TERRE HAUTE — Almost nobody believed Michael Menser. I mean, really believed.
Well, his coach and teammates did. But I’m reasonably certain that none of the other beat writers at the 2001 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament pre-tourney interview session even bothered to repeat Menser’s comment in print.
“If we put a good streak together,” the Indiana State Sycamore guard said, “we can win it.”
By “it,” Menser didn’t mean just ISU’s first-round game. He meant the whole tournament — a feat that no Sycamore men’s basketball team had accomplished since Larry Bird and Co. in 1979.
Surely, skeptics presumed, Menser had to say that. Why else would he think the Sycamores had a chance?
After all, they ended the season by losing six of their last eight games. They’d even lost their home finale — Senior Night, for cryin’ out loud, for Menser, forward Matt Renn and three teammates. They’d fallen from first place to a tie for fourth.
Thus, ISU became the No. 5 seed in the MVC Tournament at St. Louis, and no team seeded so low had ever won the championship.
Their dream of reaching the Big Dance had unraveled. Or so most people thought.
Thank goodness, Michael, Matt and the Sycamores kept believing. They did exactly what Menser said was possible. They put a good streak together, defeating higher-seeded rivals Southern Illinois, Creighton and Bradley to win the conference tournament. Then they beat 13th-ranked Oklahoma in the NCAA South Regional at Memphis.
ISU fans and Hauteans gained a Rolodex of memories from a championship season that ISU hasn’t matched since. Some fans would say their favorite was Menser’s 32-point performance against top-seeded Creighton in the MVC Tournament, giving ISU a rousing 87-74 victory. In voting announced this week, Missouri Valley fans chose Menser’s exploit as the sixth-greatest moment in the history of “Arch Madness” — the league’s nickname for its St. Louis-based tourney, where the current Sycamore squad plays Illinois State in Friday’s first round.
My most vivid image from that season is far less obvious.
It occurred half an hour after ISU stunned heavily favored Oklahoma 70-68 in overtime at Memphis. The arena, called The Pyramid, was almost empty. Fans left, happy or dejected. The shocked Sooners were gone. NCAA staffers crunched numbers and stapled together statistical booklets in a computer room. Writers and sportscasters cranked out their stories from the media bullpen. After interviewing players and coaches and analyzing the game stats, I decided to take a walk to gather my thoughts. Strolling back into the now-quiet arena, I spotted Menser sitting, alone, in a courtside chair, sipping on bottled water, gazing across the court.
And smiling.
I didn’t interrupt his moment. But a breathless, hurried team manager soon did. “Michael,” he said, urgently, “everybody’s on the bus.” Menser grabbed his equipment bag and dutifully followed him out to The Pyramid parking lot.
I’m not sure what Menser had been thinking about, as he sat in that chair. Knowing Michael, if I asked him today — nine years later — he’d probably say something typically gracious like, “Oh, just my coaches and teammates, and everything we achieved together.” Perhaps. But I’m guessing a few images popped up, too.
Like 10,000 students, Hauteans and ISU fans storming the Hulman Center court after he hit two 3-pointers in the final 8.5 seconds of a milestone victory over the Indiana Hoosiers that November.
Or taking in the scenery at San Juan, Puerto Rico — and winning a couple of games — in an early season tournament.
Or watching Renn — the other half of ISU’s senior dynamic duo — play in pain, night after night, while wearing a brace to protect the stress fracture in his lower left leg.
Or learning the finer points of the college game – and the value of a thick skin — from Coach Royce Waltman.
Or enduring two last-second losses to Southern Illinois on improbable buzzer-beater shots by Saluki archnemesis Jermaine Dearman.
Or getting revenge on Dearman’s team with a 67-64 Sycamore win in the MVC tourney’s first round.
Or that 32-point explosion against Creighton in the second round at St. Louis. Down 15-12, Menser injured his shooting elbow in a collision with the Bluejays’ Ryan Sears. Menser made a rare trip to the bench, resting briefly because his right hand “felt like it was burning.” The pain subsided, but that fire never left. He hit 9 of 18 field goals, including five 3-pointers from so far off he could see the East St. Louis city limits. The clincher came just before halftime.
