The Mail-Journal, Volume 29, Number 46, Milford, Kosciusko County, 26 December 1990 — Page 9

Sports

Wood, architect of Milan magic, is an Indiana coaching legend

I By SCOTT DAVIDSON Sports Writer Remember the “Magic of Milan” back in 1954. Remember a small school from a southeastern Indiana town of about 1,300 coming from seemingly nowhere to capture the highest prize in Indiana high school athletics, a state championship in boys’ basketball. Still today, more than 36 years later, the story of “David versus Goliath,” or in this case Milan versus Muncie Central is repeated again and again throughout each season of “Hoosier Hysteria” each winter and early spring . One man who still remembers the season like it was just yesterday, is Marv Wood of Mishawaka, the man who coached the Indians to their thrilling 32-30 championship victory over the Bearcats. “Oh yes I’m still asked about Milan all the time but I love talking about it,” said the 62-year-old Wood with a smile crossing his face. “It’s something that was so special because it changed my life,” he added.

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MAN BEHIND MILAN MAGIC — Marv Wood, a resident of Mishawaka, sits comfortably holding the piece of sports equipment that has made his coaching career a piece of Indiana sports history. Wood, currently the coach of the St. Mary’s women’s basketball team in South Bend, was the architect of the 1954 Milan basketball team that stunned the entire state with a 32-30 victory over Muncie Central in the boys’ state championship game. (Photo by Scott Davidson)

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SUCCESSFUL RUNNERS -» The area runners shown above, all members of the local edition of the St. Joe Valley Track Club, recently finished the 1990 season, competing in The Athletic Congress (T.A.C.) National Junior Olympics Cross Country Meet in Omaha, Neb., December 8. Over 2,000 of the top runners from across the country competed. Seated in front, from left, are: Megan Hoffman, Amy Cockburn and Mary Cockburn. In back are: Bethany Cockburn, Jamie Emmert and Alyson Mills. Not pictured, but also competing for the team, were: Leslie Garner, Ku. Lear and Amy Ellis. (Photo by Scott Davidson)

Wood, now the coach of the St. Mary’s women’s basketball team in South Bend, describes himself as just “an of country boy” who has remained as a small-town person despite all of the fame and attention that Milan has brought to him. “The attention and everything is nice but my wife has a saying that I feel is very appropriate that says, it’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice,” stated Wood. Wood, who was born and raised in Fountaintown in Shelby County, decided to become a basketball coach while a freshman at Morristown High School. “I remember coaching my first time in a softball game when I was 12 and my team lost about 20-1,” recalled Wood with a chuckle. “When I did decide that coaching was going to be the area that I wanted to go into, I started working towards that while in high school,” he added. After playing basketball for legendary coach Tony Hinkle and graduating from Butler University in Indianapolis in 1950, Wood accepted the coaching job at Milan in 1952 at the ripe old age of 26. “Playing for Hinkle at Butler

prepared me to be a coach because the man gave us the tools we needed and he was so far ahead of his time in the coaching profession,” coritm'ented Wood. “Milan had a rich tradition and heritage of successful basketball and although they had better talent at other times, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” commented Wood. Although the Indians had captured several sectional championships previously, the school had never won a regional game until the 1952-53 season when the squad advanced all the way to the Final Four before being beaten by South Bend Central. Going into the 1953-54 season, Wood’s second year at Milan, expectations were high for the Indians, according to Wood. “We lost just one starter from the Final Four team and everyone in the community thought we’d be going back to Indy again that season,” related Wood. “I was probabljwur biggest doubter that season because I knew that you needed to play well, stay injuryfree and get a good draw in the tournament in order to have a chance,” he added. With a line-up that included two All-State guards in Ray Craft and Bobby Plump, also a Mr. Basketball and Trester Award winner, Wood guided the Indians to a storybook season that concluded with the 32-30 win in the state championship contest in March. “Our players never feared anyone and we also didn’t receive all of the hoopla that some of the other teams did and that was important,” said Wood about his team. “That team had the ability to adjust and to play more than

