Feb. 10 loss to Wheaton sparks
glorious run for IWUby Randy Reinhardt, Pantagraph Sports
SALEM, Va. -- In the back, a slammed locker door echoed slightly.
Otherwise, silence prevailed. And shock. And disbelief. And crushing disappointment.
Wheaton, a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin rival that had missed qualifying for the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 19-6 record the previous year, had defeated Illinois Wesleyan on Feb. 10 and inflicted upon the Titans the lethal blow of a sixth loss.
These Titans are smart. They knew a sixth loss in a 25-game regular-season schedule made it impossible to win 20 games.
Senior guard Adam Osborn voiced what all around him were thinking. "We've got four games left, and basically our season is over," he said quietly, incredulous at the words escaping his lips.
Five weeks later, Osborn sat in an NCAA logo-adorned interview room at the Salem Civic Center wearing a smile that severely strained the structural stability of the corners of his mouth.
Saturday, Illinois Wesleyan's season really was over. And the Titans' 76-73 national third-place game victory over Ohio Northern capped a truly unforgettable ride that nearly never got started because of that dreary night and dreary performance in Wheaton.
"To be at the low point we were three-quarters through the season and to come this far is something I'll never forget," Osborn said. "If there is one word to describe this team, it would be character."
That character was illustrated by no Titan more than Osborn.
Concerned but composed through a horrible midseason shooting slump, Osborn provided the Titans the take-charge captain they so dearly needed during the dark days not to mention several clutch tournament baskets.
Osborn and fellow senior Todd Wente were the quiet but respected leaders charged with guiding a precocious group of six talented but unseasoned sophomores.
Saturday's Salem success will serve as a vivid reminder of the glorious run that began Feb. 10 with what looked like every bit of an ending:
A bad movie blared over the charter bus VCR on the way back from Wheaton after the difficult loss. Punishment? No, at least one player actually wanted to watch "Days of Thunder."
The Days of the Titans appeared to have but 14 remaining.
An expected win over North Central applied salve to the open Illinois Wesleyan wounds. Then, eventual CCIW champion Elmhurst came to Shirk Center.
The Titans would prove what many around the team has suspected since a two-point Elmhurst win nearly six weeks earlier in a convincing 71-63 triumph. The better team indeed resided in Bloomington.
Next was big, bad Carthage. The No. 1 team in Division III had stepped on the Titans by 20 points in Wisconsin and there wasn't even free bratwurst in the locker room. IWU returned the favor with a sneer: 83-71 Titans. And it wasn't even that close.
The swagger a team with six sophomores among its top nine players couldn't expect to have suddenly materialized. These Titans were good and more importantly, they were becoming tough.
Only a road game at Millikin remained, the contest seniors Osborn, Wente and Mike Rogers had every reason to believe would be their last. IWU blew up the Big Blue by 31 points.
The Titans had roared through their last four games, but was the noise loud enough for the NCAA selection committee to hear?
IWU had failed to win 20 games and sat in third place in the CCIW. With only eight at-large bids available nationwide, Dennie Bridges' troops had two strikes against them and Pedro Martinez was on the mound.
To its credit, the committee for once proved Bridges isn't the only one toting the strength of schedule banner. IWU was in the field of 48. At the time, that's all that mattered.
The Titans disposed of sideshow act Grinnell and survived the defensive prowess of Wartburg to earn a Sweet Sixteen berth.
The sectional at the ancient Henry Crown Field House at the University of Chicago produced two tense, draining battles. First Elmhurst (again) and then top-ranked Chicago succumbed to sterling second-half Titan play.
Only an immensely talented William Paterson contingent could keep IWU out of the national title game.
There was no national championship celebration Saturday at the Clarion hotel in nearby Roanoke like in 1997. The sense of
accomplishment, however, did not fall far short.Dennie, it's time to order another banner.