Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 3 January 2003 — Page 16
IHSAA commissioner constantly on fhe move By STEVE HERMAN AP Sports Writer Blake Re*s has to nm as hard as he ean just to stay in one plaee. Sometimes, it seeius. the treadmill of high sehool sports is moving way too last. As the eommissioner of the Indiana High Sehool Athletie Assoeiation. Bess is the man in the middle of every issue alfeeting almost 400 member sellouts and tens of thousands of young athletes. He deals with bylaw s, rules vi< >- lations, transfers and more attorneys and legislators than athletes. "I tell my assistants sometimes that they have the job that's the most fun. beeause they get to work directly with the sports and the kids and the officials and the schools," Ress said. Despite the not-si -fun stuff, the former teacher, coach, athletic director and principal enjoys his work and won't let himself be discouraged by its many challenges, or its critics, from the public to the media to the Legislature. ■'We've made some strides in the last few \ ears that have made us more responsive, more cooperative with the schools and with the communities as well, Ress said. “There's always problems and alw ays plenty of business to do, but things are going pretty well generally." It’s a different world, though, from the one Ress grew up in the Ohio River town ofTell City during the 40s and '50s. The times were simpler then, the rules were clearer and the IHSAA - the commissioner, essentially - ruled high school sports with almost total authority. Ress, 61, played basketball, football and baseball at Tell City and wasa 1.964 graduate of Butler University. Hetaught biology and coached basketball, swimming and football at Columbus and Shelbyville, was principal, at Cloverdale and Martinsville and served on the IHSAA board of directors and executive committee for live years in the early '.90s. He joined the IHSAA as an assistant commissioner in 1995. and in JOOO. w hen Bob Gardner left to head the Indianapolisbased National Federation of State High School Associations, Ress was the only applicant and the only one to be interviewed for the commissioner's job. He immediately stepped into the most controversial move in the IHSAA s nearly 100-year history. It was Gardner who presided over the abandonment of a singleclass basket!).dl format in favorof separate tournaments based on enrollment. But it was Ress who was left to deal with the fallout, which included plunging attendance and revenue, and the clamor for greater scrutiny of the association and its policies. It s been an advantage to me that it didn't happen under my w atch. Ressadrnitted. There are people w ho eritiei/e the decision, but they don t tie it to me person ally." Nevertheless, in 1997. the last year of the single-class basketball format, total tourney attendance for boys and girls was l.o.iJ.lMO Last year, it was bH.'Mi'JH a drop of .94 percent. Net profit to the IHSAA, after tourney expemes were paid, was si 1H million m 1997 and s692,5IO last vent a drop of 16 percent No one is liappx about that. But Ress s style lias blunted ninch of the teeent criticism. "When voncalldownthere. he s available, be || talk, said .1 tin Anderson, the athleticdirretoi at Griffith. 11e\ a friendly man I feel like he prett\ milch gives von straight answers, lie can be funny at times, he's good in front ol a group, and has sort of a dis aiming way of dealing with ► See RESS, Page B4
Pacer trade tops sports stories for 2002
By JOSHUA COHEN Staff Writer 1 ndianapolis, as well as much of the rest of Indiana, was busy in 20012 trying to make their teams better for upcoming seasons. The Pacers made a blockbuster trade during the middle of the 2001-2002 season sending guards Jalen Rose and Travis Best to the Chicago Bulls for swingman Ron Artest, center Brad Miller and guard Ron Mercer. Although they did not make an immediate major impact, they have been major contributors to the 2002-2003 Pacers' best start in franchise history as w ell as thebest record in the Eastern Conference so far. The Colts also made moves w hen they tired head coach Jim Mora and replaced him with Tony Dungy , one of the many high profile African-American coaches hired in Indiana. Speaking of African-Ameri-can coaches, the University of Notre Dame hired their first in the history of the school for the football team, Tyrone Willingham. Willingham not only improved the Fighting Irish but led them to a 10-2 record, double the win total of the previous season, and a bid to the Gator Bow l against North Carolina State University. The Black Coaches Association held a press conference at their office in Indianapolis -annmincing their push for more A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n coaches in footbilll on the collegiate and professional level.
