perceiving Mike as a happy-go-lucky "big kid." The reality is something quite different: All of those Rogers sunbeams filter their way "through a glass darkly." He suffers from manic depression.
"I was diagnosed last May," says Rogers openly. "Once we were certain that I would not be able to play last year and before I decided to return for a fifth year, which I did not commit to until after my diagnosis, I was hurled into a vicious depressive state. I recognized that I was depressed, which I had been before, but never to this magnitude.
"It eventually got to the point where I was a danger to others as well as to myself. So, in the first week of May term and after several close encounters and flirtations with the darkest depths of my being, I knew that I needed help. I 'turned myself in' and began to get treatment.
"It was in early May that I went home, got a psychiatrist, and began to pick up the pieces. A large part of my treatment was medication. There have been so many anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, and anti-anxiety medications that haven't worked it makes me question whether anything will really work for an extended period of time."
It takes courage and plenty of it to reveal the personal demons associated wth this dreadful psychiatric condition. We may think we live in a period of enlightenment, but don't try selling that to mental health professionals; they know better.
The medical name for manic depression is bipolar disorder. A summary by Joy Ikelman goes like this: "Bipolar disorder is a mental illness, but it is more appropriately described as a neurobiological brain disorder involving extremes in mood. It is one of the three major 'affective' disorders."
Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison ratchets up the prose a bit to reveal the intensity of this disorder. She writes, "The illness encompasses the extremes of human experience. Thinking can range from florid psychosis, or 'madness,' to patterns of unusually clear, fast, and creative associations, to retardation so profound that no meaningful mental activity can occur. Behavior can be frenzied, expansive, bizarre and seductive, or it can be seclusive, sluggish, and dangerously suicidal."
Just the kind of "little man" a college student needs on his shoulder while trying to concentrate on a biology final or learn how to switch immediately from a trapping full-court zone to a half-court man to man.
And if you've forgotten about those tattoos, here's Rogers' more mature take on them: "They were never meant for others to like, dislike, or understand. I came to understand through psychotherapy that they were an affirmation of an understanding as to who I am. They were a coping mechanism for a troubled young man who was only at the beginning of an epic battle..."
THE DISCOURAGEMENT of Rogers' two frustrating senior seasons was only intensified by the fact that his junior year on the court was such a success. During the 1998-99 season, the slender 6-6 forward played in and started all 26 of Wesleyan's games. He scored 7.3 ppg while averaging 7.1 rebounds to lead the team in that department.
Three times that year he turned in "double doubles" (double figures in points and rebounds in the same game).
As a freshman, Rogers endured a different kind of frustration. With his academic eligbility at risk, he dropped a science course. It might have been a wise move in terms of his GPA, but it left him short of the NCAA's minimum credit requirements for eligibility. Wearing street clothes, he watched his teammates win the national championship. When they passed out the jewelry, he did not get a championship ring.
"Yeah, it was real discouraging," recalls Rogers. "I was on the team but I wasn't. I could practice with the guys, but when it was time to play the games, I was a spectator. My mistake was starting college as a psychology major. I didn't realize how many science courses would be involved."
Rogers is now majoring in business administration. He is scheduled to graduate in two months, at the end of "May term," a shortened but intensified semester. This particular May term will take Rogers and several classmates literally around the world under the guidance of Professor Fred Hoyt.
"We'll be studying business systems and management strategies in a lot of different countries," Mike informs. "We're going to England, Saigon, India, Africa...did I mention Hong Kong? I'm really looking forward to it. It should be lots of fun."
BRIDGES REFLECTS on Rogers' basketball career at IWU and wonders what might have been. "He had such a strong junior season...I think he may have led the conference in rebounding, but I'd have to look that up. I know he led our team in rebounding.
"Mike always had the talent to compete at the highest level, but then his foot injuries and his battle with the bipolar disorder made it impossible to perform at that level. But through it all Mike has been a positive force on our team. I respect his ability to deal with his health problems and accept a lesser role and always put the team first.