Wrestlers

Crown Point Invitational

IBy SCOTT DAVIDSON Sports Writer Competing in a talented eightteam field, the Wawasee wrestling squad turned in another fine effort on Saturday to finish fourth in the Crown Point Invitational. The Warriors racked up a total of 134 team points to finish behind champion Portage (246), host Crown Point (209) and Lake Station Edison (206). HammondGavit took fifth in the team standings with 100 points, while Highland (75), River Forest (Illinois) (36) and Hammond Bishop-Noll (34) rounded out the field. “We wrestled with a lot of intensity and the kids really did well with the type of competition that we were up against,” said Assistant Coach Jeff Welborn. Leading the Warriors in the talent-laden field at Crown Point were junior Chris Requejo and sophomore Brian Dutcher. Requejo raised his season mark to 16-0, with two victories at 119-pounds for an individual championship, while Dutcher took the title at 125-pounds, improving his season mark to 16-2 (13 pins).

one style of game and I did experiment with some new kinds of things (like holding the ball) that served as a great equalizer for teams that had more talent than we did,” he added. Wood, who had stops at New Castle, North Central (in Marion County), Mishawaka, Shelbyville (as athletic director), Mishawaka again and Mishawaka one more time (coaching girls’ hoops) after leaving Milan after the championship season, said that high school basketball in Indiana can be described with the word “opportunity.” “It opens doors for so many with the opportunities that the game presents to young boys and girls each and every season,” Wood emphasized. “The game changed my life and I see it do the same thing time and time again for so many others as well,” he added. Wood, who has a reunion with his former players from the Milan team every year, is also constantly quizzed about the connection between his championship Milan team and the now famous “Hickory High” squad made famous by the movie “Hoosiers.” “There are a lot of parallels and similarities in the movie to the actual event but it wasn’t exactly the Milan story,” related Wood. “Hoosiers was about small-town Indiana basketball and there were a lot of things in the movie that were accurate but there were also a number of things (the controversies, the number of players on the team, the alcoholic assistant coach) that were Hollywood, ’' he added. “I've had calls from coaches all over the country who have us-

place fourth in

Mike Atkins (103) placed second for the Warriors, while teammates Dan Clevenger (140) and Ryan Keiper (152) took third in their respective weight classes. Scott Wheat (112), Matt Stump (135) and heavyweight Tony Lund placed fourth. Rounding out the Wawasee competitors were: Clay Rassi (130) and Ryan Merchant (160), who placed sixth, and Jason Ort (171), finishing in seventh place. “Portage was a really strong squad and Crown Point was also a very good, solid group,” said Welborn. “These types of invita - tionals are good experience for the kids, with the quality of wrestlers that they compete against.” With a 7-5 mark in dual meets, the Warriors will close out the 1990 portion of their schedule by competing with a strong field at the Mishawaka Invitational

Bowling

Thursday Night Ladies Kidd's 48 16 Louie's Bar & Grill 45 19 Golden Razor 44 Vi 19’ 2 Wawasee Bowl 41 23 Ink Spot 38’* 25’* Culp's Welding 35 29 Beacon 34 30 Lake City Bank II 33 31 Curtis TV 32 32 Miller's Heating 31 33 Lake City Bank I 29 35 Sandi's Clip & Curl 29 35 Town & Country 29 35 Dana 27’* 36’* Liberty Homes * 27 37 The Paper 27 37 Ace Hardware 25 39 Cocinero's 21’* 42Vi. Art Factory 20 44 Big Wheel 19 45 High team game: Wawasee Bowl — 1040 High team series: Ink Spot 2951 500 series: E. Slabaugh 517, J Wortinger 536, S. Frieberg 517, K Knisley 574, J Daf fron 521, B. Nicolai 557, J Kausal 500 450 series: T. Weeden 481, T. Clow 496, M. Zell Inger 488, K. Pauwels 484, L Yoder 470, S. Johnson 472, N. Shields 484, N. Anderson 470, J. Anderson 482, A. Rice 457, L. Hawn 463, C. Simpson 489, T. Llndzy 469, D. Walton 456, L. Bobeck 456, N Spurting 471, Y

