Making my regular 30-year trip to Indiana

Just like clockwork, every 30 years or so (I guess 28 years to be exact) I make a trip to Bloomington, Indiana.

I guess that really doesn't count as regular, but here I am, with a basketball game against the Hoosiers on the docket for this afternoon. The Hatters and Hoosiers will square off at 4:30 p.m. today at legendary Assembly Hall.

My previous trips to Indiana University were in the summers of 1982 and 1983. I was active in Junior Achievement in high school and the annual summer get-together for kids from around the country was held on the IU campus.

That was really the first time I was ever exposed to a large number of people from diverse backgrounds, religions and ethnicity. Those were some truly eye-opening days for me.

That time here at Indiana was the heyday of the Bob Knight era of Hoosiers basketball. In fact, during the summer of 1983, Coach Knight was preparing to be the head coach of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and was holding tryouts at Assembly Hall for the big collegiate stars of the day.

I remember getting an opportunity to go into Assembly Hall in the summer of 1983 and seeing the tape on the floor to mark the international lanes used during Olympic play.

During my years in college athletics, I have had an opportunity to visit a lot of colleges, including several in the Big Ten Conference. With the exception of the many Saturday's I spent in Tuscaloosa for Alabama football, Indiana was one of the first major college campuses I ever visited.

Quite an Impressive Building

I am sure much has changed here since that first visit in 1982. Assembly Hall, however, does not look much different. Of course there are the modern trappings that include a gargantuan video/scoreboard that hangs over center court that replaces the old school end boards the building used to have, but the inside of the arena doesn't look much different than I remember.

What is new is the Cook Practice Facility that is right next to Assembly Hall. This palace to basketball was opened in 2010 and is a perfect illustration of why hoops is king in the Hoosier state.

The building is shared by Indiana's men's and women's programs. Both teams coaches have offices that, from the outside, appear to be as good as any you could imagine. There is a huge entry atrium that is a tribute to Hoosiers hoops with images, trophies, and other relics of the many past successes of Indiana basketball.

When you venture further into the building you find not one, but two full sized practice facilities, one for each team. There is a common strength facility and training facility, but both programs have their own meeting and video rooms, player and staff lounges, and any other area a modern college basketball facility might need.

Just to put the facility into terms that my friends in DeLand, as well as the folks in Troy, Huntington, Hattiesburg and other spots I have called home, can understand. The Cook Facility is larger than the Edmunds Center. It is larger by far than Sartain Hall, and even larger than the new Trojan Arena will be. It is probably similar in size to the Henderson Center and is certainly larger than Reed Green Coliseum.

And, it is just for practice, and just for basketball.

Wow!

Hoosiers Hosting 1987 Reunion

In addition to the game today, the Hoosiers are hosting the 1987 national championship team for a reunion. Of the 15 members of Indiana's last national title team, 12 will be on hand. The only disappointing part of what should be a great tribute is that the man who led the Hoosiers to that title, Bob Knight, will not be here.

I imagine there are still some bad feelings on Coach Knight's part over the way his tenure at Indiana ended more than a decade ago, but it is too bad for the members of that team who will come together today that he will not be here to take part in the reunion.

You can see that the administration here at IU, none of who were involved in Knight's departure, is doing what it can to reach out and reconnect with the most famous and successful coach in the program's history. Hopefully, at some point, Coach Knight will let go of the hard feelings he has and return to Bloomington to be embraced by the Hoosier fans who still care very deeply for him.

Hatters Entering Into a Break

For the Hatters, this will be the last game for a while. Stetson will go on a 13-day break from games to focus on finals. The Hatters will return to action for two games -- against USC Upstate (Dec. 17) and Charleston Southern (Dec. 21) before taking another week-long break for Christmas.

Stetson fans who want to see the game today can do so, online, through the Big Ten Network. Here is a link to the event. Be aware that there will be a subscription fee to view the game. If you have the Big Ten Network on your cable or satellite package, the game is scheduled to be televised on Monday night at 7 p.m.

Hatter Hoedown Next on the Slate

This week in DeLand will be final preparations for the inaugural Hatter Hoedown at the Edmunds Center. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10, with a morning golf tournament and an evening concert.

The headliners for the day is country super group Sawyer Brown, but Mark Miller and the boys will have some special guests on hand with them.

For the golf tournament in the morning, some of the confirmed celebrities include former MLB stars John Kruk and Rick Stucliffe and former NBA stars Kyle Macy (Kentucky) and Jim Farmer (Alabama). There will likely be others involved, but those are the confirmed participants.

The concert will also include a couple of well-known guest stars. Mac McAnally, who is a member of the Coral Reefer Band, will be on hand as well as (shhhhh!, it is a secret!) country superstar Toby Keith. Both will also be on hand at Victoria Hills for the golf tournament.

There are still spots available for individual players and teams in the golf tournament, and tickets remain available for the concert. Tickets are on sale at the Edmunds Center Box Office, (386) 822-8110, or purchase online at www.gohatters.com.

For more information on the celebrity golf tournament, contact Director of Athletic Development Michael Tucker at (386) 822-8839 or mwtucker@stetson.edu.