"His capacity for persevering through all the adversity is really a tribute to the human spirit. Mike will be a friend for life."
Rogers never would have enrolled at IWU had Bridges not snatched him from the jaws of the Wolverines. "I was all set to go to Michigan," says Rogers. "I was accepted there and all ready to go. I wasn't going to be a basketball player there, just a regular student.
"But then Coach Bridges called me at home one evening in May of my senior year in high school [St. Ignatius]. He invited me to come and visit IWU, so I did. About all I needed was one good look at the Shirk Center and a chance to spend a little time with him. By the time I drove back home that day I knew I wanted to attend IWU."
How much impact has Bridges had on Mike's life? About this much: "In the five years that I have been a part of Illinois Wesleyan University, Dennie Bridges has had a greater impact on my life than any other male....he's a part of me, much greater than a five year experience.
"And all I can say is that I hope a piece of me will remain with him."
Mike Rogers may have missed out on that championship ring. But his foothold in the circle of life seems pretty firm.
JACK HORENBERGER A LEGEND? WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT?
OKAY, MY TURN. Many tributes to Jack Horenberger have been written and aired in our corner of the world--and beyond-- since his death on December 1. He was "Coach," he was "Mr. Illinois Wesleyan." But he was "Jack." I knew him well, and loved him, and by God, I'm gonna carve out space for my $.02
For a fact, let the record show that on April 11, 1999, Jack Horenberger, at age 86, threw the ceremonial first pitch to inaugurate the Illinois Wesleyan baseball field named in his honor. On a blustery, slate-gray day with occasional flurries, he stood on the mound in his trenchcoat with IWU Athletic Director Dennie Bridges close by.
Despite the weather, a standing-room-only crowd was on hand. The mayor was there along with the university president. They were holding big scissors. There were formal ribbons to be cut.
Speaking into a microphone, Horenberger declared that this day, all for him, combined with the new facility, “sent shivers up and down my back.” To be more exact, he said, “You’d all better believe that this day sends shivers up and down my back.” It was a phrase the coach often returned to, and one whose meaning we all understand.
Now for posterity, let the record show that Jack Horenberger brought the heat, that his ceremonial first pitch was a Nolan Ryan-like burner that handcuffed IWU catcher Chad Beatty It was a laser.
That’s fair. When it comes to legends, the “willing suspension of disbelief” is S.O.P. And Jack Horenberger was a legend long before his death. As Matt “The Cat” Adams would say, “You can ask Chad, he’ll tell you the same thing.”
Who did Wesleyan play that day, and did they win? Well let’s see....let’s try and remember....see what I mean? Roger that, “Cat.”
BUT THE BEST PART about the life of Jack Horenberger is that the “legend” component is essentially gratuitous. The man was even better. When we twist and shape people into legends, it's often an exercise in camouflage, a bunkum for making people larger than life when in fact they were smaller.
Simply by being himself, Jack was bigger. Consider that on Sunday afternoon of November 26, five days prior to "Coach's" death, Annette Lobdell and her husband Lanny made their way to the Horenberger home. Jack was in the process of dying gracefully.
Lying prone on his bed, but alert, he stretched his arms in her direction when she entered the room. Annette Lobdell is a Normal resident who misses IWU basketball games about as often as presidential elections come around. In the Shirk Center, she's usually positioned in the first or second row behind the Titan bench.
Annette was not a former Horenberger basketball player. She didn't play basketball at all, not even in high school. At five feet, three inches, and 110 pounds soaking wet, she probably couldn't have pumped enough iron to play the point or second base. She never attended Illinois Wesleyan. But she loved Jack Horenberger and he loved her back.
She understands death, though, and is well-versed in the sorrow that goes with it. "He just stretched his arms out in my direction," says Annette, "and I knew he wanted to give me a hug. So we hugged each other. He whispered in my ear, 'Honey, this is a lot harder on you than it is on me.'"
