Josh Q. Public:I’m goin back to Indiana, back to wear I started from. Goin’ back to Indiana, Indiana here I come! -Jackson Five
Public Service Announcement: OK, here we go! Just a short one today. I got stuff to do today. Important stuff to do today. To do do do today. Is there a cooler award? The aura. The mystique. The humanity. Like my main man Coach Norman Dale always says: ”Welcome to Indiana basketball.” Mr. Basketball. Indiana Mr. Basketball. Since 1939, the Indianapolis Star has picked one. Since 1939, the Indianapolis star has made it fun. More fun than a Gil Hodges homerun. Indiana’s number one. Today, I give you my all time Indiana Mr. Basketball team. Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team, no one more important than the other.
PG: Do I even have to say it? Don’t you already know? That cat from so long ago. The Cat that goes by the name of the Big-O. That cat that always put on a show. Put on a show at Crispus Attucks High School. Put on a show at the University of Cincinnati. Put on a show in the 1960 Olympics. Put on a show in the NBA. Averaged a triple-double in the NBA. Averaged more than thirty points per game in six of his first seven seasons in the NBA. Became the first player to average more than ten dimes per game in the NBA. Led the league in both scoring and assists in the same season in the NBA. The only guard in NBA history to ever average more than ten boards per game. And he did it three times! Goodness! Oscar Robertson. All-World Mr. Basketball. He just seemed to know everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented.
SG: Bobby Knight’s boy. The current head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeye men’s basketball squad. Played for his own father at New Castle Chrysler High School. Played for the General at Indiana University. Played for the Hoosiers. Jimmy Chitwood style. He left Indiana as the university’s all time leading scorer with 2,438 points. He left Indiana as the first player to be named the team’s MVP four straight years. He left Indiana as Big Ten MVP. He left Indiana a champion. He left Indiana never getting caught watchin’ the paint dry.
SF: Jared Jefferies. Bloomington High School North. He can do it all. He rebounds the rock. He handles the rock. He puts the rock in the hole. I’ve seen him, shoot but there’s more to the game than shooting. There’s fundamentals and defense. Jared defends the rock. That’s what he does. He’s the stopper. Thr traffic copper. The judo, you know, chop chop chopper. He’s the guy who defends the guy. The LeBrons. The Kobes. Those guys. Those are his assignments. Those are his missions. And he chooses to accept them. He doesn’t sel####estruct.
PF: Leave the ball, will you, George? George McGinnis. Washington High School. Undefeated Washington High School. State Champion Washington High School. University of Indiana. The first sophomore to lead the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding at the University of Indiana. ABA. Indiana Pacers. An Indiana guy through and through. Tastier than chicken cordon bleu. Making sure Hoosiers everywhere had a courtside view. Member of the 1972 and 1973 Indiana Pacers ABA Championship teams. Three-time All-ABA First Team. Second Team All-ABA selection. Three-time ABA All-Star. ABA scoring title . Selected as ABA Co-MVP, with Julius Erving. NBA. 76ers. Get along 76ers, Charles Barkley dissed Larry Bird. G-Love style. First Team All-NBA selection. Second Team All-NBA. Three-time NBA All-Star. George McGinnis. ‘Nuff said.
C: Greg Oden. This may be a little premature, but I don’t care. I’m on the bandwagon, and I ain’t getting off. He’s a real special kid and, and I have high hopes for him. Premature? Maybe. But I’m going to my media assassin, Harry Allen, I gotta ask him. Yo Harry, you’re a writer, is he that type? You best believe the hype! Flavor Flav style. Bill Russell blocks. Blocks his own team takes control of. This kid plays very, very smart. A regular Einstein. The one eyed wonder, Dickie V thinks so. He says this diaper dandy is the best big man in college basketball in the last thirty years. I tend to agree. The Colossal-O swats one back. Not in my hizzy. The Colossal-O hustles down the floor. The Colossal-O gets it back for two. The Colossal-O gets a standing-O. You don’t think this kid’s the real deal? Think again tough guy. Know this. Know that from here on in, everybody else is playing for second. Saddle your ponies, you bet!
