Golden Boy Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I really hope you don't think the coaches are sitting around their offices today throwing a party because John Brown is on the home schedule. Do you not realize how far ORU has come during the last five years? The fact that New Mexico is giving us a one-for-one and Missouri a two-for-one is a testament to the direction our program is going. I can guarantee you that the coaches did everything they could to find other D1 teams to fill our home slate. The face that people on this board are disappointed at the lack of home games ( especially taking into consideration what next year's slate is going to look like)and calling the schedule pathetic is beyond me. Three straight trips to the dance should tell you our coaches know what they're doing better than anyone on this board would. Coach Dale, with all due respect shouldn't you be up at the Hickory High gym working with Ollie on his granny shot free throws or checking in on your boy Jimmy Chitwood's tutoring session with the lovely Ms. Myra Fleener. Now, now, now, Norman...did you just try to go Hoosiers on me? Niiiiice!...I love it! Okay, so what part of I'm doubling my GEC/season ticket purchase regardless of how pathetic the home schedule may be didn't you understand? I know how difficult it is for you guys to schedule games and I can't wait to walk into the Mabee Center for a host of quality games in December 2009 (TU, New Mexico, Missouri and hopefully a nice bracket buster return game)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Boy Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 The face that people on this board are disappointed at the lack of home games ( especially taking into consideration what next year's slate is going to look like)and calling the schedule pathetic is beyond me. Date, Opponent, Location, Time Sat. Nov. 8: SW Oklahoma St.# Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Tue. Nov. 11: Rogers State# Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Mon. Nov. 17: John Brown Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Mon. Dec. 8: UALR Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Fri. Jan. 2 Centenary* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Jan. 8 IPFW* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Jan. 10 Oakland* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Jan. 22 UMKC* Mabee Center 7:05 Sat. Jan. 24 Southern Utah* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Feb. 12 Western Illinois* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 14 IUPUI* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Feb. 26 South Dakota State* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 28 North Dakota State Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Seriously and with all due respect, if you had to define the above schedule in one word, what would your one word be, coach? If you weren't being paid to be there and you were just a basketball fan, would you pay $2000 for you and three of your closest friends and/or family members to attend these games? Please don't be offended by my candid comment because unfortunately it is what it is and there's no pretty way to package that my friend...our second exhibition game against Rogers State may be the toughest opponent we'll face in the Mabee Center all season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 The coaching staff is to be commended on putting together several fantastic and exciting away games, and some fine tournament games. Projections of 2009 look good on paper, but based on reply #1 on this thread, an away game this year does not necessarily guarantee a home game next year - what's to keep Missouri and New Mexico from not keeping their end of the deal? How do we know if there even was a home/away agreement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanDale Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Coach Dale, with all due respect shouldn't you be up at the Hickory High gym working with Ollie on his granny shot free throws or checking in on your boy Jimmy Chitwood's tutoring session with the lovely Ms. Myra Fleener. Now, now, now, Norman...did you just try to go Hoosiers on me? Niiiiice!...I love it! Okay, so what part of I'm doubling my GEC/season ticket purchase regardless of how pathetic the home schedule may be didn't you understand? I know how difficult it is for you guys to schedule games and I can't wait to walk into the Mabee Center for a host of quality games in December 2009 (TU, New Mexico, Missouri and hopefully a nice bracket buster return game)... My post was purely meant to bring a "big picture" view to this discussion. To look at the schedule in a one-year context, I can understand the in-town frustration. But let's be realistic here. Whether or not this ORU team plays most of this year's opponents home, away, or on the moon, a