THIS TOO is true: When I was a freshman at IWU in the fall of 1960, I'd been playing enough pick-up basketball in the old Memorial Gym to decide that maybe I was ready to become a real live Titan. Some of those pick-up games included various then-current members of the IWU varsity.
One day, "Coach" was sitting on the bleachers, sort of eyeballing the playground nature of what was going on, when I approached him. "Coach," I said, "I think I'd like to try out for the basketball team. What do you think?"
He smiled before he answered. It wasn't a sardonic smile, though, it was a Horenberger smile: Big and broad and true. "Jim," he answered politely, "I don't think that's probably a very good idea."
"But Coach," said I. "I'm as tall as Wisted." I was referring to Jerry Wisted, the Wesleyan center at that time, who was all of six feet if he stood up very, very straight. But Wisted was built like an NFL linebacker. He was about as hard as one of the concrete pillars on the threshold of that old building. On the court, he could divide skinny tall guys like Moses cutting the Red Sea in half.
Horenberger still had the smile. "Jim," he continued, "do you know what Wisted would do to you on the court? He'd probably knock you clear out into the lobby, if not all the way out onto the steps."
Wise, straightforward, appropriate, and somehow kind, all at the same time.
THE NEXT SPRING, I interviewed him for an article I was doing. It may have been for The Pantagraph, or it may have been for the campus newspaper, The Argus. I can't remember which.
He sat behind his desk and assured me to "Take all the time you need. We'll get all the material covered we need to cover." I was a lime green teenager trying to learn to be a sports writer. Horenberger gave me the same kindness and indulgence he might have provided for Grantland Rice.
We were discussing the mechanics of baseball hitters and what were the most important elements for success. I was exploring dimensions of batting such as keeping the head still, keeping the hands back and so on. But I noticed that he was slowly shaking his head back and forth.
"Nope, nope, nope," he said. "All of those techniques are secondary. The most essential element in hitting is courage. Courage to keep your butt in there even though that fastball may be somewhere close to your chin. If you can bat without fear, so as to disregard the possibility that the ball may hit you, that's the most important part. Then and only then do the things we call techniques and strike zone knowledge and the like become significant."
We talked of many things that day, but that's the portion of the exchange I remember most clearly. Horenberger was blunt, accurate, and fair. He was "with the bark off" as Harry Truman liked to say, but always respectful.
NOW LET'S FAST FORWARD to late September, 2000. Try and stay with me here. I entered the IWU student union by way of the front door about mid-morning. Jack was seated in a large wing chair in the lobby. He was wearing a golf shirt and a pair of blue shorts. I asked him if he planned on going downstairs for coffee.
"I'll tell you what," he replied. "If you can help me get up out of this chair, I'll come downstairs and join everybody." "Everybody" meant the coffee circle of good old boys who gather in Wesleyan's "Dugout" cafeteria most mornings to swap stories and tall tales.
I extended my hand to help him to his feet. We went down those stairs, one old guy and one REALLY old guy. Horenberger used the railing carefully as he navigated the steps. It was clear to me then how debilitating his illness had become.
Jack got his usual piece of pie, nibbled a few bites, then pushed the plate aside. People were always nagging him to eat more. Most of the usual suspects were there that day--Bridges, Bill Frank, Lanny Lobdell, Mike Willis, maybe Ed Alsene, maybe Art Kimball.
But the table was always Horenberger's circle. When he started up with a story, or pieced together an observation about the world of sports, everybody else got zipped lips and had their ears on. We weren't long into our discourse when a slender young woman approached. Her name was Jeanette Otis, and she is currently sports editor of the college newspaper.
It was Jeanette's mission to interview "Coach" for an article she was working on. As if on cue, the rest of us got out of our seats and moved to a different table, leaving the young woman and Jack alone to take care of their business.
People at our table continued with conversation, but I was watching Horenberger and Jeanette. Another lime green teenager learning to be a sports writer. I couldn't hear what they might be saying, but I watched her silver-haired interviewee gesturing and pointing with enthusiastic body language.
Jack Horenberger was tired and easily fatigued. He had little appetite. But he would give Jeanette Otis all the time she needed.