He stood at halfcourt, dribbling away the half’s final 35 seconds. Sears, his defender, watched, patiently waiting for Menser to pass or drive. He did neither. When the clock reached :02, Menser pulled up and launched a 27-footer that swished the net. Creighton went into the lockerroom trailing 41-36 and never recovered. “That last one was worth a lot more than 3 points,” Waltman said of Menser’s shot. The Bluejays were done.
Or cutting down the MVC Tournament nets after beating Bradley 69-63 in the title game.
Or knowing his family drove from their hometown of Batesville to witness every Sycamore game.
Or maybe Michael sat in that chair at Memphis, simply reliving the dramatic win over Oklahoma just minutes before. Teammate Kelyn Block got three teeth knocked out, and surprised everyone by returning to lead ISU in an overtime win that made the front page of the next morning’s New York Times.
From Michael’s vantage point, the season’s highlights were a lot to absorb. No wonder he sat down and took a few minutes to comprehend it all.
It was pretty unbelievable, even for a believer.
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Mark Bennett B-Sides
MARK BENNETT: Sometimes you just have to believe
- Mark Bennett B-Sides
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MARK BENNETT: Proposed trail would give river development momentum, reacquaint community with Wabash
Terre Haute and the Wabash River were like strangers living next door to each other.
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MARK BENNETT: Super Bowl luck? His is mostly bad
I’ve learned to take a Seinfeld approach to Super Bowls.
In a flash of clairvoyance, Jerry excitedly reminded buddy George Costanza that “if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.” -
MARK BENNETT: Not-so-casual observers
In the minds of many adults, the most upstanding generation of young people was, ironically, their own.
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MARK BENNETT: On the banks of the Wabash, a sculpture
Paul Dresser remembered his hometown at its best. Terre Haute should remember him the same way.
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MARK BENNETT: A reminder for electorate: You get what you vote for
In the rear-view mirror of our lives, some days loom larger than we expected.
For many Hoosiers, the date Nov. 2, 2010, probably fits that category. -
MARK BENNETT: Keys to the future
Steve Witt fielded a jarring phone call in October 2007.
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MARK BENNETT: Hall-of-Famer Larkin delivered more than clutch hits
A logjam of kids swelled behind the first-base dugout in Riverfront Stadium.
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MARK BENNETT: Polian, Colts and Terre Haute were good for one another
Sentimentality seems alien in a discussion of Bill Polian.
That emotion rarely influenced his decisions in 14 seasons as the day-to-day boss of the Indianapolis Colts. He surely felt it, but seldom submitted to it. The NFL is a business, after all, with winning as its bottom line. Polian knew how to make that happen, and did. Anyone or anything threatening to divert the Colts from title contention could not linger. When it came to that mission, Polian functioned with all of the sentimentality of Joe Friday. -
MARK BENNETT: In this day and age, pure quiet is hard to find
It’s hard to emulate JFK — this JFK, at least.
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MARK BENNETT: Rose professor’s bit part in classic holiday movie leaves a major memory
Most of us see a bit of ourselves in “A Christmas Story.” Mike Kukral does so, literally. The 1983 movie grew into a holiday classic because so many of its poignant, awkward and hilarious moments seem to have been pulled straight from our childhood memories.
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MARK BENNETT: Ferrell’s love of Old Milwaukee shines light on Old Terre Haute
Will Ferrell didn’t walk through traffic at Seventh and Wabash for nothing.
Well, actually it might have been for nothing. Apparently, the comedian just likes Old Milwaukee so much that he came to Terre Haute, unannounced, one morning last September to film wacky commercials for the beer. -
MARK BENNETT: Holiday season makes going to the mailbox fun again
Ants decided to set up a colony in our family’s mailbox last summer.
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MARK BENNETT: First impressions: City benefits from hearing visitors’ views of community
The town should blush.
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MARK BENNETT: When it comes to retail, Thursday is the new Friday
The new Thanksgiving dinner tradition?
Turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie served at a family tailgating party in a big-box store parking lot on Black Thursday. -
MARK BENNETT: 'The Way We Worked' exhibit explains how work became a cornerstone of Americana
Young steelworkers, like Robert Bruno’s dad, often took dates to the railroad yards, watching train cars rumble past in blue-collar Youngstown, Ohio.