young and inexperienced squad is going to have a hard time winning. Now why not let that team take their bumps on the road and then have an even better shot to knock off the same opponents during the 2009-10 slate at the Mabee Center. Anyone is more than welcome to disagree with that. To me it doesn't matter if someone is giving $5 or $50,000 to the GEC. Everyone's entitled to their opinion. While I may not be an "insider" like some other around here, I just don't think it's right for any of us message board posters to call out the coaches on this schedule (not pointing fingers, just a general statement). I don't see them going into another person's place of work and telling them they're doing their job wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanDale Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Date, Opponent, Location, Time Sat. Nov. 8: SW Oklahoma St.# Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Tue. Nov. 11: Rogers State# Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Mon. Nov. 17: John Brown Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Mon. Dec. 8: UALR Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Fri. Jan. 2 Centenary* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Jan. 8 IPFW* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Jan. 10 Oakland* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Jan. 22 UMKC* Mabee Center 7:05 Sat. Jan. 24 Southern Utah* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Feb. 12 Western Illinois* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 14 IUPUI* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Feb. 26 South Dakota State* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 28 North Dakota State Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Seriously and with all due respect, if you had to define the above schedule in one word, what would your one word be, coach? If you weren't being paid to be there and you were just a basketball fan, would you pay $2000 for you and three of your closest friends and/or family members to attend these games? Please don't be offended by my candid comment because unfortunately it is what it is and there's no pretty way to package that my friend...our second exhibition game against Rogers State may be the toughest opponent we'll face in the Mabee Center all season. Obviously I struck a personal chord, and that was not my intention. I don't know who you think I am, but I am not an employee of the university. I disagreed with the schedule being called pathetic, but that's one person's opinion. I'll just stick to preparing for Terhune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Boy Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Three straight trips to the dance should tell you our coaches know what they're doing better than anyone on this board would. Our coaches are paid handsomely to win games, and you're doing that...winning the league regular season championship and winning three of four straight Summit League conference tournaments played in Tulsa certainly meets expectations. Obviously we've had three (3) straight very difficult first round match-ups too which I'm sure has been incredibly frustrating to the coaching staff to get to the dance three seasons in a row and be one and done. It's that type of frustration that drove Sunny Golloway to leave ORU and go back to OU because he felt like he'd gone as far as he could with ORU and he was tired of repeating the same thing over and over without accomplishing a different result. I think we all share a common hope and expectation that we will continue with our dominance of the league and become what Valpo was in the 1990's...a win or two or three in the NCAA tournament is the next step, but first things first and that is to win the regular season championship to be the #1 seed at the conference tournament and set up a 4-peat championship in South Dakota next March to put ourselves in a position to win an NCAA tournament game. Anyone else here for that??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 In honor of our newest "member" Norman Dale, I thought I would finally post this chestnut, which I must put into two separate posts, because the entire story exceeds the 20,000 character limit for individual posts. It's a story from the ESPN website in 2003 that I saved for some reason. WARNING: There's some off-color humor in a couple of spots, but all in all, it's the best article I've ever read about everyone's favorite basketball movie: 'Hoosier' Daddy? By Bill Simmons ESPN Page 2 columnist You might have seen ESPN's 25,000th episode of "SportsCenter"on Sunday night, but there was a less-publicized milestone last weekend ... that's right, I watched my favorite sports movie ("Hoosiers") for the 250th time. I always thought it was fitting that "Hoosiers" was released during my most memorable year as a sports fan, 