Honorable Mentions: Tom and #### VanArsdale- Manuel HS; Ron Bonham- Muncie Central HS; Kent Benson- New Castle HS; Kyle Macy- Peru HS; Damon Bailey- Bedford North Lawrence HS; Glenn Robinson- Gary Roosevelt HS; Bryce Drew- Valparaiso HS; Sean May- Bloomington North HS
Awesome as always Josh; if only Fox would allow a sondtrack to play in the background.....but I hear it anyways. By the way, a big congrats on the college hoop busting blog. We couldn't get in there the other night to save our lives:)
Thanks for the picture of Oscar. One of my all-time favorite photos. Definitely a man that played well ahead of his time. One of the 10 greatest NBA players of all-time. What about Quinn Buckner or Isaiah Thomas? Or are they not from Indiana, only attended college there?
isiah's frpm chicago, you had to actually win the mr. basketball award to be included. if the big o played in boston or nyc, he'd be considered the greatest. he got stuck toiling away in milwaukee and cincy.
Last edited by JoshQPublic on March 8th at 4:03 PM.
Absolutely stupendous post. I assume you are a non-Hoosier - if so, let me make you an honorary Hoosier.
Let me make a few additions. BOBBY PLUMP WAS Jimmy Chitwood - the player who actually made the "shot heard round the world/state" in the Milan game that was the model for the moview Hoosiers.
And Billy Shepherd, guard for Carmel H.S., slightly more modern version of Bobby Plump/Jimmy Chitwood - made clutch shots from greater than 26 feet to win games in regional and semi-final games of state tourney - classic Hoosier player.
And Scott Skiles - made maybe the 2nd most famous shot in Indiana H.S. history (2nd to Bobby Plump) in H.S. Tourney final - game winning shot from about 28 feet.
It's not what it once was, but what is? Hoosier H.S. basketball WAS the greatest form of basketball ever played.
Damn... Scott Skiles DIDN'T win Mr. Basketball honors in '82, although he clearly should have. He took the smallest school in the final four since Milan won (the game that inspired the movie Hoosiers) and won the tournament. The final game was the most exciting basketball game I've ever watched. Skiles nailed a long-range shot (no 3 pointers in those days in Indiana HS ball) to take the game to O.T, and then hit the game winner in O.T.
Nonetheless, he could play circles around Steve Alford - one of the most overrated Mr. Basketball's we've had in my very biased opinion.
josh q. public. For the public, by The Public. Irreverent sports opinion from a Bostonian in New York. The one blog to read, when you’re reading more than one. Good to the last drop!
PG: Do I even have to say it? Don’t you already know? That cat from so long ago. The Cat that goes by the name of the Big-O. That cat that always put on a show. Put on a show at Crispus Attucks High School. Put on a show at the University of Cincinnati. Put on a show in the 1960 Olympics. Put on a show in the NBA. Averaged a triple-double in the NBA. Averaged more than thirty points per game in six of his first seven seasons in the NBA. Became the first player to average more than ten dimes per game in the NBA. Led the league in both scoring and assists in the same season in the NBA. The only guard in NBA history to ever average more than ten boards per game. And he did it three times! Goodness! Oscar Robertson. All-World Mr. Basketball. He just seemed to know everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented.
SF: Jared Jefferies. Bloomington High School North. He can do it all. He rebounds the rock. He handles the rock. He puts the rock in the hole. I’ve seen him, shoot but there’s more to the game than shooting. There’s fundamentals and defense. Jared defends the rock. That’s what he does. He’s the stopper. Thr traffic copper. The judo, you know, chop chop chopper. He’s the guy who defends the guy. The LeBrons. The Kobes. Those guys. Those are his assignments. Those are his missions. And he chooses to accept them. He doesn’t sel
C: Greg Oden. This may be a little premature, but I don’t care. I’m on the bandwagon, and I ain’t getting off. He’s a real special kid and, and I have high hopes for him. Premature? Maybe. But I’m going to my media assassin, Harry Allen, I gotta ask him. Yo Harry, you’re a writer, is he that type? You best believe the hype! Flavor Flav style. Bill Russell blocks. Blocks his own team takes control of. This kid plays very, very smart. A regular Einstein. The one eyed wonder, Dickie V thinks so. He says this diaper dandy is the best big man in college basketball in the last thirty years. I tend to agree. The Colossal-O swats one back. Not in my hizzy. The Colossal-O hustles down the floor. The Colossal-O gets it back for two. The Colossal-O gets a standing-O. You don’t think this kid’s the real deal? Think again tough guy. Know this. Know that from here on in, everybody else is playing for second. Saddle your ponies, you bet!
