The Walk-n-Wander in Warsaw led to a stroll down memory lane Tuesday evening, bringing the past and present together. On the east side of the courthouse square, a bronze sculpture by American sculptor Seward Johnson, part of a 20-sculpture exhibit in the downtown area, is sitting on a bench reading an edition of the Times-Union from 1984. More specifically, the sculpture depicts a man reading an article about Warsaw Community High School’s victory in the 1984 boys basketball state championship game. The Tigers, who finished that season with a 26-2 record under coach Al Rhodes, beat Vincennes Lincoln 59-56 at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. On Tuesday, players and members of the coaching staff from the ‘84 team posed for a picture with the sculpture. They were joined by members of Warsaw’s 2015-16 boys hoops team, which advanced to the Class 4A semistate finals and finished with a 25-2 record under coach Doug Ogle. It was more than just a quick photo shoot, it was a reunion of teammates and friends, a chance to spend time together again, specifically for the ‘84 team. “The guys that are local, I see them quite often,” said Rhodes, who coached the Tigers to a record of 405-132 over 22 seasons. “When we’ve had a reunion at the school, it’s about the only time really ... I was just telling Jeff (Grose) that we need to get together more often, different from a picture, and hopefully this will spur us on to that.” Members of the ‘84 team present for the photo opportunity were Rhodes, assistant coach Hal Gunter, and players Jeff Grose, Steve Hollar, Rob Randels and Robert Johnson. “The older I get, the more I realize the accomplishment,” said Grose, Indiana’s 1985 Mr. Basketball, who teaches at WCHS and is a city councilman. “Anytime we get together, I realize what a special time that was, and then also our friendship still to this day, 30 years later. “And then the older I get, I realize the team play. On that team, I got to shoot the ball and all that, but that was just one component of a very good basketball team ... whether it’s the point guard, the power forward like Rob Randels here tonight, Steve Hollar, Marty Lehman, Scott Long, then the guys coming off the bench ... what a team effort. You preach it as a coach ... we reaped the benefits.” Hollar, who went on to star as “Rade Butcher” in the motion picture Hoosiers, cemented Grose’s comments about the chemistry amongst the players on that special team. “To echo Jeff’s comments, the chemistry on that whole team, and I mean top to bottom, from Greg Marsh to the managers, to the coaches, to the stars like Jeff and Marty, the chemistry was unmatched,” said Hollar. “It is a fiber and a band that these guys will be lifelong friends. “The funny part for me, I played on other championship teams, and a fictitional one in a movie ... and people ask me if winning in the movie was anything like real life. It wasn’t even close. I think Jeff and the guys would agree, we had a special bond and a special chemistry, and that’s why we won.” Members of the 2015-2016 team that were present included coaches Ogle and Gunter, and players Kyle Mangas, Evan Schmidt and Jeremy David. “This is a thrill for our players to have a chance to have a picture taken and mingle with the ‘84 team, the members that are here tonight,” said Ogle. “I know our players appreciate the history of Tiger Basketball, and the three guys we have here are very well aware of the team, and Coach Gunter was with both teams, kind of a common bond.” Gunter has been as assistant coach with the program since Rhodes took the job prior to the 1980-81 season. Gunter spoke highly of the members of both teams represented Tuesday evening. “It’s a really special moment,” Gunter said of the picture. “Just two teams composed of really special kids. They were great teammates because they were friends. They liked each other and they had each other’s back. They have blessed my life because I got to be part of that.” The Walk-n-Wander sculptures will be remain on display until Sept. 29. They were brought here by the Warsaw Public Art Commission, which includes Susie Light, Melodie Koher, Paulette Davis, Stephanie Salyer, Kallie Kirkendall, Julie Parke and Mayor Joe Thallemer.