1986, which featured the Basketball Jesus at the absolute zenith of his powers (playing for the '86 Celts, maybe the greatest NBA team of all-time), the Patriots improbably making the Super Bowl, a glorious roller-coaster ride of a Red Sox season (including Dave Henderson's homer in Anaheim, one of my Top 5 fan moments), Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters (another Top 5 moment), and the Red Sox blowing the '86 World Series four months after Lenny Bias dropped dead (my worst two moments ever). Quite a year. "Hoosiers" actually snuck up on me. During the spring of '86, my buddy Bish and I went to see it on a Sunday afternoon, knowing nothing about it other than "It's a basketball movie." We ended up skipping out of the theater two hours later, setting the land-speed record driving back to my house, then playing two straight hours of inspired hoops. True story. When you think about it, how many movies were so memorable, you actually remember everything about the day when you watched it for the first time? That never happens. Anyway, to celebrate the 250th viewing Friday afternoon, I kept a running diary. Here's what transpired ... Noon: As Brent Musberger would say, you're looking liiiiiiive at the Sports Guy Mansion! I'm joined by a large Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee, as well as some Baked Lays sour cream & onion chips and my game-worn Rade Butcher jersey from the '52 state finals. Just pushed the "Hoosiers" DVD into the DVD player. ... I'm already getting chills just from the music on the Main Menu. "Nah na-na-na, nahh nuhh nahhhhh ... nah na-na-na, na nuh-nuh nuh nahhhhh." Feel free to sing along at home. 12:01: There's Norman Dale driving through backwoods Indiana in the early a.m. -- sipping coffee, headed toward his first day at work -- as the opening credits roll, the soundtrack quietly hums in the background and the sun rises through the clouds. Just gets you fired up. Indiana, 1951. 'Nuff said. 12:05: Once the Coach finds Hickory High, Barbara Hershey immediately gives him the third degree. She's a charter member of the Adrian Balboa Hall of Fame -- a k a "the token female character in a sports movie who throws a wet blanket on the leading male character and basically ruins his will to live." Somehow they always end up coming around just when the team/player/coach starts winning. You'll see. 12:06: Jimmy Chitwood makes his first appearance (shooting hoops in an empty gym and ignoring coach Dale). Do you realize that, in the entire movie, they only show Jimmy missing four shots? Right now he's 3-for-4. The school principal (Cletus) tells coach that Jimmy hasn't played for Hickory since the old coach died, but he has never seen a better ballplayer in 40 years. Translation: Jimmy's a head case. 12:12: "Look mister, there's two kinds of dumb ... the guy that gets naked and runs out in the snow and barks at the moon, and the guy who does the same thing in my living room. The first one don't matter, and the second one you're kinda forced to deal with." (Yup, that's That Guy from "Major League", trying to stage a coup d'etat with Coach Dale's first practice! "Leave the ball, will ya, George?") 12:14: "Let's see what kind of hand I've been dealt here." (Here's the hand, Coach: Seven players on your team, 64 kids in the whole school, and your best player is MIA. Also, everyone in the town already hates you. Good luck.) 12:15: Coach lays down the law early, kicking Buddy and Whit off the team for disrespecting him. Two important notes here: * Buddy mysteriously re-joins the team midway through the movie, with no explanation given. Was the "Buddy returns and asks forgiveness scene" simply cut from the movie? Was it ever written in the first place? Did the director think that we wouldn't notice that a seven-man roster inexplicably went back to eight? This one's been bothering me for 16 years. * Whit and Rade (the point guard who gets in trouble during the opening game for shooting too much) are actually brothers: the Butcher brothers. Subtle plot nuance, the kind of thing that takes nearly 180 viewings to pick up. That's why I'm here, folks. 12:16: Time for some dribbling/passing/rebounding/conditioning drills, as the coach says things like "Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit ... team, team, team ... no one more important than the other." Also, Whit apologizes and rejoins the team (here's where we find out from his father that Rade and Whit are brothers), followed by Mr. Butcher ushering the disgruntled Hickory residents out of the gym so coach can run an uninterrupted practice. It doesn't get much better than Mr. Butcher as the random "Under-rated supporting character in a sports movie who only brings good things to the table." He's right up there with Gazzo's sarcastic driver in "Rocky" and the chef from "Vision Quest." 