CENTAUR SEASONS: ‘WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN’ — entry # 8 from "A history of the events of the Allentown College’s 1972-1973 B-ball season …

… AS CHRONICLED BY, AND WITH THE PERSONAL MEMOIRS + OCCASSIONAL PHILOSOPHIZING OF THE AUTHOR, ONE STEPHEN J. McKEE”

This Centaur Seasons post was originally scribbled on December 7, 1972.

PREVIOUS GAME: Centaurs 73, EASTERN 75, last night

NEXT GAME: Spring Garden College, six days

CENTAUR SEASON: 2-1

We took it to them. Right to the final second.

Eastern 75, A.C. 73.

[#6, ‘MY RESPECT SOARED FOR THAT MAN’] … … [#7, ‘FIRST HOME GAME’]

I would like to make a comment: Like the chant goes in the Chicago song that we ran out to tonight: WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!

At the end of the game, the fans – and there were many, many, many of them – realizing that we had lost, they rose and clapped in unison as the defeated Centaurs walked off the court. I cried. Chris Cashman cried. Joey Thomson cried. Dave Glielmi cried. I think we all cried.

We made it happen tonight.

(“We Can Make It Happen” continues below)

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WELCOME TO CENTAUR SEASONS. “We Can Make It Happen” here on HoopsU.Com appears also on CENTAUR SEASONS, a “memory blog” of the half-good, half-bad, all-new Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales Centaurs in Center Valley, Pennsylvana. Forty years ago Steve kept a diary of his junior-year season. A blog before its time then, “A History of the Events …” is now an e-diary at CENTAUR SEASONS and here on HoopsU.com.

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I had the very curious advantage of watching the team receive the standing ovation. I was observer AND participant AND recipient. It is an event in my life I will not soon forget.

Here’s why.

I sprained my ankle with eight minutes gone. (I already had four points.) I went to the locker room, got taped and went back out, and with 2:30 to go in the first half I went in (scored a quick one and then Coach took me out). I went in again with 12 minutes to go in the game. (First thing I did was block a guy’s shot and scored twice more). Then I re-sprained my ankle, going down while running to the boards as Dave drove the lane for what would’ve tied it up with seconds left.

So at the end of the game I was already in the locker room. But I wanted to be with the team, so I hobbled down the hall to the top of the steps where I could see it all. I watched everybody walk off the court. I watched the fans clap until the entire team was up the stairs. Standing there, I clapped too.

That was the story tonight. We showed the hometown fans that they have a TEAM. Coach said only one thing after: It hurts, but he was proud of us in defeat. We can, did, and will make it happen. Enough said.

[WITHIN THE BIG BASKETBALL PICTURE THE EARLY CENTAURS HAD TO MAKE IT HAPPEN HOWEVER WE COULD, AS HAPPENS IN THIS POST.] … … [AND IN THIS POST, TOO.]

Once again playing me onto the bench, John Cooper had ANOTHER great game – 22 points. Right before I went out for the center tap, he gave me a few encouraging words: “Go straight up, keep your free hand off your man, Steve-O.” (He’s the only guy who calls me that.) That little encouraging word made me feel really good.

OH– I took a shot with what I thought was three minutes left (I’m making excuses now). I don’t know, we were down one, up one. I do know I shouldn’t have taken it. There was only 1:17 to go. I missed and I didn’t follow my shot. If I had, I probably could have had a layup; the ball bounced right back at me. I can still hear the crowd groaning when Eastern got the rebound. But if I hadn’t missed …

Chris Cashman didn’t play last night. Although he’s trying not to show it, I know he must be down. When I went back in in the second half with my ankle taped – or, rather, right before I went back in – Coach asked me if I could go. I said yes (of course), and as I was going in Cash said that I better be able to go, because I was going in for him.

I don’t think Cash realizes the influential power he exerts on the team. Or at least the power I think he exerts. Cash is not relishing the fruits of a bumper-crop season. He blew up his ankle the first day of preseason practice. And he didn’t play with us at all for five weeks, or four days before the season started. then he didn’t play in the first game, breaking his appearance streak — he had played in every game his first three years — and when he played against Northampton he looked poor, his timing off, and he favored his ankle. Last night coach didn’t play him. It’s gotta be killin’ him..

Nevertheless, Cash, I believe, is still the most influential member on this team. I firmly believe that as Cash goes, so will go the team. When he was out hurt he came to every practice, he never stopped with the encouraging words. During the day, every day, he was down at Billera rehabbing with Coach Compardo, our athletic director and one-man athletic department, physical therapy included. Everybody knows what Cash has been through. Everybody respects him for it. He is the captain.

