Indiana State University - Sycamore Yearbook (Terre Haute, IN)

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S+eve Reed The difference be+ween +his year's learn and las+, is The a++i- lude of +he players. said Sleve Reed. Syca more guard. This year we're a uni+ - each doing all he can +0 help +he +eam win. We played +igh+ games +ha+ we pulled ou+ al' +he end. H's char- ac+eris+ic of +his +eam e we hang in +here and play one game al' a lime, +wo poin+s a+ a lime. We ius+ s+ick +o +he game plan. hang +oge+her and play aggressive. Tha+'s how we win. Al +he firs+ of the season peo- ple didn'+ +hink we'd have a very good l'eam. We were ranked $$3 and $394 in +he Missouri Valley Conference pre-season polls. Peo- ple +hough+ we wouldn'+ be +oo good; +ha+ all we'd have going for us would be Larry lBirdl. Bu+ as +he season wen+ on' we proved we had a good feam, wi+h six or seven players +ha+ could really play well. People didn'+ expecwL us +0 be +his good. Firsf +hey had 1'0 adiusi +0 us being a s+rong +eam. +hen l'hey ; had +0 adiusi +0 us being 11L The Missouri Valley is a +ough conference. We run info all differ- en+ si+ua+ions on +he road. Besides being off our home cour+ +here are hos'rile fans, and +he re'Fs. Bu+ when we're a+ home we feel like we can'l' lose. Our fans and +he Terre Hau+e Communi+y have shown us +ha1' +hey are behind us all +he way e cheering. +hrowing paper. and going crazy in general. H's greaH There's no way anyone can beaf us a+ home! lA+ +he fime of +his prin+ing lSU had won 47 of +he las+ 48 home games.l Cheerleading is +he besf way I have of giving direct ac+ive sup- por+ +0 +he +eam. When you are righ+ +here on +he floor you feel like you're a par+ of +he +eam. You see and hear more +han The fans in +he s+ands. We cheer righ+ behind +he lSU bench so I ge+ +he chance +0 see how +he game affec'rs each of +he players personally. l+ makes you empa+hize wifh +heir individ- ual anxiefies. pains and joy. Cheerleading is really my own way of helping o+hers +0 reach +heir goals. The guys on +he Jream as a whole and on The school. So nalurally +hey wanf +0 do well. Cheering is +he bes+ way I have of helping +hem +o do +he very bes+ +hey possibly can. My job is basically +0 encour- age +he fans +o lel' +he +eam know +hey are +here. And +he fans have been really grea+ - EXCEP- TIONAL. 3qu as cheerleaders we are l'here for +he +eam firsf and foremost Bill Edwards Sure lSU's baske+ball success benefiHed +he a+hle+ic program bu+ i+ also brough+ a sense of pride and everyone connecled wi+h lSU and +he people of Terre Haule. So says Bill Edwards, a senior from Terre Hau+e. Edwards has an oppor+uni+y +0 see +he games from a van+age poin+ few o+hers will ever have. As an announceHs'rafis'rician. Bill ge+s one of +he bes+ seals in +he house. He si+s a+ +he scorer's fable, nex+ +o +he lSU bench, a+ all home games. H comes wi+h +he Job. Bill sees +he game like +his: Being righf on +he liloorl you ge+ a +o+ally differenf insighf in+o +he game. You can hear +he coaches calling in plays and giving advice. And you hear +he players making offensive and defensive calls dur- ing +he play. H's almosf like being a par+ of +he game. Like an assis+- an+ coach on +he sidelines. you find yourself picking up on any- +hing. every'rhing you can in order +0 help +he feam. Two +hings +ha+ repea+edly s+and ou+ af every game are +he Kim Whi+e Everybody needs suppor+ in whafever +hey do. The +eam rep- resen+s everyone involved wi+h lSU. Enfhusias+ic encouragemen+ from +he cheer +eam and +he fans can make all +he difference in +he world. The players really do no+ice when +he Cen+er is alive wifh spiril and support l'eam's consisl'ency and +heir posi- +ive menlal a++i+ude. The Syca- mores play really well +oge+her. Tha+'s no+ +o +ake away from +he individual +alen+ +ha+ does exisl on +he feam. Bu+ when +hey s+ep ou'r on +he floor +hey come ou+ as a +eam. No+ individuals or one-man showsl bu+ as five men who play very, very well +oge+her. They are friends who respecl and appreci- al'e each olhers abilifies. H's Jrheir consisien+ performances. one game a+ a lime s+ra+egy and posi- +ive menlal a++i+ude +ha+ earned +hem +heir besf season ever. There's anofher face+ +0 Bill's bench-side poinlo1c view. Baske+- ball is an exci'ling game. And because I am a Sycamore fan, I ge+ iusf as worked up as anyone in +he s+ands e happy wi+h good ac+ion and disappoinfed wi+h bad. Buf because I am considered an official I can'+ show +he emo+ion. l have +0 s+ay in confrol and fry no+ +0 reacl +0 The game. In a season like +his one +ha+ isn'+ easy. lNo+ shor+ on noloriefy himsehcI Edwards penned l'he Ode +0 Billy Packer - a song origina+ing dur- ing +he rafings ruckus and known +0 all lSU boos+ers.l OPINIONS

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16 Hoosier Hysieria - +he +rade- mark of Midwes+ bakse+ball fans - never hi+ home qui+e so dearly as during +he I978-l979 baskef- ball season. Capaci+y crowds packed in+o Hulman Cenfer +0 regale in +he Sycamores' besi bas- ke'rball season ever. 3qu even bas- ke+ball. like happiness is differeni' +hings fo differeni' people. Every Dr. 8i Mrs. James Backes are bo+h members of +he Syca- more Varsiiy Club. commonly known as +he 200 club. The group is 600 s+rong and occupy +he norfheasi sec+ion of sea+s a+ every home game. My wife and I ioined Jrhe Var- si+y Club because of our ongoing love affair wi+h aihleiics. Bo+h Backes have been involved in a+h- Ie+ics +hroughou+ +heir lives. They Views and Reviews person a+ each game saw some- +hing difiereni and unique. H was no+ +he exac+ same experience for any +wo people. So, whai follows is four separaie viewpoin+s from four individuals e very much involved in baskefball 78- 79 - Sycamore s+yle. For +he Sycamore's fans. +he l978-l979 was a banner one. receive greai personal pleasure from +he spor+ing world - as bo+h pa r+icipan+s and spec+a+ors. A+hle+ics represen+s a way +0 keep in +ouch wi+h one aspeci of universiiy life you don'+ ge+ in +he classroom. There's +he color and pagean+ry in a+hle+ics +ha+ can be found in no oiher sphere of academia. Because of Backe's close associ- a+ion wi+h various college a+hie+ic programs he knows +ha+ no a+h- Ie+ic program can achieve any Never before was +heir more +0 cheer abouf. And never before did Hie fans cheer wiih such force and enfhusiasm. As fine season progressed evidence of +he fans' supporf moun+ed. Moun+ains of +oile+ paper and a sea of blue Horrible Hankies were only a sample of +he paraphernalia +ha+ was par+ ofa it I season. degree of quali+y or grow+h if +hey musf depend purely on ga+e revenue. +icke+ sales and +axes. College a+hle+ics need personal suppor+ +0 re+ain quali+y and remain s+rong and growing. When asked abou+ lSU's ou+s+anding baske+ball season Backes remarked. Very few people in higher educa'rion ever have +he opporfuni+y +0 work on a campus +ha+ is iH in any+hing. Baskefball brough+ ISU a $1: I.''

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