12:20: A drunken Dennis Hopper makes his first appearance (as Shooter, Flatch's dad, in Hopper's last big-time performance other than "True Romance"). In the "I'm Just Plain Killing My Son" pantheon of sports movie characters, Shooter ranks just behind Arthur's father from "Hoop Dreams." 12:21: Coach visits Jimmy (shooting hoops in his backyard), then tries to win him over with this beauty: "I don't care if you play or not." Jimmy makes his first 13 shots in the sequence, missing only the final one. He's 15-for-17 right now; only Bob Cousy's shooting percentage during the surreal free-throw shooting scene in "Blue Chips" was better (done in one take, no less). And while we're here, let the record show that the guy who played Jimmy (Maris Valainis, now a golf pro in California) places third on "Best Jump Shot Form of All-Time" list, right behind Mike Miller and Ray Allen. I would give five years off my life to have Mike Miller's jumper. And you think I'm kidding. 12:23: If every female on the planet were like Barbara Hershey in "Hoosiers," the murder-suicide rate in this country would go through the roof. She just gave coach the "Stay away from Jimmy, I don't want him coaching in Hickory when he's 50" dig. She's a delight. I can't believe she's single. (Here's a good trivia question: What is Barbara Hershey's character's name in this movie? Even I had to look this up. Answer in the second half of the column.) 12:25: "We want Jim-my! We want Jim-my! We want Jim-my!" 12:26: "This is your team." 12:27: The first chink in coach Dale's armor -- the "pass four times before every shot" rule. That was even dumber than Jim Cleamons putting Jason Kidd in the triangle offense back in '96. Ever since one of my readers pointed out that coach Dale was a little shaky as a game coach, it has changed the way I watched this movie. More to come. 12:32: Oolitic High wipes out Hickory in Game 1, marred by Rade violating the "four passes" rule and getting benched. And since Hickory played with four players down the stretch, everyone really hates the coach now. Not good times. (By the way, was there a more under-rated sports movie athlete than Rade Butcher? You think it's easy to shoot that one-legged set shot? He was like a young Danny Ainge. Also, did you know that everyone in the "Hoosiers" cast played college ball in real life except ... Jimmy Chitwood? It's true. See, you worried that this column might not work, but you're enjoying it, aren't you?) 12:36: "All of you have the weekend to think about whether you want to be on the team or not, under the following conditions: What I say, when it comes to this basketball team, is the law ... absolutely and without discussion! 12:39: I like this exchange: Coach: All those years, you ever think about getting married? Barbara: Are you kidding? Nobody would marry me. I'm mean as a snake. Coach: Don't you know that you're supposed to become mean and vicious after you get married? Barbara: You're probably right. Who's up for some hate sex? (All right, I made that up ... sorry about that.) 12:44 p.m. Another loss in Game 2, highlighted by Rade defending the coach by sucker-punching somebody on the other team. This team is coming together, baby! (Unfortunately, Cletus is having heart problems ... I think he's making them up because he's trying to distance himself from the coach: "Um, yeah, I'm not feeling well ... maybe you should get a new assistant ... um ...") 12:47: Coach hires Shooter as his new assistant. Another savvy move from coach Dale. Hey, let's bring the town drunk aboard! 12:52: Flatch sums up everyone's feelings: "Coach, what you're doing with my Dad ... I'm just not seeing it." (I always liked Flatch. I'll never forget flicking channels one night and seeing him as a cop in an Skinemax erotic thriller ... wildly disturbing. They could have at least thrown in a scene when he was lounging around after a sex scene, wearing a Hickory High jersey.) 12:56: Time for the "Should we fire coach Dale?" town hearing, the pivotal scene in the movie, which includes ... * Barbara telling everyone "I think it would be a mistake to let him go ... give him a chance," even though she could have buried him with her "I know you were banned from college coaching because you punched a player" info. She's officially digging Norm. If this were an episode of "Dismissed," her competitor would be using a timeout card right now to cool her off. * Jimmy's dramatic entrance, capped off by his first three lines of the movie: "I got something to say," "I don't know if it'll make any change, but I figure it's time for me to start playing ball," and "One other thing ... I play, coach stays, he goes, I go." In the history of sports movies, only Ivan Drago did more with less. * Mr. Butcher ripping up the votes, smiling and simply saying, "Coach stays." Always fun to imitate at a bar with your friends ... after you pay for the check, quietly grab the slip, stand up, rip