ed the movie “Hoosiers” with their teams and there were a lot of things in that account that our society needs,” remarked Wood. “Things like a second chance for people, the idea that the underdog still has a chance to succeed, the importance of work and the value of teamwork-the fact that we do need each other are concepts that made it such a great movie,” he added. Wood, who said that he’ll probably finish his coaching career in the “next year or two” as his wife is retiring in March, emphasized that along the entire coaching trail of his life his top assistant coach has always been his wife of 42 years Mary Lou. “She’s been a super wife and mother but she’s also always been my best friend and there to pick me up when I was down,” said Wood. “She’s always been my number-one assistant coach throughout everything and I’ve been lucky,” he added. The Woods have one daughter, Diedre, who lives in West Palm Beach, Fla., as well as three grandchildren. The couple also had a son, Douglas, who was killed in a motorcycle accident about 13 years ago. Wood, who will turn 63 later this month, remarked that coaching has always made him feel like “a little kid at recess.” “I love coaching because I like the challenge of seeing young people work and improve. Although the Milan experience has brought me so much recognition and attention over the years, I still think like the small-town person that I’ve always been and I just want to be the same old guy,” he concluded.

tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday. "Mishawaka will be a very tough field, with a number of the top teams from the entire northern part of the state," commented Welborn. “There will be several ranked squads among the 32 competing and it’s really a tournament that is stronger than a lot of sectionals, and even some regionals.” Welborn noted that Requejo is seeded first in the 119-pound weight class for the invitational, while teammate Dutcher is seeded eighth in the 125-pound class. “With the talent in this field, that’s really saying a lot about the ability and the potential down the road for those two,” remarked Welborn. The Warriors return to conference action when they host North Wood at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Jan. 3.

Coburn 472, H. Taylor 496, J. Reed 470, C. Boyd 456, J Mullet 464, P Culp 479, P Mansfield 460 200 games: J. Wortinger 209, S. Frieberg 206, K. Knisley 209, J. Kausal 206 160 games T. Weeden 163, 174, T. Rex 164, D Cook 168, T Clow 168, 178, D Weaver 173, M. Zellinger 169, K. Pauwels 184, L. Yoder 193, E. Slabaugh 187, 196, S. Johnson 169, N. Shields 172, 173, J Wortinger 171, N. Ander son 163, 161, B. Hamman 161, J. Anderson 167, A Rice 160, L. Hawn 182,161, C. Simpson 165, 164, 160, T. Lindzy 163, K. Knisley 180, 185, D Walton 162, L. Bobeck 199, J. Brown 168, N Spurling 173, 16.1, Y. Coburn 167, 168, H Taylor 166, 191, J. Reed 179, 160, J. Daf fron 193, 175, C Boyd 178, J. Mullet 180. P. Culp 194, D Skevington 162, B. Nicolai 192, 192,173, A. Luyben 166, P. Mansfield 166 Splits: Judy Hawkins 3 10, Ellen Slabaugh 3-10, Marilyn Zellinger 3 10, Tonya Clow 2-7, Lee Ann Paternoster 3 10, Nancy Anderson 3 10, Eleanor Price 5-7-9, Jean Knisley 5-10, Dee Walton 5-6, Cindy Simpson 4 5, Felecia Jones 3 10, Jo Reed 2-7, Carol Montgomery 3 10, Jackie Daffron 5-6, Charlotte Boyd 2-7, Sarah Mitchell 27, Bernice Miller 2 57, Maggie Willard 5 10, 3 10, Karen Pauwels 27, 2-7, Jackie Wortinger 3-6 7-10, 5-6, Kathryn Knisley 2 7, 4-5, Helen Taylor 3 10, 457

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KEY PERFORMER — Wawasee senior Dennis Garland attempts a jumper over the outstretched hand of Brian Krider of Columbia City during second-half action of the Warriors’ 76-56 victory last week. Garland, a 6-foot-4 forward, has helped the squad post a 5-3 record through the 1990 portion of the season by averaging better than 14 points per game. Wawasee, riding a three-game winning streak, will resume action on January 4 with a conference clash at Plymouth before hosting West Noble on January 5. (Photo by Scott Davidson)

Cagers take vacation with momentum of three-game win streak

I By SCOTT DAVIDSON Sports Writer Riding a three-game winning streak that has pushed the club to 5-3 on the 1990-91 season, the Wawasee boys’ basketball team is now “home for the holidays,” with a two-week rest for Christmas break. “This is a well-earned vacation after posting three important wins in a row.” said Coach Gary Goshert after seeing the Warriors overtake Columbia City, 76-56, in a hard-fought contest last Friday. Wawasee will not return to action until a Friday. Jan. 3. matchup takes the squad to Plymouth to battle the Pilgrims in a conference clash. The Warriors will then host West Noble on Saturday. Jan. 5. to begin a busy month for the team. After hosting the struggling Chargers, Wawasee will face a month full of back-to-back weekend games, with contests scheduled against Northridge and at Tippecanoe Valley (January 11-12), at Goshen and Westview (January 18-19) and Whitko and at East Noble (January 25-26). After suffering a 54-44 loss to Warsaw on December 7 to fall to 2-3, the Warriors pasted a struggling Triton club. 82-65. edged Fort Wayne Carroll. 65-64, and disposed of Columbia City, 76-56. to find some momentum heading into the second half of the season. “The team has been improving the past few weeks with some good wins against some good teams and that’s a good sign for the second half of the season."

