The greatest time to be a Hoosier

First appeared on April 7th, 2011
 in The Lebanon Reporter

With Butler and Notre Dame each having opportunities at winning National Titles in the Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments respectively, it’s been quite a week here in Indiana. One must wonder, aside from the state of Indiana’s Men’s Basketball program and $3.85 gas, has there ever been a better time to be a Hoosier?


After all, we do boast 2 National Runner Ups and are just 10 months away from hosting Football’s biggest party. Let us not forget the Indianapolis 500 will find 100 candles on its birthday cake this year and the Pacers are (well, let’s just leave them out of this for now).

Has there ever been a better time to be a Hoosier? What other time could possibly compare? The Dan Quayle VP years? Bobby Knight punching a cop in Puerto Rico? Gary’s notorious reign as “Murder Capital of the World”? I’m taking right here, right now.

Everyone talked about a Hollywood ending after Butler made the Final Four and found a way to get past the “Little Engine that could” in VCU. This was to supplant last year’s heart-stopping loss to Duke and it was set up to be the greatest sequel since Chevy Chase returned in “Fletch Lives”. Instead what we saw Monday night turned out to be nothing short of a nightmare for Butler and there is no writer in Hollywood twisted enough to concoct a more tragic end to the Bulldog’s season.

And while national pundits continue waxing revisionist and openly intimating towards an all out Bulldog choke job, let’s give UCONN the credit they deserve. They were taller at every position and their length bothered Butler. Their size erased opportunities around the rim. Their size challenged perimeter shots and it definitely was in the head of every Bulldog who found himself with a sliver of daylight through which to launch an open shot.

This accounted for 18% shooting. It was not the massive coronary brought on by a combination of pressure from an arena jammed with 75,000 and a chance to grab history as so many have diagnosed.

For the Lady Irish, just reaching the championship game was a feat in itself as the last 10 minutes of their semi-final match up with UCONN were spectacular. Timely shots, stingy defense and a refusal to be denied as displayed by jitterbug point guard, and South Bend native, Skylar Diggins. And all this after surviving the best punch Maya Moore, arguably the best women’s collegiate player ever, could muster.

The Title game saw a back and forth affair with Texas A&M in which Diggins and Devereaux Peters were fantastic. In the end however the Aggies All American center Danielle Adams was too much to handle.

So congratulations to Brad Stevens and his Bulldogs as well as Muffet McGraw’s Lady Irish. Congratulations to fans who followed them all season and to those like myself who hitched a temporary bandwagon ride. And while the ride may not have reached the destination we all hoped for, once again it proves it’s about the journey.

Life is about moments. These games provided moments we can look back on fondly while moving on. Dots on a roadmap to stand as reminders of a memorable period of time in what is hopefully a long journey for us all.

Be proud of these kids. Be proud of what they achieved and of the way they played the game. But beyond all else, be proud of the way they represented the state we all call home and be proud of your chance to live through the greatest time to be a Hoosier.

© 2011 Eric Walker Williams