the bill in half, pause for a second, then say, "Coach stays." Everyone will enjoy it. And no, I'm not drunk again. * A quick switch to a "Hickory High kicking butt with Jimmy" sequence. Good God. This might be my favorite 10 minutes in the middle of any sports movie. Would anyone like some extra goosebumps? And yes, the "four passes before every shot" rule has officially been thrown out the window. It's Jimmy Time! 1:02: My favorite line of the movie: "I didn't think I could cut it the other night, either, but after what Jimmy did, it would take the Indiana National Guard to get me out of here." 1:06: Welcome back, Buddy. Apparently he rejoined the team, because he just made a big steal in the final seconds of the game we're watching. Maybe he just showed up for practice that week and nobody noticed. Anyway, with coach Dale already kicked out, Shooter needs to come up with the winning play ... and I think we all know what's coming next: "We're gonna run the picket fence at 'em. ... Merle should be open swinging around the end of that fence. Now boys, don't get caught watching the paint dry!" (I think this might work ...) 1:06: It's good! Hickory wins! 1:07: "You did good, Pop. You did real good." (Uh-oh ... it's getting a little dusty in here. I think my hay fever might be acting up again.) continued in following post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 continued 1:08: Hickory rides an eight-game winning streak into the sectional finals against Terhune. A drunken Shooter arrives and wanders on the court, followed by coach Dale telling the ref, "That's OK, he's an assistant coach" and earning a technical foul, then telling a bummed-out Flatch, "You keep in the game!" Not his strongest night. By the way, coach Dale never would have come up with the picket-fence play. Shooter was the driving force on that coaching staff. He was like a drunken Tex Winter. 1:09: Time for an entertaining bench-clearing brawl, kicked off by Jimmy's breakaway layup where he gets cheap-shotted from behind (no flagrant fouls back in the '50s), followed by Flatch pulling a Kermit Washington on the offending Terhune player, then getting shoved into a glass trophy case (busting open his shoulder), and culminating in a classic Hackman moment: "That's a gutless way to win! That's a gutless way to win!" (Has anyone ever done a better job doing "basketball coach" things in a sports movie? When you think about it, who else could have played coach Dale? Harrison Ford? Nick Nolte? Clint Eastwood? Burt Reynolds? I mean, it had to be Hackman, didn't it? Quite simply, this was his defining movie.) 1:12: Jimmy bounces back from the cheap shot to drain the go-ahead basket (he's 24-for-26 in the movie right now), followed by another game-saving steal from Buddy. Hickory wins by two. Meanwhile, poor Shooter ends up in the Betty Ford Center, as Hopper is gunning for an Oscar right now. (Note: That's the easy way to get an Oscar nomination -- either play a drunk or play somebody who's mentally handicapped. And if you're playing a mentally handicapped drunk, they simply mail the Oscar to your house as soon as the movie is released. These are the facts.) 1:16: Regional finals, Jasper, Indiana. And we're in the locker room. "If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game. In my book, we're gonna be winners! OK?" Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. "Let me hear it!" Clap.Clap.Clap.Clap.Clap.Clap.Clap.Clapclapclapclap ... (Maybe he wasn't the best game coach, but nobody belted out those pregame speeches like Norman Dale. Has anyone ever appeared on more Jumbotrons during NBA games, with the possible exception of Sen. John Blutarski?) 1:18: "Buddy, 41 is killing us. Just killing us. Stick with him! Think of chewing gum ... if he's chewing some, by the end of the game, I want to know what flavor it is!" (And I think we all know what flavor it was ... that's right, Dentyne. How come they haven't bought the rights to this scene for a Dentyne commercial? I've always wondered about that. Meanwhile, Flatch's stitches just got busted open again, which raises the question, "How was he cleared to play in the state finals after this game?" Was there like 10 days between games? I'm brimming with questions right now.) 1:20: Trailing with two minutes to play, coach Dale tells the team for the 370th time in two months, "Be patient, look for the good shot!" Then he redeems himself by putting Strap in, telling him, "God wants you on the floor." Savvy. Strap proceeds to light it up. Phil Jackson should try this move with Mark Madsen next season. 1:23: Here comes Ollie the Manager ... and did you ever notice that he's wearing 13? This is like seeing Tony Clark come up for the Red Sox with the bases loaded. Needless to say, Hickory immediately blows the five-point lead. This has all the makings of a Level One "Stomach Punch" game. Until ... 