Hoosier Dreams Rise from the Promised One
Prophecies and dreams do come true.
Some dreams and visions are grandiose, and awful, portending and auguring of droughts, plagues, wars, and catastrophes. ( Perhaps I started this post when I knew that COVID-19 was pretty bad in China. But things had not spread yet.)
Other dreams and premonitions indicate great blessings, wonderful events, awesome promises fulfilled, messianic figures bringing justice or victory, or peace.
The greater reconciliation of mankind, perhaps.
Maybe a voyage or visitation from another planet or galaxy?
Cosmic euphoria.
Some people have more finite hopes: food, water, electricity, a car, a vacation, a spouse, a nice date. Or a great movie or an entertaining television series or book.
Then there are us sports fans. What do we dream about, research and pray for?
The championship season. The title. The series. The banner. The ring. The gold. The best.
In the modest state of Indiana, some simply wish for Banner Number 6.
It has proven elusive. The last banner raised in Assembly Hall, built about the time of my birth in the early 70s, for the IU basketball team was in 1987, when many of us were still minors and we did not know of the future adult frustrations, drudgeries, heartaches, long lapses of any earthly success for the team, first under the legend Bobby Knight, then his immediate successor Mike Davis, followed by Kelvin Sampson, Tom Crean, and now Archie Miller.
Large shoes to fill, Mr. Knight himself not able to stem the tide of futility after his former proven success, year after year of no more large wins in the Big Dance come March, before ignominiously being fired from the position.
We have needed the hero with the heart of a lion to restore that greatness, like Steve Alford, or Isaih Thomas, or Scotty May, someone like that who could strike fear in the hearts of the opponent and bring the level of the rest of his teammates up to the level of national champion.
Now we are at the end of March, a time when Hoosier fans far and wide wax nostalgic for the halcyon days of winning until the Final Four, only approached in 1992 and 2002 since the days of that Hoosier hero Steve Alford. And the guy who did elevate that game and championship winning shot, Keith Smart.
In 2013 it was thought that Jordan Hulls, under the 3.1st coach since Coach Knight, a local fiery guard, under-sized but fierce, and his more imposing teammates could make its run, but they were devastated by an end of the season malaise and ultimately the zone of long-limbed and hungry Syracuse, the eventual Final Four contender themselves.
Such has been Hoosier fate: no Final Fours since 2002, barely even making it to the Sweet Sixteen, but more often not even qualifying for the tournament!
These are Hoosier nightmares. Since the times of Knight, no pun intended. The night has been long without victories deep into March, the time of glory after the long dark freezing winters of sacrifice and struggle. The 21st century has been bereft and barren for the Hurry'n Hoosiers!
Has this solidly ensconced institution fallen to such meager depths of woe and irrelevance? Purdue regularly outproduces their brothers to the south! Not to mention the neighboring state schools that steal Indiana talent left and right, Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State. Don't tell me about Duke, North Carolina, and even Kentucky who exploit the Hoosier heartland for players...
Purdue has been significantly better the last 20 plus years.
But IU still has the national banners! FIVE. (Despite the fact that Purdue claims some national crowns prior to the NCAA tourney of 1939.)
In this time of the banished and mind boggingly prematurely ended un-crowned season, 2020, the Deadly Spring of Corona, COVID-19, the Hoosier drought for multiple decades (decades?!) in the epoch and spring of corona, the hope now lies upon the shoulders of a would-be hero, a kid with more size and hopefully as much heart as Hulls of a decade ago, from my alma mater Bloomington South, Anthony Leal.
Anthony, could you be the one?
Could you be the new Steve Alford, the one that we thought Damon Bailey would be, or after him a host of others, most recently last year's one and done NBA talent Romeo Langford?
You will have some talent beside you, Miller keeps recruiting some good talent, instate guys like Arman Franklin or more importantly, Trayce Jackson-Davis. Coming in now, some talent with Galloway, Geronimo, and maybe the one and done Khristian Lander, the top rated point guard in the whole country.
Promise does have its way as far as talent, and Archie has incrementally gotten better results over the three seasons he has been in Bloomington.
Will Leal be the one?
The promised one? The new Alford, the new Isaih, the new Scott May?
Out of the huge let down of no more high school, or college, or now even professional basketball this season, so promising and the final one for current senior Hoosier Devonte Green and Deron Davis to even play in one single tourney game, the dream is done for now.
Leal could not fight for South's second ever state title.
But he could do something special in Bloomington for the Hoosier faithful.
There are bigger stakes in the world right now: people across the planet are getting infected and dying, the health care workers are succumbing as well.
It is mammoth and Biblical in proportions, and it is serious, real, sobering, and bigger than basketball, a mere sport with a ball and hoops and nets.
