Willie Long--Mr. Basketball, good story

[Sycamore Proud]

Good story about Willie Long. Hope you enjoy it.

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2016/05/02/new-life-indiana-mr-basketball/83355928/

 

[BankShot]

Good story about Willie Long. Hope you enjoy it.

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2016/05/02/new-life-indiana-mr-basketball/83355928/

E-ville North behind 6'7" Bob Ford def. Laf. Jeff. for the IHSAA Championship in '67. Ford established a record for points scored in the final four (4) games of the tournament (Semi-state & State). TH Garfield, w/ 3 future Sycamores (Howard Williams, Paul Siebenmorgan & Mike Turner) lost to North in the E-ville Semi-state Final Game.

Curious - was "Willie" kin to early 60's ISU player "Lenny," who was from the NW part of Indiana? Also, wasn't future ISU A.D..BB Coach BOB KING the New Mexico HC that recruited "Willie?"

 

[Sycamore Proud]

There was a rumor started on the spring of '67 that IS was trying to sign Bob Ford ans player/coach. Some of the frosh in Sandison believed every word of it. I hope I was never that gullible.

 

[BankShot]

There was a rumor started on the spring of '67 that IS was trying to sign Bob Ford ans player/coach. Some of the frosh in Sandison believed every word of it. I hope I was never that gullible.

There were a # of "sheltered souls" in the ISU dorms "back in the dayz," many that would've been better fit for places like Oakland City or St. Mary of the Woods (if they would've had male enrollment back then)...:smack: We had a few in Jones Hall ('69-70), most who majored in Arts & Humanities! The closest they ever came to ISU Sports was when they bumped into Mike Aycock & his strange-looking soccer ball in the elevator.
Aycock (an East Coast dude), established the 1st-ever ISU Soccer Club on campus. He's now St. Mary's HC, climbing the career ladder over the years in Indiana.

 

[4Q_iu]

Good story on Mr Long --- I think the ABA pension he's receiving was part of the 2014 buyout deal between the NBA and the former ABA teams (Pacers, Nets, Nuggets, Spurs AND The Spirits of St. Louis/ the Brothers Silna...

as of this year, the Silna's had received ~$900M+ of visual media rights; Ozzie Silna passed away in the past week at age 83 (cancer)
The Silnas bought the failing Carolina Cougars for ~$1M and parlayed it into a fortune...

http://www.si.com/nba/2014/04/09/silna-brothers-nba

http://www.si.com/nba/point-forward...hers-spirits-of-st-louis-buyout-nba-tv-rights

http://www.forbes.com/sites/montebu...reatest-sports-deal-of-all-time/#20ad07e3acd8

http://static.espn.go.com/nba/s/2001/1213/1295194.html

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This is also a good source on the negotiations between the Silna's and the NBA & ABA. Pluto also covers the contracts of many ABA'ers who didn't make the transition into the NBA..

He spends a fair amount of time on Rick Mount's contract... Mount spent 5 seasons in the ABA yet is collecting a fairly nice pension check because of his contract, essentially it provided him an annuity which began paying at age ~60-65

Terry Pluto's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loose_Balls

 

[Gotta Hav]

Aycock (an East Coast dude), established the 1st-ever ISU Soccer Club on campus. He's now St. Mary's HC, climbing the career ladder over the years in Indiana.

After 45 years or so, he is now the HC at St. Mary's? Whoa....how many rungs were in that career ladder, one?

 

[4Q_iu]

After 45 years or so, he is now the HC at St. Mary's? Whoa....how many rungs were in that career ladder, one?

One story stated he was the first, last, only hc for ISU men's soccer (early 80s), coached Terre Haute South Boys & Girls.... Handful of youth/travel/USSF teams based in Indiana... believe he's been at SMWC since 2000... He started the scholie program for the pomeroys.. Have to wonder if he was considered for our ladies program

 

[BankShot]

After 45 years or so, he is now the HC at St. Mary's? Whoa....how many rungs were in that career ladder, one?

I spoke with him a few weeks ago during my daily walks around "The Woods"...rehashed the ol' dayz in Jones Hall, 1st yr. after closing Parsons as a men's dorm in '69. Boy has Aycock aged - thousands of volunteer soccer hours - he still mows his own soccer field @ St. Marys (probably doesn't trust the groundskeepers). They say that St. Mary's enrollment is near 300, but that must include ONLINE students. I rarely see more than a handful on campus, and most of them are taking care of their horses @ the Equine Center. Next year they begin Men's GOLF & X-C - that outa dramatically raise the enrollment #'s while nourishing school spirit!:idea: Just hope they don't get too rowdy...