Banner Graphic, Volume 14, Number 172, Greencastle, Putnam County, 27 March 1984 — Page 6

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The Putnam County Banner-Graphic, March 27,1984

Ford now getting good bounces as Cascade's coach By STEVE FIELDS Banner-Graphic Sports Editor CLAYTON-So far it’s been a very good year for Rick Ford. Although he’s not shooting the basketball it seems to be bouncing his way. Two of the most unlikely things happened this season after the 1984 half began. You would have bet the farm against them both and would have lost your shirt in the process. FIRST, MARCH 5, FORD guided Cascade High School to its first sectional championship in 19 years. Plainfield was a heavy favorite to win the Brownsburg sectional, but was upset by Danville. And just six days later Ford saw Indiana University guard Steve Alford miss two free throws against Ohio State. The two unlikely misses by the recently crowned national free throw shooting champion (.913 percentage for the season) left Ford, fellow IU grad Jon McGlocklin and now Wisconsin’s Rick Olson as Big Ten single-season record-holders with a .923 percentage. The sectional title, obviously, made the 1968 Cloverdale, Indiana, High School All-Star happiest. “What few disappointments we had during the year were far outweighed by the sectional victory,” Ford said of beating Mooresville 68-55 in the championship game. “People can’t imagine, coaching and everything, until you’ve really experienced it, the impact it had on the kids and the community and everything.” EVERYTHING SEEMED TO fall in place at the right time for Cascade. After a bumpy 9-11 season in which a couple of players left the team and one returned, while the team was still adjusting to Ford’s offense and him as a coach, the Cadets drew the sectional bye for the first time in at least seven years. “When I saw the draw I thought we could get into the final game,” Ford said. “And I honestly thought, you get into that situation, one game, you can win it. I honestly thought that if we played a good game we could win it. I never thought we’d play Mooresville either.” That was the other piece that fell in place. Powerful Plainfield was beaten for the second time this year by Danville and Mooresville moved by them into the championship game. “LIKE I TOLD everyone else, I’m not so sure that if we had played Plainfield that.night we wouldn’t have beaten them. We played that well the night we played Mooresville,” Ford praised. “Plainfield is a better team than we are, but that night we played well. ” That was the night 6-3 sophomore center Doug Collier exploded for 22 points, no doubt surprising a Pioneer squad that expected 6-3 senior Kent Fisher to be Cascade’s dominant player. Fisher scored 11 and grabbed nine rebounds and junior guard David Smyth netted 15 points. “The way things ended we couldn’t have played better in the final game of the sectional than what we did. The kids just picked a great time to play extremely well,” Ford said. AND THERE IN the middle of the celebration was Jim Sharp, the man Ford served as an assistant for six years. Sharp’s team never got as good a draw, according to Ford. “I’ll say one thing, there was not one guy happier for me and the team than Jim Sharp. He went spastic,” Ford said of Cascade’s bookkeeper. That wasn’t a bad way to cap a transition season. Ford brought in a new offense, stayed basically with the same defense and had only Fisher back with any amount of varsity experience. “I coached with Jim for six years and everything, but we’re two different types of coaches. We did change some things,” Ford admitted. Cascade runs some of Indiana University’s motion offense. Not as much this year as will be seen in the future, but it was there. “It’s not that I’m saying Sharp’s way was wrong, but I’ve got to coach the way I’ve been taught for many years and what I think is best. The way I can coach,” Ford said of the change. FORD AND CASCADE deserved this title. The Cadets last felt like champions in 1965, Ford’s freshman year at Cloverdale and the year before now Huntington North coach Jim Miller guided the Clovers to the IHSAA Final Four. It’s also a reward for Ford’s perseverance. Upon receiving

Brooks and Lewis are only easy All-State selections

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Delray Brooks of Michigan City Rogers and Troy Lewis of Anderson, the state’s top scorers for the top two ranked teams, were the runaway leaders on The Associated Press high school All-State basketball team for 1983-84. Brooks and Lewis were the only players named on each ballot by AP’s statewide panel of 20 sports writers and broadcasaters. The voting was announced today. The 6-foot-4 Brooks, who will attend Indiana University in the fall, received 12 votes for No.l and 385 of a possible 400 points from the AP board members. The 6-4 Lewis, who is bound for Purdue, had seven first-place votes and a close 373 points. One voter split his choice for No.l between Brooks and Lewis. No one else came within 150 points of Brooks and Lewis in the All-State voting, but the

