B Is For Basketball
On staying inside the lines, remembering to dribble, and reviving a family legacy. How my 3-year-old learned to be a Hoosier.
Midway through his first term as mayor, Lugar joined Dolly Parton onstage at a concert in Garfield Park—and received an impromptu smooch on the cheek. “She said, ‘Mr. Mayor, I want you to come on down to Nashville and be our mayor,’” recalls Morris. “He blushed, thanked her, and walked off the stage.”
Even Indiana fans must have known this day was coming. Rarely do teams run the gauntlet of a season without losing. But judging by the way Jordan Hulls angrily wrenched away from a teammate offering to console him following his failed (wide left) last shot in Butler’s upset of Indiana Saturday, I believe that Hoosier thought his team was going to win every game.
UPDATE, Dec. 14, 2012: Superstar actress/producer Vivica A. Fox has words for the girls basketball team members at her alma mater, Arlington High School, and shared them via Twitter last night: “Wow! My assnt told me about this yesterday! Come Golden Knights gurls! Time 4 more practice!! U can do it ;-)”
Indy’s own touring professional tennis player, Rajeev Ram, ranked as high as No. 90 in 2012 on the ATP Tour that includes the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, staged his third annual charity tennis exhibition on Saturday, Dec. 8. Joining him: his friendly foe and sometimes-partner Brian Baker, a childhood chum currently ranked No. 61, two promising junior stars (Bloomington South’s Ronnie Schneider and Carmel’s Sameer Kumar) and a revolving lineup of local club pros.
But what about our pro basketball franchise? Don’t you remember? The one born here 45 years ago on little more than a few dollars and a big dream? The one that helped Indianapolis elbow its way into national consideration as a sports town by winning three ABA titles in a span of four years? The one whose success spurred the construction of Market Square Arena, the retro-classic Fieldhouse—regarded by many as the finest basketball venue in the country—and, ultimately, downtown revitalization?
Rick Majerus was laid to rest this past weekend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was 64. His well-documented feeble heart was his Waterloo. Many around Indiana remember him as that big man who coached Ball State’s basketball squad between 1987 and 1989 before heading to Utah. Others, including former BSU player Mike Giunta, remember him as their coach.
Lin Dunn is a feisty one. The native Southerner, who became a WNBA-champion coach on Oct. 21, has been at the helm of the Indiana Fever team for five years now. On Monday, she also shared in the good pleasure of listening to one Billie Jean King, one of the most decorated sportswomen ever and (barely arguably) the most influential female athlete of the past 100 years, as King addressed all comers at the downtown Indiana Repertory Theatre at the invitation of the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana. Her featured remarks came on the heels of Dunn’s own introduction, which was vintage, noting gamely that King was the first female athlete to ever earn more than $100,000 in one year and had purchased her first tennis racquet for just $8.20 decades ago.
To mark the 75th anniversary of March Madness, the NCAA today announced its picks for the Top 75 Players in the history of the men’s postseason basketball tournament—and among teams from Indiana, IU had far and away the best showing.
