A Walk Down Memory Lane ... Tiger Basketball Style
Posted
Jerad Shaw-
Growing up in Warsaw, much of my childhood was spent idolizing Warsaw Tiger basketball. As the school week ended during basketball season I could only hope the Tigers were at home that weekend. Of course the traditional package of Twizzlers on the way up to row MM with my mom helped, but I was there to see my heroes. Guys like Clay Johnson, Jeff Polk, and Ray Reed not only competed in the Tiger Den on Fridays and Saturdays, but also in my make-believe pick-up games in the kitchen when it was too cold to go outside and play. You could say that my passion for Tiger Basketball started at an early age. I’ve been privileged to be in attendance for some memorable games. Some would debate me that the importance of a high school basketball game is minor, but to a young kid growing up in Warsaw, some of these games meant to the world to me. The guys that put on the Warsaw uniform were larger than life to me, much the same way that the guys that take the floor on Wednesday will be to some kids in the stands. So here I am, excited about the start of another season, yet remembering the past. Since Times-Union Sports Editor Dale Hubler has already previewed the season with an article last week, I’m going to spend some time reminiscing about the past. Without further adieu ... here are some of my favorite Warsaw Tiger boys basketball games. 5. The first game I remember attending was certainly one to remember. Concord, fresh off a state runner-up season, visited the new Tiger Den on a Friday night in Jan. back in 1991. The Minutemen held onto a one-point lead with three seconds remaining when Todd Szymanski hit a trey just a little right of the top of the key to defeat a Concord team that would play for a semistate championship later that year. The game was tabbed as the Channel 46 game of the year and was replayed throughout the summer. 4. On December 3, 2010, Warsaw fans were treated to one of the best individual performances of the program’s storied history. Before being tabbed as Conference Player of the Year at SMU last season, Nic Moore was rewriting the record books here. His 50-point performance against Fort Wayne South was the most anyone has even scored in a single game in a Tiger uniform. Throughout his four-year varsity career, Nic tallied 1,891 points, leaving him second in program history behind 1996 Mr. Basketball Kevin Ault. 3. Speaking of Ault, his numerous individual performances paled in comparison to his outburst against Gary Wallace in 1996. In a heartbreaking loss, Ault dropped in 47 points while I got to enjoy the game from the front row. After getting fouled, Ault missed the game-tying free throw as time expired. On his way to the line to attempt those free throws, he decided to give a 12-year-old a high-five on his way to the charity stripe. Twenty years later I still blame myself for that missed free throw. 2. Jason McKenzie was having a rough go of it against Dennis Balentine and the Kokomo Wildkats during the 1992 semistate championship at the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. McKenzie went on to be an Indiana All-Star, but a trip to the Final Four looked bleak in the closing seconds. That was until a play called for teammate Dan Elliott broke down and led to McKenzie hitting a shot from the NBA 3-point line. Final score: Warsaw 46, Kokomo 44. The late Hillard Gates, a basketball broadcasting legend, tabbed it as a one of the “greatest goat to hero performances” he had seen. A pretty impressive feat coming from someone Gates’ stature. 1. Anytime Warsaw and Plymouth got together, it was generally one to remember. Back in 1996 that was an understatement. While I decided to attend a birthday party, the rest of the town filled the Tiger Den to watch the regional final between two teams favored to make a trip to Indianapolis in two weeks. Plymouth led by double digits the majority of the first half and dominated play for the good part of three quarters. With the game tied in the waning seconds, Kevin Ault missed his first attempt at a win, only to corral his miss and make a fall away 10-foot jumper as time expired. As a new season is upon us, you can have your Netflix and reality TV. I’m going to cuddle up with my Tiger Basketball DVD collection and remember my childhood all over again! I wonder if it can pass as game preparation for Wednesday when I explain it to my wife?