Fields' Findings

balloting for other positions on the AP honor squad was so close that four other players all headed for major NCAA Division I powers in the fall were included on the first team. The others, in order of points received, were 6-3 Scott Haffner of Noblesville, who will attend Illinois ; 6-7 Kreigh Smith of Tipton, who will join Brooks at Indiana; 6-4 Jeff Moe of Indianapolis Brebeuf, ticketed for lowa, and 6-4 Mike Abram of Muncie North, who will play at the University of Louisville. Heading the second team is 67 senior forward Marty Lehmann of state tourney champion Warsaw. Others are seniors Mark Gary of Anderson Highland, Jeff Peters of Whitko and Brian Fish of Seymour, along with junior Jeff Grose of Warsaw. Milan Petrovic and Bo Cucuz of tourney semifinalist Lake Central were named to the third

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his degree ai Indiana, Ford went to Southmont High School as an assistant coach. During the middle of his second season at Southmont the head coach quit and Ford was encouraged to take over. Afterall, he was the former Big Ten player and Indiana All-Star with plenty of hardwood background. “I don’t think I was ready for it because of the fact I hadn't been an assistant long enough to learn other phases,” Ford recalled. “I think I was ready for it coaching wise, knowledge wise. But I wasn’t ready for it in other phases.” UNDER FORD THE Mounties finished with something like a 4-10 record and went 9-12 in his first full season as coach. Then disaster struck. The Mounties went 0-21 and like most Indiana high schools react when that happens, Ford was looking for a new job. That is when he got to know the young man who will someday most likely break his Big Ten free throw shooting record. Ford went to New Castle for a season as freshman coach. “You could tell he was going to be a good little ball player because he was going into junior high. He was pretty talented then. He could shoot the ball, but you never thought about him being Mr. Basketball,” Ford said of coach Sam Alford’s son, Steve. AFTER A YEAR AT New Castle, Ford moved back to Cloverdale and into the junior varsity coaching position at Cascade as Sharp’s assistant, a position he held for six years. When Sharp retired last spring there was little doubt who would follow him and this time Ford is ready to be a head coach, he’s not putting too much pressure on himself. “The last few years of coaching I haven’t. This year people thought I put pressure on myself. I didn’t, I enjoyed it. Whether we won or lost, the next day I thought I was the same type of person,” Ford explained. “That was one of my goals this year.” It was the day after *he season-ending Frankfort regional loss that Ford’s second good bounce of the year came along. IU held on to win the game, but Alford didn’t get the Big Ten record. FORD WAS WORKING around the house and wasn’t paying much attention to the game on television. “They kept mentioning it on TV, so I kept thinking about it. My boy was standing there and he said something about it,” Ford related.

team, along with Shelton Smith of Indianapolis Cathedral, Evie Waddell of Evansville Bosse and Jeff Cooper of Attica. The girls’ All-State first team is headed by 5-5 Nancy Cowan and 5-10 Anne Kvachkoff of state tourney champion Crown Point. Cowan, a senior, received the Indiana High School Athletic Association award for mental attitude following the tournament, and Kvachkoff, a junior, was named tourney Most Valuable Player by the AP. Others on the girls’ first team were seniors Janna Bragg and Dawn Davenport of tourney semifinalist Eastbrook, and senior Sharon Versyp of Mishawaka. Lewis, a second-team selection last year, was the state’s top scorer, averaging 35.3 points a game this season for Anderson’s N0.2-ranked Indians. He had a high game of 50 points

