All-Time Injured Sycamore Team

[BankShot]

Without career-ending injuries to these guys, Sycamore Hoops could've taken a "higher road" of NCAA basketball. Feel free to add to the list:

'65 - Ted Sweatt - 6'6" F TH Wiley; died in Vietnam after completing his frosh yr w/ Newsome, Hollenbeck, et al.
'70 - Bugsy Humes - 6'0" G Madison; Played one yr. after transfer from Vincennes; knee injury;
'71 - Jim Trout - 6'5" F Loogootee HS; IHSAA Trester Award/IN All-Star; knee injury;
'72 - Ted Kraly - 6'6" F TH Wiley; Pepperdine transfer - played one yr.; knee injury;
'72 - Brian Canada - 6'2" G Loogootee H.S./IN All-Star; knee Injury;
'73 - Larry Deakins - 6'6" F TH North; knee Injury;
'73 - Carl Macon - 6'7" F Elkhart; knee Injury;
'78 - Kevin Thompson - 6'8" F TH South; IN All-State; died of Leukemia prior to playing for ISU;
'88 - Rotimi Alakija - 6'8" F Nigeria; died of congenital heart ailment during pratice.
'90 - Kenny Rowan - 6'5" Northview; IN All-Star; knee injury.

 

[bent20]

I'm not saying to add Moss, but I always thought it would have been interesting two years ago to see how the team would have finished if he hadn't been injured mid-season. The team was doing so well before he went down.

 

[IndyTreeFan]

Kenny Rowan was a real shame. I was at the Ball State game his freshman year, when Ball State was ranked in the top 20, and had two forwards that were supposed to be the best in the country. Kenny took them to the woodshed that night. That's also the night he hurt his knee. It was a really sad thing, because he was going to be AWESOME in a Sycamore uniform...:evileye:

 

[sycamorebacker]

Alakaja

 

[sycamorebacker]

Sorry, I skimmed your list and missed Alakaja. We also had an all-star from Evansville and a good one from Jeffersonville or New Albany. I can't remember their names. I think both were 1st or 2nd team all-state.

 

[sycamorebacker]

We also had a real, good guard, I think from the Bahamas that got a career ending disease.

 

[SycamoreSage]

Chad Hunter, Steve Reid, Fred Stelow, Arley Andrews

The kid from New Albany, I believe, was Chad Hunter. He stayed in Terre Haute to finish school but his knees were shot. He was an Indiana All-Star, considered one of the top players in the state even as a junior and didn't play more than 10 games for the Sycamores.

Bill Hodges recruited a guard who made the Indianapolis News All-State team named Reid. I think it was State Reid, but no relation to the Steve Reed who played with Bird. In any event, I think he had a previously undetected spina bifida occulta and never played a game for ISU. He was in the same "blue ribbon" recruiting class with Kevin Thompson. Thompson, of course, was one of the best high school players in Indiana.

Fred Stelow of Hammond Clark was a star on the 1940-41 and 1941-42 Indiana State teams under Glenn Curtis. Two very knowledgeable Indiana State alumni, fans and experts -- Charlie Fouty and Carl Parks -- assert that he was one of the two or three best plaers ever to don the Blue and White. Stelow was the only member of the 1942 team, that lost only three games and made the NAIB Finals, who returned after World War II. He was preparing for his final season but was killed in a car wreck.

Arley Andrews played one year of basketball at Indiana State after several years of pro baseball (he signed a pro contract out of high school but an auto accident damaged the shoulder of his left pitching arm) and led the ICC in scoring. He was prevented from playing college baseball but was permited to play any other sport. After his freshman year [playiung basketball a new ruile was passed barring a professional athlete from playing athletics even in a diffewrent sport. Andrews played only one season. It wass referred to as "The Andrews Rule" by many.

Carl Macon deserves to be on a list of Indiana State's Best. Thanks for bring up his name, Bank Shot.

 

[sycamorebacker]

The kid from E'ville was signed the same day as John Sherman Williams. The guard from the Bahamas played around, I think, the same time as Rick Fields and played a couple of years.

 

[BankShot]

Macon was destined to be an NBA star and had the full package...I always compared him with SW Mo State's CURTIS PERRY, who went on to play w/ Milwaukee & Jabbar. It was so frustrating to watch him attempt to compete during his Jr year after sustaining the injury...heavy medieval knee brace...virtually no lateral movement...pain clearly evident in his face on every move. I loved his high arching corner side shot and powerful down low post-up moves. His recovery was akin to All-American ISU football RB VINCENT ALLEN a few years later, who lived in the Arena weight room post-surgery but was never the same (although he did play CFL Football a few years). Macon never played again after his Jr. season, quietly bowing out of ISU hoop. Where is he now? I always wondered if he was related to that Macon in NW IN that was an IN All-Star who played college ball @ Michigan State.

 

[BankShot]

Thanks, Sycamorebacker. I added the 6'8" Nigerian after being cued by your memory and a Google search.