Milford Business Curtis TV 44 20 Pro Shop 44 20 Gropp's 42 22 State Farm Ins. 40 24 One Night Stand 37 27 Commodore 36 28 Jerry's Carpet 32 32 Eagles 27 37 SAL 24 40 Legion 21 43 Independents 21 43 CRS 16 48 High team game & series Curtis TV - 999,2879 600 series C Swihart 670, D Carpenter 611, T. Caudill 601 500 series M Farmer 587, L Szymanski 585, T Smith 577, G Price 570, B Perez 568, D. Ferguson 568, P Delafuente 568, C Farr 561, R Lindzy 559, H Hostetler 546, K Plikerd 537, J Lowe 532, R Bartman 532, G Coquillard Jr 530, D. Caudill 528, G Daffron 521, J. Simpson 520, J. Smeltzer 519, R Caudill 515, B. Hinderer 512, E Senart 509, A Schroeder 507 200 games C. Swihart 257, 211, 202, D Carpenter 236, L. Szymanski 229, D Ferguson 227, P Delafuente 226, G. Price 224, 202, R Bartman 219, T. Smith 214, B Perez 213, C Farr 212, T. Caudill 211, M Farmer 208 , 200, H Hostetler 208, E Bart man 207, R Lindzy 204, K Plikerd 203 J Smeltzer 201, K Knisley 200

Wed,, December 26,1990 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL

commented Goshert. The Warriors, with an 0-2 mark in the Northern Lakes Conference, have already faced their strongest opponents of the 1990-91 season, losing to ranked Concord (77-46), unbeaten Warsaw (54-44) and a vastly underrated Mishawaka team (80-66). Despite the tough early portion of the 1990-91 schedule, the Warriors will get a reprieve in the second half, as the team is scheduled to face a number of programs that have struggled, thus far, this year. Wawasee will take on conference foes Plymouth, Northridge. Goshen and North Wood in the second half, in hopes of improving on last season’s 7-15 mark. "We’ve made some strides during the first portion of the season, but we have several areas that we need to improve upon for the second half.” said Goshert. “Our defense for the most part has been good, thus far, but we need more consistency on the offensive end of the court, while improving on things such as rebounding and free throw shooting.” The Warriors have counted on a talented mix of upperclassmen in senior starters Matt Haab. Jason Mickley and Dennis Garland, along with sophomore starters Jake Lambert and Kyle Newcomer, to carry a majority of the load, thus far. this season. Mickley, a 6-foot-0 guard, paces the club in scoring, averaging almost 15 points-per-contest. Garland is scoring at 14 ppg., while Haab is averaging almost

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10 ppg. Newcomer, who has provided scoring pop from the inside in recent weeks, has raised his average to eight ppg., while Lambert is scoring about five PPg Wawasee has received excellent help from its supporting cast, especially in recent games, as sophomore Mike Ferverda, junior Thanh Tran and sophomore Matt Wilkinson have been the key reserves for Goshert. Ferverda, considered by Goshert tobe a "starter," has provided considerable scoring (10 ppg.) pop to go with inside rebounding for the Warriors. Tran, who scored a career-high 10 points in last week's win over Columbia City, has provided steady play in the backcourt, while Wilkinson, who splits time on the JV and varsity squads, is receiving more minutes after junior Aaron Sincroft was sidelined with a foot injury. “The bench has performed well and we re looking for more depth with Tran and Wilkinson stepping forward even more,” said Goshert The Warriors, who will compete with Rochester. Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, and Warsaw for the Triton Sectional title in March, are on a roll right now. “We're on the right track and this is a well-earned vacation for all of us,” Goshert stated after last week's victory. “We just want to take some time off and work to be ready for the big second half of the season." the coach concluded.

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