1:25: "One more, Ollie! One more and we're going all the way!" 1:26: It's good! It's good! Hickory's going to the state finals! Let's be honest: Whoever thought of the "Ollie should come off the bench, nearly blow the game, then make two improbable free throws to send Hickory to the state finals" idea has to be considered a full-fledged genius (I'm assuming it was the writer of "Hoosiers," Angelo Pizzo). One of the all-time great sports movie ideas, right up there with the Convicts taking on the Guards in "The Longest Yard," Rocky losing to Creed in "Rocky," and the Good Nazi standing up to applaud Pele's bicycle kick goal in "Victory." Didn't you love the Good Nazi? All right, I'm babbling. 1:29: Yikes. Hackman and Hershey just had the most awkward, uncomfortable kissing scene in movie history, even worse than Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve french-kissing in "Death Trap." It's like watching your grandparents make out. I feel physically ill. Of course, she's officially on the coach Dale bandwagon now that they're headed to the state finals. (Note: I'm currently writing the script for "Hoosiers 2", where Hickory loses to Holland in the state quarters, and Barbara immediately leaves Norm for the South Bend Central coach. By the way, her name was "Myra Fleener" in the movie. There you go.) 1:31: Flatch visits Shooter in the hospital ... apparently, we're in the "ABC After School Special" portion of the movie. Tough stretch here. Couldn't they have thrown in a scene where Jimmy Chitwood has a threesome in the back of a '47 Chrysler with two Hickory High groupies? 1:34: Coach Dale's finest brainstorm: "I think you'll find these exact same measurements in our gym back in Hickory." Just brilliant. 1:36: Time for the 1951 state finals: Hickory against South Bend Central (enrollment: 2,800). Spike Lee tainted this game for me in his book "Best Seat in the House" (written with Page 2's Ralph Wiley) with his theory that "Hoosiers" was racist because South Bend's roster included black players ... perpetuating a "group of overachieving white guys band together to topple the bigger, more talented black players" gimmick. (Like most of Spike's theories, it makes just enough sense that it makes you say, "Hmmmm." So I always end up thinking about him during the final 15 minutes of "Hoosiers." Damn him.) 1:38: The Goosebump Train just came rolling into Chill Scene Station. Coach: "We're way past big speech time. I want to thank you for the last few months. They've been very special to me. Anybody have anything they want to say?" Merle: "Let's win this one for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here." Flatch: "I want to win for my Dad." Buddy (completing his 180-degree turn): "Let's win for coach, who got us here." Reverend: "... and David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and flung it, and it struck the Philistine in the head, and he fell to the ground. Amen." Coach: "I love you guys." Everybody: "Team!" 1:41: After falling behind 16-6, one of the Hickory players has to point out to coach Dale that Jimmy -- the prodigy, the franchise, the guy who's currently 26-for-29 just in the movie alone -- could "probably take the guy who's guarding him if we set him up." Novel concept. Hmmm ... we could feed the ball to our best guy ... maybe this will work. Jimmy responds by scoring the next three baskets and six of the next eight, which raises the question, "How many points did Jimmy score in the finals?" That's right up there with "What were Roy Hobbs' stats during his season with the New York Knights?" Here's what we know: With the team down 16-6, we haven't seen Hickory score yet, but the clock reads 7:34 ... which means that these are eight-minute quarters, we're in the second quarter, and everyone but Jimmy was ice-cold in the first quarter (Jimmy couldn't have been ice-cold because, I mean ... he's Jimmy Chitwood, for God's sake). * We see Jimmy score 26 of the next 36 Hickory points, all field goals (including the winning basket, with Hickory winning 42-40). We also see Flatch score twice, and Wade and Buddy each scoring once, so we see 34 of the 42 points in all. So I'm guessing the box score for Hickory's starting five looked something like this: The Sports Guy's projected box score Player Min FG-A FT Reb Ast Stl Pts Jimmy 32 14-18 2 6 0 2 30 Buddy 32 1-3 2 3 4 4 4 Rade 32 2-5 0 3 2 2 4 Merle 29 0-3 0 4 3 1 0 Flatch 28 2-7 0 9 1 1 4 (See, that's why I'm here, for dumb things like that.) 1:45: Up by four in the final minute, needing only to dribble out the clock, South Bend's coach (wearing an overmatched, "I'm just happy to be here" look all movie) inexplicably calls a play, leading to a missed shot and a Hickory rebound. After Hickory scores, the South Bend coach never calls timeout, leading to another turnover. After another Hickory basket, no timeout ... and they turn the ball over again! Tie game! Then they turn the turn the ball over again (no timeout). Who was coaching South Bend, Rick Adelman's black grandfather? No wonder Spike hates this movie. 