“This is not a competition, this is only an exhibition. Please … no wagering.” -Dave Letterman
In November of 1994, WXYC in North Carolina became the first radio station to broadcast live on the internet. George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer to capture the WBA and IBF belts, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in history. Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” was in the midst of a 14-week run at #1 on the Billboard charts. And on the night of November 15th, new coach Dana Altman was preparing to lead his Creighton Bluejays in their exhibition opener against the Dutch National Team in his first game at the school.
To say it was a strange game would be a vast understatement.
In front of 3,834 fans at the Civic Auditorium, the Jays and the Dutch combined for a staggering 67 fouls and 86 free throw attempts. Randall Crutcher and Tad Ackerman were the main beneficiaries of all those fouls for the Jays; Crutcher made 7-10 from the charity stripe while Ackerman made 8-10. Nate King also went to the line nine times, though he made just three. For the Dutch, a player named Okke Te Velde made 10-13 free throws while cashing in on 3-9 from long range en route to 25 points.
At the end of regulation, the score was tied at 70 apiece. The overtime period was muddled by two teams whose idea of defense continued to be hacking the shooter, and with 26 seconds to go, the Jays held a 80-78 lead. Okke Te Velde (love that name) nailed a jumper with seven ticks left, one that he believed was a three pointer to give his team the lead. The referees, including Omaha native John Higgins, made no such signal however, and with the clock running out, Creighton hurriedly inbounded the ball to point guard Troy Wharton who raced up the court and took a desperation shot that rimmed out.
The Dutch bench erupted, insisting that Okke Te Velde’s shot had been a three, and that the game should be over. For nearly ten minutes, they argued their case, and when the referees stopped listening, they refused to take the court. During all of this, Altman’s starting five stood at center court, waiting patiently, while the new coach stood in front of his bench watching in bemused silence as the bizarre scene unfolded. Finally, with the referees not giving them any satisfaction and feeling they’d been robbed, the Dutch team walked out — leaving their bench and retiring to the locker room. When they could not be persuaded to return, the game ended in a forfeit.
Its no 1972 Munich, to be sure, but in Altman’s 16 seasons, there was never a more bizarre finish to a game.
Tonight, Greg McDermott leads his Creighton Bluejays into battle against the Northern State Wolves in his first game as head coach, and no matter what happens, it seems to be a safe assumption that it won’t be nearly as bizarre as Altman’s debut. Though its merely an exhibition game and the odds of something as insane as that 1994 game are remote, with the new energy and enthusiasm McDermott has infused into the program, tonight feels like the most anticipated exhibition game I can ever remember. There’s a buzz around this team heading into tonight. There’s also a lot of questions.
What will it be like to not see hockey-style line changes a half-dozen times a game? How will players react to being left in the game for long stretches, instead of being taken out just as they heat up offensively? What defensive schemes will they run? How will the offense look? Can the point guards successfully feed the post? Does Kenny Lawson have the stamina to play 30+ minutes, at least until Greg Echenique is eligible in mid-December? Does Antoine Young have the stamina to play 35+ minutes, at least until Tyler Stormberg or Jahenns Manigat prove they can handle the backup point guard role for an extended period? Can our three-point shooters make shots? Can we manage to get tough stops on defense? Will our rebounding look competent? How tough do the guys look? Will Casey Harriman play at all? How will the player-coach interactions look on the bench? Will we fight through screens instead of passively allowing them to take us out of our offense? Will coach give a postgame interview to T.Scott on press row that doesn’t include the phrase “Oh, I don’t know, we’ve got a long way to go…”?
Those questions just scratch the surface of things fans are curious about. And while exhibition games rarely settle such questions — most coaches treat them as experimental laboratories to test lineup combinations, plays and schemes — it will be the first time Creighton fans will see Mac roaming the sidelines during a game, and that alone is enough to make it a must-see, regardless of whether we get our first clues as to the answer to these and other questions.
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™: Northern State led all of Division II by averaging 3,414 fans per home game last season, about what Creighton drew for their exhibition opener in 1994 under Altman. Barring some sort of horrfying accident, like the jumbotron getting stuck playing the video for “Xanadu” on an endless loop, there will be five times that number in attendance tonight … Greg McDermott is 17-0 in exhibition games, including a 10-0 mark at UNI and a 7-0 record at Iowa State. All but one of his triumphs have been by double-digits … Last season, McDermott’s Iowa State team beat a Black Hills State team coached by new Northern State coach Paul Sather 96-47 … Sather replaces the legendary Don Meyer, who won the most games in NCAA history with 923 victories, was given the Jimmy V Award For Perseverance at the 2009 ESPY Awards, and was awarded the 2010 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for significant contributions to the sport … Creighton is 35-6 since 1987 in exhibition games, with their last loss coming to Global Sports on November 5, 2000 … Northern State went 13-14 last season and finished ninth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 9-11 league mark. They’re picked eighth in the 14-team league this year … The Wolves return seven players from last year’s team, including starters Collin Pryor who averaged 10.8 points and lead the team in rebounds with 5.8 a game, while shooting 55.8% from the floor … Derek Hoellein averaged 10.7 points and 1.2 steals for the Wolves last year, and made a team-best 77 three-pointers while hitting 37% from long range.
The Last Time They Played: In what will be a recurring theme this season (the Jays have three games after tonight against first-time opponents this year), the Jays and Wolves have never played.
The Series: See above, dude.
Gratuitous Linkage: I’m a sucker for infomercial products, and I’m terrible about ordering things late at night after getting home from the bars. This is how I came to own a Shake Weight.
You’ve seen these ridiculous things, I’m sure. Does it work? I’m not sure, because I couldn’t stop from giggling every time I started using it. The premise seems absurd, and yet somehow the execution of said premise is even moreso. And that commercial! “Its Science Fact!” That sounds like something Will Ferrell playing Robert Goulet would mutter. And we’re really supposed to believe those super-ripped dudes got that way by using dynamic inertia?
Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. If I ever stop laughing hysterically every time I pick it up, I suppose I’d find out. Alas.
The Totally Random Song I’d Play Right Now if I was Still a Radio DJ: Bobby Darin recorded what most historians say is the definitive version of this song, but Louis Armstrong freaking blows him away with this version. Its just my opinion, but this is like an entirely different league from the one Darin is in.
Look out ol’ Mac is back!
Prediction: Creighton is going to make it ten straight exhibition wins in a row tonight, and Mac will get his first unofficial win as coach. But the game will be tighter than many expect; the Wolves led most of the game including a good chunk of the second half against Oklahoma two nights ago before losing.
Jays 78, Northern State 65