RICK FORD: Cadet coach and Big Ten record holder

against Muncie Central and scored 40 or more points in eight other games. He also was named state tourney Most Valuable Player as a junior, when Anderson was runner-up to Connersville. Lewis finished with 1,966 career points in high school. Brooks, also a second-team pick last year, was second in the state in scoring this season with a 33.4-point average for Rogers’ No.l-ranked Raiders. He scored 40 or more points seven times, including a high of 47 against Michigan City Marquette. Brooks wound up with 2,324 career points fifth-highest in Indiana high school basketball history for a four-year average of 23.5 points a game. Haffner averaged 25.9 points for N0.3-ranked Noblesville, which was unbeaten until losing to Anderson in the tourney regional round. He shot 51 percent from the field and 87 per-

And because of his relationship with the Alford family and Indiana University, Cloverdale High School’s all-time leading scorer is rooting for Steve. “He’s going to break it. I coached with his father, I know the kid, he’s a good kid, I like his dad,” Ford said. “If it’s going to be broken, and it is, he’s from IU and Steve Alford, I hope he breaks it and breaks it so bad no one else can ever touch his record. ” As for the future, look for Cascade to run more of the Indiana University plays and use more of its principles. Depending upon what is coming up from the JV the Cadets should be right up there with defending co-champion Greencastle and Owen Valley as contenders for the West Central Conference title next year. *** ALTHOUGH THE INDIANA Basketball Hall of Fame has not officially announced it yet, L & M, Lafayette Jeff and South Bend Adams will join host Columbus North next year in the Hall of Fame Classic. Unless Columbus comes out strong for this tournament they might have a tough time drawing a crowd with South Bend and Lafayette Jeff being a good drive off. L & M fans would go to Moscow to watch their team play. Connersville coach Basil Mawbey is for the two-day regional format used for the first time this year in the IHSAA basketball tournament. “I like it better over two days because I can prepare better,” Mawbey said Saturday afternoon while receiving the Basketball Coach of the Year Award from the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association for leading his team to the 1983 state championship. PENN HIGH SCHOOL football coach Chris Geesman was named Football Coach of the Year for taking the Kingsmen to the Class A AAA championship this year. Geesman will coach the North July 28 in the North-South High School Football AllStar Game under the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis Greencastle’s coach John Fallis and senior tackle Jeff Job will be with the South in this game. South Putnam’s Brian Christy is a backfield alternate, so if one of the South backs would get hurt Putnam County could have three individuals involved in the first football game ever played in the Hoosier Dome.

cent from the free throw line. Kreigh Smith, a 56 percent shooter, averaged 25.8 points for Tipton; Moe, a three-year starter at Brebeuf after transferring from Indianapolis Cathedral, shot 57 percent from the field and averaged 25.4 points a game as a senior; Abram, an all-around performer, averaged 17.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for Muncie North. Smith and Moe were honorablemention All-State picks a year ago. Lehmann, who will attend Ohio University in the fall but plans to be red-shirted as a freshman, averaged 19.3 points and 11 rebounds for the state champion Tigers. On the girls’ first team, Cowan, a third-team selection last year, averaged 21.5 points a game this past season, while Kvachkoff sccored 20.7 per con-

test. Bragg averaged 23.2; Davenport, 21.9; and Versyp, a second-team pick last year, 21 points a game. Stephanie Blake and Lori Castetter of tourney runner-up Warren Central were named to the girls’ second team, along with Noelle Young of Rushville, junior Cheryl Dowell of Evansville Bosse and Marilyn Reckelhoff of Southridge. The 1963-84 Indiana high school All-State basketball teams announced Tuesday by The Associated Press: Boys First Team Delray Brooks, 6-4. Sr., Mich. City Rogers Troy Lewis, 6-4, Sr., Anderson Scott Haffner, 6-3, Sr., Noblesville Kreigh Smith, 6-7, Sr., Tipton Jeff Moe, 6-4. Sr., Indpls Brebeuf Mike Abram, 6-4, Sr, Muncie North Second Team Marty Lehmann, 6-7, Sr., Warsaw Mark Gary, 6-2, Sr., Anderson Highland Jeff Peters, 6-4, Sr., Whitko Jeff Grose, 6-2, Jr., Warsaw Brian Fish, 6-5, Sr., Seymour Third Team Milan Petrovic, 6-3, Sr., Lake Central Shelton Smith, 61,Sr, Indpls Cathedral Bo Cucuz, 6-9, Sr., Lake Central Evie Waddell, 63, Sr., Evansnville Bosse Jeff Cooper, 61, Jr., Attica