1:47: Tie game, 20 seconds to play, and we've already established that A) Jimmy has scored roughly 30 of Hickory's 40 points, and he's hotter than the Equator. With this info at his disposal, coach Dale calls a play using Jimmy as a decoy, practically begging for Jimmy to pull a Pippen (which he kinda does, when you think about it), leading to Jimmy's fourth and final line of the movie: "I'll make it." (Yeah, I know, it's Hollywood ... but Jimmy was in the zone! As Dick Vitale would say, "You gotta give him the rock, baby!") 1:48: Hickory isolates Jimmy at the top of the key, MJ-style ... ... of course, South Bend doesn't bring over the double-team, because their coach apparently passed out about 10 minutes ago ... ... Jimmy takes two dribbles, crosses over, goes up with it ... Swish. Game. Pandemonium. (My favorite part of the ensuing chaos: As Jimmy is carried around the court, the cameras cut to the losing bench, where one of the big guys on South Bend is hugging a distraught cheerleader, finally glancing out to the court at Jimmy, pointing, and saying something that was undoubtedly the 1951 equivalent of "That's one bad mother------." That always kills me for some reason. By the way, it's getting dusty in here again.) 1:50: Cut to the cornfields, the setting sun, some sound bites and a little kid shooting at the gym, followed by the camera slowly honing in on the 1952 State Championship Team photo, and then coach Dale's words ... "I love you guys." And I love this movie ... even on the 250th viewing. Bill Simmons is a columnist for Page 2 and ESPN The Magazine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Boy Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Obviously I struck a personal chord, and that was not my intention. I disagreed with the schedule being called pathetic, but that's just my opinion. I'll just stick to preparing for Terhune. Actually coach, you're welcome to your opinion...so is everyone else, but obviously it was the opinion of section A and myself that brought you off the bench to defend your schedule. Hey, it is what it is...I understand and again it's not stopping me from doubling my investment in the program. And hey, forget about Terhune, you better focus on Crispus Attucks...they've got this 6'5 kid who plays guard named Oscar Robertson, the original "Big O" (Barack's not the original!)...he's a real special player and may go down as one of the best in the history of the game...a probable triple-double kind of guy...figure out a way to stop him and you may actually get to play for the state championship against Muncie Central. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Boy Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 'Hoosier' Daddy? OT...VERY NICE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanDale Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Actually coach, you're welcome to your opinion...so is everyone else, but obviously it was the opinion of section A and myself that brought you off the bench to defend your schedule. Hey, it is what it is...I understand and again it's not stopping me from doubling my investment in the program. I know I changed my earlier post to reflect this, but contrary to whoever it is you think I am, I am not an employee of ORU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Boy Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I just don't think it's right for any of us message board posters to call out the coaches on this schedule (not pointing fingers, just a general statement). I don't see them going into another person's place of work and telling them they're doing their job wrong. You really are new to the message board thing, aren't you Norman? well God bless ya, brother... WOW! If I had a nickle for everyone who questioned Bill Self's coaching ability on the KU boards for the last five seasons (prior to his team cutting down the nets in the miracle finish in San Antonio this past April of course) and a penny for every negative thing said about Barry Hinson on the Missouri State Bears boards...if your feathers were ruffled by what you've read here from "Section A" expressing his frustration about an 11 (+2 exhibition) game home schedule featuring two non-conference regular season home games and then of course I inadvertently stirred the pot by defining said schedule as pathetic; well, I invite you to visit any other D-I basketball message board where I can guarantee you will read much harsher words of criticism from fans elsewhere. Trust me brother, we're VERY soft here on this board, and rightfully so...and for the record, I can guarantee you next time I talk to Scott or Hank I will absolutely tease the heck out of 'em about this year's home