Bobby Stormes is in hurtin’ shape. Pulled groin muscles in BOTH legs. How can he walk? Last year he dislocated his hip and tore cartilage in his knee. He is always worrying about getting hurt. … … Bob Hoeffner has lost a lot of confidence in his shot. He was 4-12 last night. He can’t get down on himself. … … P.J. Brennan impressed a lot of people last night. He had 12 points and remained cool in many a tight situation. … … Dennis sat 16 minutes of the second half. I would imagine that the 1,000-point mark is forever on his mind. But I was talking to him last night and he said that he can now start playing basketball again. He talked to both coaches, the A.D. Coach Compardo + Coach Saboda. And from what they had to say it seems they took the pressure off Dennis. I think he’ll settle down now and play some good ball for us.

I’ve said very little about three people: Jerry Fleming, Gary Cacciatore and Tom Shirley. Flem’s a senor, Gary a sophomore and Tom a freshman. These three guys will probably see the least amount of action of anybody on the team. Last night they were yelling encouragement to the guys playing. To reiterate: I have discovered what it’s like to sit the bench. BUT: I also know I’ll get another chance to prove myself. We 6-goot-8 guys, we ALWAYS get another chance, even if we shouldn’t. Flem-Gary-Tom have stuck it out when plenty others have quit. They come to practice every night realizing that that is ALL they will do – practice. But last night they were standing up cheering.

Tonight at practice Coach made a tactical maneuver. He moved Dave Glielmi to forward and Joey Thomson to guard. It will be Coop at center, Joey and Dennis at guards and the Bobbys (Stormes and Hoeffner) at forwards. Cash and Dave will come in at the forward spot, me for Coop (yeah, lost my starting spot), and P.J. and either Tom Shirley, Flem, or Gary C. will see the action at the backup guard slot. Cash will also be called upon to play center to give Coop a break.

There: wanted to make sure I mentioned everybody tonight. They all deserve it.

PREVIOUS GAME: Centaurs 73, Eastern Baptist 75

NEXT GAME: Spring Garden college, seven days

1972-73 CENTAUR SEASON Schedule and Results:

12/1 — at Lehigh CCC — W/81-71 — 1-0

12-4 — at Northampton CCC — W/87-50 — 2-0

12-6 — EASTERN BAPTIST — L/73-75 — 2-1

12-12 — SPRING GARDEN

12-16 — PHILLY BIBLE

1-18 — at Baptist Bible

1-19 — WILMINGTON

1-25 — at Philly Pharmacy

1-30 — at Spring Garden

2-3 — at Messiah College

2-6 — at Wilmington

2-13 — RUTGERS, S. JERSEY

2-16 — LEHIGH CCC

2-20 — MESSIAH

2-22 — NORTHAMPTON CCC

2-24 — PHILLY PHARMACY

2-27 — BAPTIST BIBLE

About
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Steve McKee

Steve McKee is the author of CENTAUR SEASONS, a memory blog about his basketball-playing days at Allentown (Pa.) College of St. Francis de Sales in the early 1970s (a good excuse for using his college yearbook picture -- though there's NO excuse for that mustache and hair!).

CENTAUR SEASONS can also be found at www.centaurseasons.com. The centerpiece will be the posting in "real time" of the diary that Steve kept of his 1972-1973 junior-year season, beginning on November 30. Prior to that (and after), Steve will be posting regularly about his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons, as well as about what it was like to be there at the beginning to help get a struggling college basketball program off the ground.

Steve was the original writer of The Wall Street Journal's popular sports blog, "The Daily Fix" in 2001-2002, and was even dubbed "The Unwitting Father of the Sports Blog" by Gelf Magazine, the online publication of the "Varsity Letters Reading Series. Steve was the Journal's sports editor for its original Weekend sport section and was involved in all of the Journal's Olympics coverage, Winter and Summer, from 1996 through 2008.

He is the author of three books, most recently "My Father's Heart: A Son's Reckoning With the Legacy of Heart Disease," which he is adapting as a one-man show. For his first book, "The Call of the Game," Steve traveled the country in search of sports events -- including the famous N.C. State Wolfpack victory over "Phi Slamma Jamma" of the University of Houston. For his second book, COACH, among the 150+ coaches Steve interviewed are/were college basketball coaches John Wooden (UCLA), Pat Summitt (Tennessee), Frank Layden (Niagara), Bobby Cremins (Georgia Tech), P.J. Carlesimo (Seton Hall), Bill Guthridge (North Carolina), Abe Lemons (Texas), Stan Morrison (USC), Kathy Rush (Immaculata), Jim Satalin (Duquesne), Charlie Thomas (San Francisco State), Butch Van Bredda Koff (Princeton), Bill Whitmore (Vermont) and LaDonna Wilson (Austin Peay).

For more, you can click on www.steve-mckee.com, where you can find a TODAY show appearance and an NPR interview.