Irish in NIT title game

NEW YORK (AP) Notre Dame basketball Coach Digger Phelps is still enjoying the Christmas present given him by Irish football Coach Gerry Faust wide receiver-turned-point guard Joe Howard. Phelps went to the 5-foot-9 Howard as a last resort when the Irish lost their only point guards on the roster to academics and injury. Howard is still paying dividends and the latest is a trip to the championship game of the 47th National Invitation Tournament. Notre Dame, 21-11, beat fellow independent Southwestern Louisiana 65-59 Monday night to advance to Wednesday’s title game against Michigan. The Wolverines, 2210, eliminated Virginia Tech 7875 in the opening game of the semifinal double-header played before a Madison Square Garden crowd of 9,049. Howard, who scored six points, 20 fewer than senior forward Tom Sluby, was the catalyst in a 15-6 Irish spurt over the final 6:07 that lifted Notre Dame into its second NIT championship game. “He’s been doing those things since he joined the team,” Phelps said of the man who has led the Irish football team in receptions each of the past three seasons. Howard arrived at Phelps’ sideline after the football team’s 19-18 victory over Boston College in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 29. With Notre Dame leading 58-

Purdue rebuilding depleted backfield

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) Purdue football coach Leon Burtnett, whose first two squads compiled a 6-15-1 record, lists three offensive areas as crucial to the Boilermakers’ chances for success in 1984. One question mark going into spring practice is the quarterback position. “Each team has a new personality each spring, and this is going to be an especially important spring for us, because we are still such a young team, ” Burtnett said going into Monday’s start of drills. According to Burtnett, the major focus on offense will be quarterback. Senior-to-be Jim Everett, who started the Miami (Fla.) and Minnesota games last fall, will battle with redshirted freshmen Doug Downing and Jeff Huber for the spot vacated by Scott Campbell, who started 31 of the last 33 Boilermaker games. Running back, a position Burtnett thought would be deep, has suddenly become another major problem area with the dismissal from the team of juniors-to-be Lloyd Hawthorne and Tim Richardson. Rodney Carter and converted defensive back Ray Wallace will fight for the No.l job, with incoming freshmen James Medlock and Lorenzo McCline possibly helping in the fall.

Honorable MenUon Art Pollard, E.Chicago Roosevelt, Jeff Ohphant, LAM; Tony Patterson, LAM; Jay Teagle, Marion; Lee Moore, Ft. Wayne Elmhurst; Brian Stallman, Washington Catholic; Ric Ford, New Albany; Ed Schilling, Lebanon; Scott Anselm, Valparaiso; Jerome Battle, E Chicago Roosevelt; Derrick Wesley, S.Bend Riley; Alan Smith, Ft. Wayne Northrop; Chris Schafer, Princeton; Todd Jarvis, New Castle; Griff Mills, Terre Haute South Others receiving more than one vote, listed alphabetically: Andy Abercrombie, Indpls Ben Davis; Steve Cox, Indpls Perry Meridian; Wayne Crabtree, Connersville, Kevin DeCraene, S Bend Adams; Brad Fella, Heritage Hills; Duane Fort, Kokomo; Mark Freels. Evansville Bosse; Jeff Freiburger, Carmel; Jeff Harris, Lawrence North, Curtis Jackson. Mich. City Elston; Ernie Jones. Elkhart Memorial; Dave Lutes, Hammond Noll; Rob Malchow. Winamac; Teyon McCoy, Hammond Noll, David Mooney, Marion Bennett, Rob Randels, Warsaw; Curtis Rias, Hammond Noll; Jim Sarkine, Indpls Ben Davis; Robb Towery, Mich. City Rogers; Jamie Whetstone, Elwood; Paul Zeltwanger. Penn Girls First Team Nancy Cowan, 65, Sr , Crown Point Janna Bragg, 5-6, Sr., Eastbrook Sharon Versyp, 5-8 Sr , Mishawaka Anne Kvachkoff, 5-10, Jr, Crown Point Dawn Davenport. 61, Sr , Eastbrook Second Team Noelle Young, 61, Sr , Rushville Stephanie Blake, 60. Sr , Warren Central