schedule...I completely understand why it is what it is and I promise you I'm not losing any sleep over it whatsoever...but it's still a pathetic home schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Boy Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I know I changed my earlier post to reflect this, but contrary to whoever it is you think I am, I am not an employee of ORU. Thank you for the clarification and my apologies for any offense my assumption may have caused...the language of your introductory post read with a tone suggestive of someone who was on staff so my bad, brother. And for the record, I truly do love your "Norman Dale" screen name! Actually, this is fantastic news to know you're just an average joe ORU basketball fan like most of us here...can we count on you too to double GEC and season ticket commitment for the upcoming season? We all need to step up more than ever this season because this schedule's going to be a tough sell for Mike Minyard to increase ticket revenue with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanDale Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 UNC at Valpo???????.....go figure....is that a return game or is Roy Williams doing someone a favor?.....i could use the same kind of favor from Pam Anderson..... I'd guess Roy Williams is doing senior Bobby Frasor a favor and letting him play in front of a home crowd in Chicago ... no way the Heels enter the ARC ... Homer's boy's in stripes might give him a chance to steal that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU Big Brother Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Our coaches are paid handsomely to win games, and you're doing that...winning the league regular season championship and winning three of four straight Summit League conference tournaments played in Tulsa certainly meets expectations. Obviously we've had three (3) straight very difficult first round match-ups too which I'm sure has been incredibly frustrating to the coaching staff to get to the dance three seasons in a row and be one and done. It's that type of frustration that drove Sunny Golloway to leave ORU and go back to OU because he felt like he'd gone as far as he could with ORU and he was tired of repeating the same thing over and over without accomplishing a different result. I think we all share a common hope and expectation that we will continue with our dominance of the league and become what Valpo was in the 1990's...a win or two or three in the NCAA tournament is the next step, but first things first and that is to win the regular season championship to be the #1 seed at the conference tournament and set up a 4-peat championship in South Dakota next March to put ourselves in a position to win an NCAA tournament game. Anyone else here for that??? Baloney. Ego is what drove Sunny to OU, not an inability to achieve success at ORU. He left on his own, and nobody has missed him for one second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 The coaching staff is to be commended on putting together several fantastic and exciting away games, and some fine tournament games. Projections of 2009 look good on paper, but based on reply #1 on this thread, an away game this year does not necessarily guarantee a home game next year - what's to keep Missouri and New Mexico from not keeping their end of the deal? How do we know if there even was a home/away agreement? I had a couple of legitimate questions that got buried under a page of Hoosiers. Plus, I in no way feel critical toward the coaches - my disappointment about the home schedule is about the system, not directed toward the excellent coaching staff. Any answer to the questions above? Beuller? Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I had a couple of legitimate questions that got buried under a page of Hoosiers. Plus, I in no way feel critical toward the coaches - my disappointment about the home schedule is about the system, not directed toward the excellent coaching staff. Any answer to the questions above? Beuller? Anyone? I was going to answer your questions, Larry, but got sidetracked. Coaches enter into contractual agreements when they schedule games, so they are fairly locked in. I know that games are sometimes changed and/or canceled, so I guess there is some allowance for that, but with these teams I think you can count on them returning those games, barring some really unusual situation. And I can tell you for sure that there are return games coming from Missouri and New Mexico. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Baloney. Ego is what drove Sunny to OU, not an inability to achieve success at ORU. He left on his own, and nobody has missed him for one second. Exactly. Good riddance. Sunny is gone and we are ALL, WAY better for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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