TERRE HAUTE — When you’re a sportswriter, especially one whose job is based around collegiate and high school seasons, your life is not unlike the way it was when you were in school yourself. You don’t live on a January-to-December treadmill, you time your life around that August-to-June school-year cycle when sports are being played.
With that in mind, I can’t write about year-end awards on Dec. 31. Are you kidding me? That’s the beginning of the Missouri Valley Conference basketball schedule and the Pizza Hut Classic, the year isn’t even half-over yet!
So here’s my year-in-review … timed on the Golden calendar. My year ends in June.
n Golden’s Athlete of the Year — I wasn’t there when Kylie Hutson won the NCAA indoor pole vault championship at Texas A&M;, nor was I in Fayetteville, Ark., when she won the NCAA outdoor title.
However, I was there at Marks Field when she won the Pacesetter Invitational title on May 2. And apart from her vault, which was a season-best to that point, the thing that struck me was the joy she had for her craft. The Terre Haute native was thrilled to the marrow that she put on a good show for her home crowd. Her smile was a mile-wide.
Is that a reason to make her Athlete of the Year? Probably not, but when someone like Hutson goes about her excellence with enthusiasm that suggests she’s enjoying the ride and not laboring in it, it makes it an easier choice. Of course, two NCAA titles don’t hurt either.
n Golden’s Coach of the Year — There’s plenty of worthy candidates, and ISU baseball coach Lindsay Meggs was the MVC Coach of the Year after the Sycamores unexpectedly finished second in the Valley, but West Vigo baseball coach Steve DeGroote stood above the rest.
A 28-2 record in any sport is spectacular, but especially baseball, which has perhaps the most variables of any sport when it comes to who wins and who loses.
n Game and performance of the year — Without a doubt, that would have to be ISU’s 75-73 come-from-behind men’s basketball victory at Illinois State on Feb. 8 when Jay Tunnell drained eight 3-pointers to help rally the Sycamores, who were down 11 with less than four minutes left in the game. Harry Marshall drained the buzzer-beater in overtime.
The victory turned around a Sycamore season that was pretty dreadful (4-19) to that point and gave the program momentum it has carried into the offseason.
n Most agonizing game — How excruciating was ISU’s 27-24 overtime football loss to Missouri State on Nov. 22, 2008? A fan prematurely ran on the field as Missouri State’s final play of regulation unfolded, believing the Sycamores had snapped the longest losing streak in the nation. Instead, the Bears completed a last-ditch 19-yard touchdown pass to force overtime and Missouri State pretty easily handled the shocked Sycamores in overtime.
Considering that ISU’s losing streak was extended to 26 and was taken into another season, no loss I’ve ever covered carried so much agonizing weight.
n Strangest game — When I drove to Plainfield to cover Terre Haute North’s girls basketball team in the Plainfield Sectional on Feb. 13, I wasn’t expecting to write about a player revolt. Three Patriots did not dress in a 70-43 loss to Plainfield and North had only six players dressed for the game. After it was over, Plainfield police kept media and parents away from the North locker room, as there was a longer-than-usual postmortem. An odd way to end a season.
n Strangest situation — Bianca Jarrett’s rise and fall on the ISU women’s basketball team was bizarre, unfortunate and sad for those who appreciated watching her play.
One week she’s one of the most productive Sycamores and instant fan favorite for her relentless style and extreme quickness. She was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 23. Who knew it would be her last accomplishment in a Sycamore uniform?
She was at first suspended prior to the Feb. 27 game, then dismissed from the team shortly after with a few games to spare in ISU’s season.
There have been whispers put out there as to what happened. They don’t rise past the level of she-said, she-said type of stuff and none are worth repeating here.
What’s clear is that Jarrett was a polarizing figure. It’s apparent too that Jarrett should have been more diplomatic with her teammates and coaches.
It’s also a fact that Jarrett is one of the few African-American women’s basketball players to play at ISU in recent years. Why does that matter? She didn’t have any peers in a leadership position in the locker room to guide her with the issues that ultimately led to her exit from the team, presuming she would have sought the help.
Ultimately, only Jarrett, the coaching staff, and the players will ever really know the truth of her abrupt exit.
I I I
In other news …
n Baseball stadium construction hasn’t started yet — Ground was ceremonially broken on the new Sycamore Field in May. It was hoped that construction would begin in June.
However, there is no evidence of any activity at 1st and Locust Streets. The only evidence that a new stadium is intended for the site is a Coming Soon sign and two other signs touting the construction company.
“Since our previous conversation [in May] nothing has changed. We are still working through the contractual terms, and these processes do take a little time to do to ensure they are done well,” said Crume said in an e-mail.
Stay tuned.
n Ciolli at Great Falls — At the time I wrote the article for Wednesday’s paper about Nick Ciolli being signed by the White Sox, I did not have the information that he had indeed been assigned to one of the White Sox’ farm teams.
I have since been informed that Ciolli had been assigned to Great Falls, a Rookie League team in the Pioneer League. For whatever reason, the White Sox did not announce the players that they had assigned to that club as of Tuesday.
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Tribune-Star. He can be reached at (812) 231-4272 or todd.golden@tribstar.com.
From the Press Box
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Another busy year comes to an end
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Many Sycamores, past and present, to remember
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Odum shouldn’t be overlooked as MVC’s Freshman of Year
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