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Ron Artest and Brad Miller have been key players for the Pacers this season after being involved in a trade last season
with the Chicago Bulls.
Their motto for this new campaign is, “Don't play where you
can't coach."
The Indiana Fever made it to the playoffs in only their second season as a franchise lead by the WNBA 2002 Rookie of the Year Tamika Catchings. The Indiana University men's basketball team surprised most of the nation when they made it to the 64-team Road to the Final Four Tournament Championship Game. Although they lost to Maryland, they made it to the championship for the first time since 1987 under second-year coach Mike Davis, Indiana's replacement for the legendary
Bobby Knight.
The Indianapolis Arena League football team the Indiana Firebirds made it to the first round of the playoffs but fell short against the Dallas Desperados. The Madison County Chiefs based in Anderson made it to the Cross
Roads Football League (CRFL) Championship Game but couldn’t pull out the victory against the South Bend Stampede. The first ever women’s professional football team in Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Vipers, won the Women's Football League Central Division Title in 2002. With an 8-2 regular season record, the Vipers will be playing in the first round ofthe playoffs Jan. 11,2003, at their home field Arlington High
School.
In high school sports, the Ben Davis Giants won the Class 5A Championship football game over Fort Wayne Snider, 31-7. Ashlee Davis of Anderson
Colts head coach Tony Dungy replaced the fired Jim Mora before the 2002/2003 NFL season. (Photo/W. Thomas)
Highland High School completed an undefeated season in June and captured the title in the 2r' IHSAA Girls SinglesTournament Series. Davis was also awarded for her outstanding season at the Indiana Black Expo Corporate Luncheon. Pike High School made it to the Class 4A Championship basketball game and just lost a hard fought battle to Gan’ West Side 58-55. The Indiana All-State Boys and
Girls Basketball Teams included Sharika Webb from Indianapolis Cathedral, Katie Gearlds of Beech Grove, Sean May from Bloomington North and Chris Hunter from Gary West. May surprised many when he decided to attend the University of North Carolina over IU Bloomington. It was a full year for Indiana sports with many firsts, and many achieving success after being given the chance to prove themselves.
Pacers success due to unselfish play
COMMENTARY
Coifs face hoi Jets in wild card bout
By JAMES M. KEOUGH JR. Sports Writer The Indianapolis Colts head into the National Football League post season with a much-needed win. Albeit, against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars that had very little to play for on Sunday in the RCA Dome, Incidentally, their former head coach, Tom Conklin, was tired on Monday morning. However, the Jaguars gave the Colts all it could handle before ultimately conceding 20-13 and easting liirt herdoilbt on the Colts chances in postseason play. But a win is a win and the Colts enter the playoffs as the number five seed, and with subtle momentum. The New York Jets, on the other hand, are one ofthe hottest teams in the Al t' and enter the playoffs as the AFC East champions. fhe Colts have seen these guy s before. And. they w ill see them again tins weekend in New Jersey in the Al t'w.iId card play olfgame. No matter w hat the records oi the eiieiiinstanees, the Colts and Jets have a bitter and histone rivalry. As part ofthe AFC Fast from I97 ( > until last year, these guys have placed each othei twice a year. In recent years, the Colts have maintamed a w inning edge against the Jets. I lie Colts have beaten the Jets live of the past seven times, and 11 ol the last 15. But this is the playoffs and the ( oils are playing mediocre football, meanwhile the Jets have nothing to lose, fhe so called national football experts eharaelei i/ed the Jets as road
kill several weeks ago. Head coach Herman Edwards exploded in a post game interview session with Fiast Coast media in the midst of dealing w ith a scries of frustrating losses. Many were checking for a pulse with the Jets at this point. However, the Jets gutted it out and now they arc hosting a playoff game. * The Colts are finishing a disappointing 10-6 season; not because they should have won more games, but it's how they won and how they lost this season. They struggled all season long in one ofthe easiest divisions, the AFC South, in professional football. First year bead coach Tony Dungy has delivered on fielding and improved the defensive unit this season. The Colts finished the regular season ranked 8" in the NFL in total defense. Af ter finishing near the bottom of the league in defense last year, this turnaround is phenomenal. However, an offense that was ranked 2 last season finished the year ranked 10 . VVInli 1 the Jets have the 24' 11 ranked defense this season, they have an adequate rush defense, but are ranked 5 in the NFL against the pass. The Colts have vet another opportunity to show they are strong contenders, insteao of soft pretenders. Don I be surprised if the Jets make a run in the Al l', at least until they meet thc( lakland Raiders, who will probably represent the Al t' m the Super Bowl. f he New York Giants are a long shot to reach the Super Bowl in the AFC. However, they have a way of emerging w hen it matters most. It should be interesting.