A NOVEMBER 26 article in the Chicago Tribune was Horenberger's interview with Trib sports columnist Bob Verdi. The next day, Ed Alsene took a copy of the article to Horenberger's home to read it to him. "Jack was listening," Ed recalls, "mostly with his eyes closed, but he was hearing every word. Every once in a while he'd say, 'Well I'll be damned.'"
Horenberger's virtues were extolled in The Sporting News by former IWU student Dave Kindred, now one of America's heaviest hitters in sports journalism.
What I know firsthand is that he was a decent and generous human being who loved his school, loved students, and loved to teach. His family life was as rich as his circle of friends. An authentically curious man, he couldn't resist asking questions, and people who ask questions are never boring.
People who are credible and never boring don't need to be legends. But, heck, if we want to make him one, how's he going to stop us? That ceremonial first pitch was a 95 mph heater. You could look it up.
HOW DOES KOREY COON DO THE THINGS HE DOES?
THE YEAR KOREY COON was a freshman guard on Illinois Wesleyan's basketball team (1997), the Titans won the NCAA Division III national championship. "That's got to go down as one of my greatest thrills. Sometimes I try to tell the younger guys what it was like, but it's always frustrating because I just can't find the right words."
That may be so. But if he ever gives me a stock market tip, I'll be inclined to think that his words are the right ones.
You know those Schwab commercials on TV these days, the ones that usually run during sporting events? I think they're pretty clever, actually. Denver Broncos' tight end Shannon Sharpe trash-talks to an opponent by second-guessing his portfolio, and tennis star Anna Kournikova tutors her young pupils by extolling the virtues of diversification.
My guess is that the two of them are blowing smoke at worst, or reciting from a prepared script at best. But Korey Coon really does know the stock market.
"I love the stock market," he practically gushes. "I've been in stocks since I was a freshman in high school. I read the Wall Street Journal every day, and for a 22-year old, I'd have to say I've accumulated a pretty strong portfolio."
Does he use a broker? "Nah; I've got my own online account."
Mutual funds? "Nah; those are for wusses. Not enough sense of adventure in that. I prefer to deal in individual stocks where there's some aggressiveness and volatility."
Okay, so what sort of credentials does this IWU senior bring to the table? Well, plenty actually. In addition to the 8 years of experience, he will graduate in May with a perfect 4.0 GPA in risk management and economics.
In 1999, he was selected as a first-team GTE Academic All-American as well as College division "Academic All-American of the Year."
And oh, one other thing--he can play basketball a little bit. But then, you already knew that.
WHEN ILLINOIS WESLEYAN played Benedictine in a game at the Shirk Center on December 4, Coon missed a free throw. It was a moment to savor. The congregation of IWU faithful delivered the one appropriate response: a standing ovation.
Sort of like L.A. Lakers' fans do when Shaquille O’Neal MAKES one.
This miss snapped a streak of 70 consecutive made free throws, extending back to the '98-'99 season. He shucked and grinned while the crowd got to its feet for an extended session of applause-cum-exhale: whew! Even good streaks, like their bad counterparts, can create a palpable level of anxiety.
A person of stubborn enough disposition could probably find a better free throw shooter than the IWU senior captain. High school level, college, professional, men's side, women's side. Gotta be one somewhere.
As for me, I’d rather undertake a less challenging quest, like, say, locating the Elvis Presley hideout or finding Amelia Earhart’s missing fuselage.
How good is Coon from the charity stripe? About this good: His career .888 percentage is #1 on the All-time Wesleyan list, while his .897 mark in '97-'98 is the high-water mark for IWU in a single season.
But neither of those records figures to have much tenure. This season, prior to Wednesday's game at North Park, Coon had made 101 free throws in 104 attempts. That's a percentage of .971. Whoa, Nellie; let's run that by the calculator one more time. Yep, same result.
I have no idea what the NCAA single-season record for free throw percentage is, but I'll bet it's running for cover.