But right now, at the end of March, all I need is one more shining moment in the final match of the season, the March Madness of the Big Dance, not the March sadness of failure, or worse yet, the current tragedy.
The elusive red and white banner in the Assembly Hall rafters, mere miles from the home and playgrounds of my youth.
Anthony and the rest, I pray for you. Archie is the mentor. You are probably the heart. Leal means loyal and faithful in Spanish. This will possibly be a prophecy and dream come true.
Bring me home.
Take me away to the place of dreams, to the euphoria of my youth.
Or go down fighting. Overcome and rise from the dust and the heartbreak.
Continue the dream of triumph. Give me four years of Anthony Leal as a Hoosier.
I do believe with him around, the world will move on as it should.
Large shoes to fill, Mr. Knight himself not able to stem the tide of futility after his former proven success, year after year of no more large wins in the Big Dance come March, before ignominiously being fired from the position.
We have needed the hero with the heart of a lion to restore that greatness, like Steve Alford, or Isaih Thomas, or Scotty May, someone like that who could strike fear in the hearts of the opponent and bring the level of the rest of his teammates up to the level of national champion.
Now we are at the end of March, a time when Hoosier fans far and wide wax nostalgic for the halcyon days of winning until the Final Four, only approached in 1992 and 2002 since the days of that Hoosier hero Steve Alford. And the guy who did elevate that game and championship winning shot, Keith Smart.
In 2013 it was thought that Jordan Hulls, under the 3.1st coach since Coach Knight, a local fiery guard, under-sized but fierce, and his more imposing teammates could make its run, but they were devastated by an end of the season malaise and ultimately the zone of long-limbed and hungry Syracuse, the eventual Final Four contender themselves.
Such has been Hoosier fate: no Final Fours since 2002, barely even making it to the Sweet Sixteen, but more often not even qualifying for the tournament!
These are Hoosier nightmares. Since the times of Knight, no pun intended. The night has been long without victories deep into March, the time of glory after the long dark freezing winters of sacrifice and struggle. The 21st century has been bereft and barren for the Hurry'n Hoosiers!
Has this solidly ensconced institution fallen to such meager depths of woe and irrelevance? Purdue regularly outproduces their brothers to the south! Not to mention the neighboring state schools that steal Indiana talent left and right, Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State. Don't tell me about Duke, North Carolina, and even Kentucky who exploit the Hoosier heartland for players...
Purdue has been significantly better the last 20 plus years.
But IU still has the national banners! FIVE. (Despite the fact that Purdue claims some national crowns prior to the NCAA tourney of 1939.)
In this time of the banished and mind boggingly prematurely ended un-crowned season, 2020, the Deadly Spring of Corona, COVID-19, the Hoosier drought for multiple decades (decades?!) in the epoch and spring of corona, the hope now lies upon the shoulders of a would-be hero, a kid with more size and hopefully as much heart as Hulls of a decade ago, from my alma mater Bloomington South, Anthony Leal.
Anthony, could you be the one?
Could you be the new Steve Alford, the one that we thought Damon Bailey would be, or after him a host of others, most recently last year's one and done NBA talent Romeo Langford?
You will have some talent beside you, Miller keeps recruiting some good talent, instate guys like Arman Franklin or more importantly, Trayce Jackson-Davis. Coming in now, some talent with Galloway, Geronimo, and maybe the one and done Khristian Lander, the top rated point guard in the whole country.
Promise does have its way as far as talent, and Archie has incrementally gotten better results over the three seasons he has been in Bloomington.
Will Leal be the one?
The promised one? The new Alford, the new Isaih, the new Scott May?
Out of the huge let down of no more high school, or college, or now even professional basketball this season, so promising and the final one for current senior Hoosier Devonte Green and Deron Davis to even play in one single tourney game, the dream is done for now.
Leal could not fight for South's second ever state title.
But he could do something special in Bloomington for the Hoosier faithful.
There are bigger stakes in the world right now: people across the planet are getting infected and dying, the health care workers are succumbing as well.
It is mammoth and Biblical in proportions, and it is serious, real, sobering, and bigger than basketball, a mere sport with a ball and hoops and nets.
But right now, at the end of March, all I need is one more shining moment in the final match of the season, the March Madness of the Big Dance, not the March sadness of failure, or worse yet, the current tragedy.
The elusive red and white banner in the Assembly Hall rafters, mere miles from the home and playgrounds of my youth.
Anthony and the rest, I pray for you. Archie is the mentor. You are probably the heart. Leal means loyal and faithful in Spanish. This will possibly be a prophecy and dream come true.
Bring me home.
Take me away to the place of dreams, to the euphoria of my youth.
Or go down fighting. Overcome and rise from the dust and the heartbreak.
Continue the dream of triumph. Give me four years of Anthony Leal as a Hoosier.
I do believe with him around, the world will move on as it should.
No comments:
Post a Comment