55, Ken Barlow of the Irish was called for an offensive foul that nullified a successful dunk. The Ragin’ Cajuns came downcourt and Alonza Allen missed a jump shot that Howard rebounded. Nine seconds later, Howard fed Barlow for a three-point play and a six-point lead. Howard then made two free throws with 1:20 remaining and six seconds later he stole the ball as USL tried to get back in the game. The Irish enjoyed a fine night on the free-throw line to keep the Ragi’Cajuns at bay. After not attempting a free throw in the first half, Notre Dame made its first 15 in the second half and finished with 17 of 20. A couple of big points for Michigan also came from the free-throw line two of sophomore center Roy Tarpley’s 23 for the night. With 45 seconds left, Tarpley made two foul shots that gave the Wolverines a 76-75 lead. After two timeouts were called by Virginia Tech Coach Charlie Moir, the Hokies missed their last chance at victory when a 15-foot jumper by Tim Lewis missed. Tarpley grabbed the rebound and fed freshman guard Antoine Joubert who went the length of the court for a layup that provided the final margin. Michigan Coach Bill Frieder credited his team’s defense, especially guard Eric Turner and Joubert with the semifinal victory.

Turnovers, which crippled the Boilermakers last season (33 to their opponents’ 16), especially inside the 25-yard-line, must be cut down by hard work in the spring, Burtnett said. Defensively, Burtnett will keep an extra-close eye on the defensive ends and linebackers, which were the main weaknesses in 1983. “Of the 91 scholarship players we’ll have in the fall, 46 will have freshman eligibility,” Burtnett said. “So, obviously, we’re still going to be playing a lot of young people. However, a lot of those young people have experience, and are going to be very good football players. “We’re looking for improvement, and we’re hoping to fill certain needs. We want to come out of spring ball with the quarterback situation settled. All three kids will get an equal shot, and all three will spend time working with the No.l offense so we can evaluate their talents with our top athletes. Hawthorne and Richardson were expected to be Burtnett’s top tailbacks, having combined to rush for 521 yards and four touchdowns in 1983. But they were dropped from the program following their alleged involvement in several campus dormitory thefts.

Lori Castetter, 611, Sr., Warren Central Cheryl Dowell, 5-11, Jr , Evansville Bosse Marilyn Reckelhoff, 611, Sr, Southridge Third Team Diane Ciciora, 69, Sr., Valparaiso Karen Potempa. 610, Sr., Mich. City Rogers Linda Godhy, 6-4, So., Warren Central Lorea Feldman, 611, Sr. Triton Maria Stockberger, 610, Jr., Sullivan Honorable Mention Teri Staker, Columbus North; Charlene Tinner, Evansville Bosse; Angie Van deventer. Bloomfield. Cheri Farrell, Bed ford N.Lawrence; Julie Rotramel, Sullivan; Renetta Million. Lafayette Harrison Becky Patterson, Ft Wayne Snider; Judy Phillips, Indpls Brebeuf; Julina Stamm, Linton; Tonya Protho, Gary Mann; Jodie Whitaker, Austin, Shari Moore, Merrillville; Becky Mateja, Whiting; Lee Ann DeYoung, Hammond Gavit; Leila Crossley, DeKalb; Tonya Dirroh, Indpls Attacks Others receiving more than one vote listed alphabetically Angie Anderson Taylor, Kim Barrier, Jimtown; Sharrion Beard, Anderson Subrina Davis. Rush ville; Julie Goedde, Evansville Mater Dei, Angie Heingartner. Lakeland , Carrie Hen derson. Mooresville; Ruby Jamison Ind pis Northwest; Linda Kunkler, Forest Park; Michelle Melzoni, Wabash; Natalie Ochs, Indpls Howe; Barb Orpurt Manchester; Kathy Pack, Marion, Reagan Roach, Twin Lakes; Diana Small, Decatur Central, Amy Smith, Logans port; Gina Stubbs. Indpls Broad Ripple; SharronTapps, Indpls Howe; Lisa Tyler, S Dearborn, Kris Veatch, Zionsville