COON IS NOT SIX FEET tall, even though the programs and media guides claim he is. "I'm really only 5-11," he says. He also admits that he can't dunk. He's not especially quick, either.
In short, he's not a great "athlete." "Yeah, I hear it all the time," he says. "Other guys are quicker than me, bigger than me, and can jump higher."
IWU Head Coach Dennie Bridges observes that "When he was in high school (East Peoria), a lot of the big programs didn't think he was athletic enough to play in Division I."
But the fact is, there are great athletes and then there are great basketball players. Corey Koon locates in the second group.
The distinction was never so well illustrated as in IWU's January 10 win over North Park, a team with lots of hops but little poise. The Titans had to rally from an 11-point second half deficit to win the game, 85-78.
Coon was matched against North Park's lightning-quick, skywalking Kerry Pates primarily, although other Vikings took turns bumping and grinding on him as well. Pates made several flashy moves on his way to scoring 19 points.
But he also fouled out of the game. Coon, on the other hand, scored 28 points on eight of twelve from the field and ten of ten from the line. His late free throws proved to be the nails which secured the coffin lid.
COON IS A GREAT--not good--three point shooter, and he's so strong with the ball that he's always been a point guard. "People always used to wonder why I didn't want to be a 2 (shooting guard), since I am a good shooter," says Coon. "I always had the same answer--I want the ball in my hands."
Says Bridges, "I always figured if he was strong enough with the ball to bring it up against Peoria Manual's press, he was good enough to play the point in our league."
The coach also likes the fact that he's a scoring point guard. "In some of the Division 1 programs, the point guard is essentially just a distributor--he gets the ball to people who can score. But a guy who doesn't score is a guy you don't really have to guard."
You have to guard Corey Koon. He has made approximately 200 three pointers at IWU, which means he's closing fast on Titan career leader Mark Edmundson's total of 235. His1580 career points earn him the fifth spot in IWU's history. A guy named Jack Sikma, along with three other fellows, are still ahead of him.
SO WHAT IS IT that makes him so good? "In a word," says Bridges, "determination. He's always been a great shooter, so when people defensed him by overplaying, he developed his drive to the basket. When someone takes a part of his game away, he develops another part of his game.
"And when Korey drives to the basket, he takes it all the way; he doesn't stop halfway down the lane and wonder what he's going to do next."
Going hard to the basket means, of couse, among other things, drawing fouls. And shooting free throws. "I have worked hard to develop my drive to the basket," says Coon. People have to respect my outside shot, so even though I'm not the quickest guy in the world, if they overplay me out there, I can get by them."
It's refreshing to be reminded every now and again that basketball is more than 180-slams and highlight reels from "The Right Stuff." Sometimes, the game involves gray matter.
Tell Bridges that Coon is bright, and he'll correct you. "He's not just bright, he's super bright."
And let the record show that the Coach is right. But Coon will also tell yout that "Sometimes it's just instinct. It's got nothing to do with brains or intellect. I can remember just coming down the court at times and launching a 23-footer, because instinct tells me we need a momentum-buster."
ALTHOUGH HE SEES his future in financial management and investment, he also reveals, "I also see myself involved in coaching somewhere down the line. I love little kids and I love working with them. I even love the recess monitor duty I do at Oakdale Elementary School."
It was Coon who instigated Wesleyan's most recent endearing ritual, that of lining up a group of small children beneath the basket so they can exchange high fives with each player as the starting lineup is introduced. "We did something sort of like it in East Peoria," says Coon. "I thought it might be cool to try it here."
Does he regret "settling" for a Division III program coming out of high school when he might have had loftier opportunities? "I don't regret my decision for one minute," he says. "I wouldn't change my four years at IWU for anything in the world.
"Being a captain for Coach Bridges means I have team input. He asks me for my opinion on the development of younger players, changing strategies, and that kind of thing. That's a lot of respect and it means a lot to any player.
"At Wesleyan, it's all like family. We love our fans and they love us. There's no bond in sports that I know of that's quite like it."