By JAMES M. KEOUGH JR. Sports Writer The Indiana Pacers have proven they can win the games they are supposed to. That is, beat the underdog. However, can the Pacers win against the top teams in the conference? In the National Basketball Association? Can they consistently win on the road? These are the questions that must be answered before the Pacers can be considered a championship contender. Last weekend in Conseco Fieldhouse the Pacers faced a staunch test against the New Orleans Hornets. The Pacers were coming off a game the previous night in which they dismantled the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road. They were facing a fresh Hornets team that is considered by many to be a contender for the Eastern Conference crown along wit h the N evv J ersey N ets, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pis-
tons.
The Hornets are a veteran team lead by Jamaal Mashburn, Baron Davis and David Wesley. The Hornets play a style of play similar to the Pacers, yet they rely on Mashburn as a primary scorer, and Davis’ and Wesley’s threepoint shooting capabilities. Would the fresh New Orleans team with something to prove be able to conquer a worn down Pacers team? The Pacers pressured the Hornets into uncharacteristic poor shooting and turnovers. Led by Ron Artest, the usual suspect regarding the Pacers defensive prowess, the Hornets were hounded and chased all over the court. The Pacers beat the Hornets down the stretch to capture a key victory over a divisional rival. Bottom line, team play and a unified effort continues to result in success for the Pacers. In the end, the game against the Hornets at Conseco Fieldhouse left Hornets head coach Paul Silas with only excuses. "Well, I thought we were tired. I don't think fatigue set in with
Racers #3 Al Harrington, New Orleans U42 P.J. Brown (Photo/W.Thomas)
them as it did with us, with that West Coast swing we just did. But we just have to play through it. The dog days hit us early. It hits everyone in the league, it just hit us early,” said Silas, a former standout player with the Boston Celtics. “(The Pacers) are very athletic in a way. They shoot well and have got a lot of weapons, but well see how they do when the dog days hit them,” he said. The Pacers also learned more about the character of their team as it faced the Hornets for an encore performance on New Year’s Eve. The Pacers are now alone atop the Central Division and sport the best record in the Eastern Conference. Despite the critics, several ofthe Pacers players said this is not surprisi ng to them and they fully expect for this success to continue. The difference this season, according to Pacers head coach Isiah Thomas is players are making a personal decision to make playing as a team a priority. “It was a tough basketball game. They played hard, we played hard. It was a hard-fought basketball game,” said Thomas, who has led his team to a 22-8 start through the first New Orleans game. When asked about the Pacers strong start to the season, Thomas said, "I would say,‘Wow!’ It’s been impressive, however, we want more and work hard everyday to attain more. They haven’t allowed greed to seep into their play. It’s been all about the team.” Thomas added that at every level of competitive play he has been involved with in his basketball career, a team's success has been determined by its lack of selfishness. "I've seen it at every level in the game of basketball. It is very hard for guys to put their individual aspirations and goals aside for the sake ofthe team. But this is what separated the good teams," added Thomas. Pacers forward Al Harrington is one ofthe inspirational leaders of the team and exemplifies the team concept. “Being unselfish wins games when you all play together. I really try to be that type of unselfish player. Any night, anyone can step up and have a big game,” said I larrington.'Winningchampionships is what it’s all about.”