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
- From the Press Box
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TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.
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FROM THE PRESSBOX: Content McKenna has enjoyed seeing ISU's progress
It all happened so fast in June 2010.
One minute, Kevin McKenna was head coach of the Indiana State men’s basketball program. Then — poof! — he was gone.
McKenna resigned from his head coaching position at ISU on June 13, 2010 to take an assistant coach position on Dana Altman’s then-burgeoning University of Oregon staff. -
MVC can't wait on Crieghton to move forward
Will they go or not? That’s been the question that the Missouri Valley Conference and Creighton have been faced with since rumors of the Bluejays’ potential exit went public in December.
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FROM THE PRESSBOX: Can Sycamores reverse fortunes heading into MVC Tournament?
Mastery of a basketball season comes in many forms. Mostly, it comes in forms that involve avoidance of turnovers, anemic scoring and poor defense.
The mechanics of X-and-O success in basketball are obvious, but what’s often overlooked in building a successful campaign is managing the rhythm of the season, which is the hardest thing of all. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Accountability isn't Lansing's alone in ISU's recent struggles
Taking ownership has always been one of Indiana State men’s basketball coach Greg Lansing’s strengths.
When ISU has lost games in his three seasons at the helm that it was expected to win, Lansing has always been willing to fall on the sword and take blame for it. -
TODD GOLDEN: Indiana State has far more occasions to rise to
Rejoice, Indiana State basketball fans. The Sycamores’ 68-55 victory at No. 15 Wichita State on Tuesday is worthy of celebration.
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TODD GOLDEN: Big plays in last 10 minutes story of the season for Indiana State
You’d think I’d have learned by now.
It’s 20 games into Indiana State’s men’s basketball season and I still expect the Sycamores’ offense operate like a well-oiled machine from the opening tip. -
Sycamores blossom on Hawaii trip
Quick quiz … what’s the state flower of Hawaii?
Don’t worry. I can’t just rattle state flowers off the top of my head. I had to look it up too, even though I’ve seen them all over the place in Honolulu.
I didn’t even know that Indiana’s state flower is the peony, which replaced the apparently unloved zinnia in the 1950s.
Hawaii’s flower, and they’re ubiquitous in Waikiki tourist shops and in actual flora on Oahu, is the yellow hibiscus.
The yellow hibiscus is big, bold and bright. I’ve never seen one blossom, but I imagine it has to be a beautiful sight.
What I have seen blossom — and it’s the only reason flowers would be brought up in my column — is the Indiana State basketball team at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. -
TODD GOLDEN: ISU needs to have its realignment head on a swivel
Have you ever driven past a cow pasture during a severe thunderstorm? If it’s really bad, the cows will congregate in a herd to protect themselves from the tumult.
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TODD GOLDEN: ISU AD Prettyman keeps it close to the vest
Do you want to know who’s on the short list to become Indiana State's next football coach?
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TODD GOLDEN: Trent Miles leaves Sycamores with giant legacy
To glean perspective on Trent Miles’ time as Indiana State’s football coach, I went back into the Tribune-Star’s archives to remind myself of what the football program was like when Miles arrived to rebuild it.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: Scoreboard watching and the threat matrix for ISU
Indiana State football coach Trent Miles reaffirmed his belief Tuesday that a victory over Youngstown State on Saturday will propel the Sycamores into the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 1984.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: Twists and turns, but Luck passes eye test
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck made his much anticipated Lucas Oil Stadium debut Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: Looking back and forward at ISU athletics
It started in State College, Pa., and ended in Eugene, Ore. Few Indiana State athletic seasons have spanned the nation in as many sports as 2011-12 did for the Sycamores’ athletic teams. And from coast-to-coast there was glory and heartbreak alike.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU progresses under Prettyman
He didn’t say a word, but it was as clear as Indiana State Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman sat in the PK Park dugout and watched the Sycamores take batting practice prior to their NCAA Regional at Oregon last Thursday, he beamed with pride.
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TODD GOLDEN: MVC pitching helped prepare Sycamores for regional
Nick Petree, Pierce Johnson, Ty Blach.
These aren’t just elite-level starting pitchers Indiana State’s baseball team faced this season. They comprise three of the last five pitchers the Sycamores faced period. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU baseball has pluses, minuses for tourney bid
Last Thursday, when Indiana State’s baseball jumped around in a celebratory dogpile after clinching the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship at Bob Warn Field, no one thought that a little over a week later, the dreaded NCAA Tournament bubble would fly over Terre Haute. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Subtle switch has fostered MVC baseball parity
When Indiana State was crowned as the regular season baseball champion of the Missouri Valley Conference last Thursday, it marked the fifth different regular season champion the league has had since 2005.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU has done enough to be in NCAAs
When you get older, you’re supposed to get wiser. I don’t know if I qualify, but I’m trying.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: TH’s Murans back in the Derby … this time with favorite
When Terre Haute native Paul Murans experienced his first Triple Crown horse racing run as part-owner of Mucho Macho Man in 2011, the experience was — to borrow a phrase from one-time Marquette coach Al McGuire — seashells and balloons.
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TODD GOLDEN: IHSAA debate interrupts more pressing issues
State Senator Mike Delph has sowed a 15-year-old wind and put the emotional class basketball debate back on the public’s mind.
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TODD GOLDEN: ISU eyes prize one game at a time
Most baseball fans know that the baseball season — even a college baseball season — is a marathon, not a sprint.
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TODD GOLDEN: Grass is green enough for Indiana State in Missouri Valley
Take a look around the Missouri Valley Conference landscape and it would be easy to assume that a significant portion of the league membership is searching for perceived greener pastures.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: Sycamores are Odum’s team now
Soooo … who wants to talk about the 2012 Indiana State men’s basketball season?
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU will face uphill climb in MVC in 2013
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals are always scintillating. No more so than Saturday when Illinois State upset 15th-ranked Wichita State 65-64 and when No. 25 Creighton took care of business with a 99-71 victory over Evansville.
Arch Madness indeed. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Effort, heart, concentration are fleeting for ISU
Every time Indiana State’s men’s basketball wins a game, you think to yourself, OK, now is when these Sycamores live up to their potential.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: Peyton’s place belongs to Eli
The good people of Indianapolis justifiably puffed out their chests throughout Super Bowl week as the city received deserved rave reviews for the job it did as hosts of Super Bowl XLVI.
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TODD GOLDEN: Teammates, colleagues express their loyalty to Weatherford
Sometimes you worry whether someone is stopping to smell the roses when they smell rosiest.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: Does melted ice reveal Belichick's heart of gold?
If you’re into Youtube — and who isn’t these days? — there’s a vintage television profile of then-Cleveland Browns coach Bill Belichick posted on the popular site.
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TODD GOLDEN: Indiana State men caught between expectation, reality
The Missouri Valley Conference is hush-hush on how it puts together its matchups for the annual conference schedule.
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TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
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