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MARK BENNETT: He told tales of great-uncle Mortecai Brown, but Fred Massey's story is worth hearing
Fred Massey loved to talk about his family.
His wife and daughters, his parents, his brothers and sisters. And, his great-uncle, Mort. Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, that is, the Hall of Fame pitcher who led the Chicago Cubs to their last World Series title in 1908 with an amazing curveball and without an index finger. -
MARK BENNETT: Guess where the newest THPD headquarters is?
The city election involved lots of debate over a new headquarters for the Terre Haute Police Department.
But is Raleigh, N.C., really a fitting location? The 750-mile commute for the cops would be dreadful.
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MARK BENNETT: Mayor’s progressive vision today has ties to leader long ago
Going backward rarely works as a leadership strategy.
Political groups often insist they’re primed to “take back America.” While their intent is to reclaim lost turf, the ultimate goal is to go backward — to a different time. Life isn’t “Back to the Future” or any other movie, though. The best policy for worthwhile living is to do things right today that make tomorrow better. -
MARK BENNETT: ‘It’s giving with care, and without judgment’
Let’s avoid the P-word today.
Just for some clarity, we’ll offer its dictionary definition: “The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.” -
MARK BENNETT: Pull up a telescope and see a show at Rose-Hulman observatory
Once in a lifetime. The phrase gets uttered often. Sometimes, it’s an assumption, as in traveling to Europe or getting tickets to see the Cubs play in the World Series. Occasionally, it’s definite.
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MARK BENNETT: Year of the River inspiring new ideas
The Wabash River inspired the state song. That’s impressive.
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MARK BENNETT: The significance of writing: T-S columnist Mike Lunsford pens third book
Our nerves buzz with anxiety for different reasons.
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MARK BENNETT: Movie’s portrayal of fatherhood’s issues lives up to its name
For three summers, I had the good fortune to watch and listen to Tony Dungy day after day.
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MARK BENNETT: Could a new champion for public schools be emerging?
Deep down, millions of Hoosiers would wear the label “advocate for public schools.”
Yes, many have their complaints, criticisms and a few “you-know-what-they-really-need-is” suggestions. But, in their heart of hearts, they want to see their alma maters and hometown public schools succeed and progress. -
MARK BENNETT: In Prairieton, renovation gives new life to old park
There wasn’t much leg room in that Radio Flyer wagon.
Our sons — two years apart but squashed together inside its fading wooden rails — always fidgeted until the black wheels started rumbling over the uneven WPA-era sidewalks running through Prairieton. -
Rekindling a dream on the river
Mark Twain probably would grin at the sight of John Cornell, Jim Foster, Dan Remaly and their raft.
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MARK BENNETT: Just another Terre Haute celebrity sighting
At some point, this stuff becomes routine.
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MARK BENNETT: Everyone has a role in this American story (see VIDEO)
We stood atop a hill in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, and I do mean rural. Cars, trucks, SUVs and RVs kept pulling into the parking area. Groups of people climbed out of their vehicles and into the suffocating July heat. Then, they too stood on the hilltop, staring down at a grassy clearing in front of a woods.
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MARK BENNETT: It’s time for us to rekindle our volunteer spirit
Hoosiers exhibit generosity.
Terre Hauteans, in particular, displayed that virtue after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the local flooding in 2008. They donated blood, money, food, clothes and — most significantly — their own sweat and time. -
MARK BENNETT: What would Debs think?
Pretend it’s the year 2111.
- More Mark Bennett B-Sides Headlines
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Watch: Whitney Houston's Golden Hearse
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Man Allegedly Drowns Wife While Scuba Diving
Glee Pays Tribute to Whitney
Wash. becomes 7th state to okay same-sex marriage
Romijn's 60 Pound Weight Loss
The 'Celebrity Apprentice' Cast Meets Donald Trump
Kissing contest heats up
Hugh Hefner's Son Arrested
Jacqueline Kennedy's personal papers released
Did Tyler Perry Have a Secret Wedding?
