Big Ten Basketball
It’s always been tough to win on the road in Big 10 Basketball, and this year is even tougher than normal, with home teams holding a 142-33 advantage over the visiting teams. Maryland and Rutgers are undefeated at home. One the toughest place to play in the entire league has always been Assembly Hall in Bloomington, home of the Indiana Hoosiers, where they are 12-2 so far this season.
The first and only game I’ve ever attended at Assembly Hall was on December 6, 1980 when #5 ranked Indiana played #2 Kentucky in an early season non-conference game. We were living in Richmond, Indiana at the time, so on a whim, I drove down to Bloomington by myself that Saturday without a ticket hoping to scalp one at the gate.
I had no luck scalping a ticket; however, just as game time was approaching, an older women approached the main entrance pushing her husband in a wheelchair. I offered to help her with the wheelchair and she gratefully obliged. The three of us rolled into the arena, never even having to show their two tickets! Handicap seating was at floor level next to the Indiana bench. The husband stayed in his wheelchair and his wife and I sat in their assigned ticketed seats right next to him. Perfect! She asked me to sit in the middle so I could talk basketball with her husband during the game, instead of her having to do so! Unfortunately, Indiana lost 66-68 but went on to later win the Big Ten and NCAA championships. And no, it was not the infamous game a few years later where IU coach Knight threw the chair onto the court! Coach Knight just returned to Assembly Hall on Saturday, 20 years after being fired. Click here for the video.
That game was my first exposure to Hoosier captain Isiah Thomas, who was so smooth running the floor, dishing out 5 assists, dribbling right through the Kentucky defense and leading the fast break for easy lay-ups to score a game high 20 points. After a 3 year stay in Richmond, we moved to Michigan where I was able to witness Isiah Thomas lead the Detroit Pistons to NBA championships in 1989 & 1990.
Current NBA star for the Washington Wizards, Isaiah Thomas is not related; however, he was named after the Piston star when lifelong Lakers fan, James Thomas made a bet with a friend that his beloved team would defeat the Pistons in the 1989 Finals or he would name his son after decorated Lakers nemesis Isiah Thomas!
Another IU connection surfaced recently when we had lunch with Evan, a college fraternity brother we hadn’t seen since our wedding in 1972. He happened to be in Florida so looked us. Catching up on the last 48 years, we discovered he attended Indiana University for graduate school and also played rugby for the club team on campus. One of his teammates was Mark Cuban, who was an undergraduate at IU. Cuban wanted to buy a bar in Bloomington, so asked Evan for a $15,000 loan since Evan was working for GM while going to school at night. Once Cuban graduated, he sold the bar for a nice profit. Because Evan was convinced Cuban would be very successful in life, he told Mark to “let it roll” regarding his share, which he has done every year since. Cuban is now a multi- billionaire, so what does that make Evan? He just smiled when asked!
Back to basketball, when the Hoosiers “stole” coach Archie Miller from the Flyers, I was really upset; however, after this year’s play by the Flyers, led by Coach Anthony Grant and center Obadiah Tobbin, all is forgiven! Go Flyers! They likely could beat any Big 10 team this year, even if they were the visiting team!
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