John Meyne et al?

[bigmosmithfan]

cornonthe, thanks for mentioning Julian "Al" Hudson... another one of my fave Crusaders from that era...

[crusaderjoe]

Great historical thread. It's now made me desperately want to hunt for my almost three decade old light blue and sea green Converse Tom Smith Valpo U. Basketball Camp youth tee shirt. ;D

[indyvalpo]

A little clarification, Hubbard came in one year before the Henderson's and a couple of years before Dougherty. Dillard came in with Smith and Cobb.

I think Dillard lasted two years. Hubbard started one then departed before his second season. Kelvin Henderson lasted a semester. He was a fish out of water, a JC from Tenn. Ron Henderson lasted one season. He looked real good early then like several others in the Tom Smith era disappeared by season end and was gone. Curtis Rias comes to mind in a similar fashion.

Dougherty's class included Rias and Jeff Rekeweg among others.

[bigmosmithfan]

I agree with those who say that Dougherty could have been one of the all-time greats in program history if he had stuck it out. If I recall, the guy came from a very successful high school program in the Kansas City area, and wasn't used to losing.

I remember one game his freshman year where we lost to Northern Iowa or someone like that to keep us firmly entrenched in last place in the AMCU-8. It wasn't a particularly close game, and the season's outcome had long been decided. Near the end of the game, Dougherty was pulled with the rest of the starters to put in the scrubs. Dougherty sat on the bench crying tears of frustration (like it was the most gut-wrenching loss in the world) for the remainder of the game. Everyone sitting around us figured he wanted out watching that, and sure enough, he was gone not too long after that night.

And while we're bringing up names from the not-so-glory days, who can forget Jim Stueve, a.k.a. the Human Foul?

[cornonthe]

Yep, Dougherty was after that, my bad. Remember, these are memories of a kid!!! JIM STUEVE...never met a foul he didn't like!!! So many names, so many transfers!!! Thanks to whomever started this thread!!! It's great revisiting those lousy years...it was no fun living it, but it's fun looking back!!!

[CO_VU_Fan]

Jim Stueve, the human foul! Too funny. Every time I look at the media guide for records, I look to see if there are any records for career fouls or fouls per game. I'm sure he averaged 4.5 fouls per game. He was a hard nosed player.

After Harden left, and with other transfers and injuries, I believe the team was down to about 8-9 players. They recruited a walk on towards the end of January. I believe he practiced and played for about 5-6 weeks. He is not listed in the listed of all time players. I'm sure valpo84 remembers the name. Does anyone else?

Another transfer was Matt Mitchell. I believe he transferred to Arkansas, and is now coaching someplace. Rumor had it when the team would scrimage, Matt would take his team and create problems for Smiths starters, even beating them.

[CO_VU_Fan]

The fall 1984 freshman class included Dougherty, Rias, Rekeweg, and Bell. I can't remember the fifth. Does anyone remember what happened to Rias and Rekeweg?

[CO_VU_Fan]

I believe that Jerome Battle was the fifth freshman that year. Very good class, if only they could have finished. I believe that Paul Bayne and Brett Hughes also began playing in the fall of 1984, but both were transfers and had sat out the previous year, if my memory is correct.

[rs]

ok, after dusting off some old vu basketball scorebooks here are some of the answers to your questions.

The 1983-84 team lost 3 players during the season:
Nigel Casey 6'10 SO from Wilmette IL
Rob Harden 5'10 SO from Valpo
Pete Adams 6'5 FR from Indianapolis
Remaining players were:
Tom Benigni 6'8 SR from Joliet
John McIlvain 6'0 SR from Chicago
John Meyne 6'2 SR from Boone Groove
Mike Thompson 6'1 SR from Indianapolis
Tony Asberry 6'6 JR from Gary
John Geary 6'7 JR from Chicago
Greg Mostello 6'6 JR from Boone Groove
Matt Mitchell 6'2 SO from Lexington, MO
Jim Stueve 6'7 SO from Carrollton, MO
Rick Pickren 6'7 FR from Grand View, MO

Bret Holst 6'8 was the player added on during the year
Larry Roby 6'7 from Chicago was scholastically ineligible that year after transfering from U of Ill and Wabash JC

The following year (1984-85) had actually 7 freshmen players in the recruiting class:
Jerome Battle 6'5 from Gary
Harry Bell 6'5 from Calumet Park, IL
Larry Daugherty 6'4 from Leavenworth, KS
Jeff Rekeweg 6'6 from Kendallville,IN
Curtis Rias 6'2 from Hammond
Ron Rose 6'1 from Morton,IL
Todd Smith 5'10 from Valpo

The only returnees from the previous year were Geary and Stueve. Paul Bayne 6'8 and Brett Hughes 6'1 were JRS who transfered in (Hughes was from the U. of Nebraska). Ron Rose quit during the year and Todd Smith was a redshirt leaving only 9 players during that year. Mitchell, Asberry, Mostello, Van Dyke and Pickren had left from previous year

The following year (1985-86) had 6 freshmen players in the recruiting class:
Scott Anselm 6'0 from Valpo
Jim Ford 6'5 from Libertyville,IL
Byron Davis 6'1 from Indianapolis
Steve Hudson 6'7 from Cincinnati
Ivier McSwine 6'5 from Chicago
Jason Peppler 6'8 from Oshkosh, WI

[CO_VU_Fan]

Wow, great information. Thanks! I'd forgotten that Smith was a redshirt, which he needed from a size maturity standpoint. Smith had quite the turnover on the roster. No program is immune to transfers, especially when one considers 18 years olds away from home the first time. Coach Smith had a larger turnover than one would consider normal. From the 1983-84 team, which was competitive at times, 3 players quit in season, and 5 left the program after the season. Of the 13 freshman in those years, only 4 made it through for the duration.

[CO_VU_Fan]

Homer has not had nearly the problems with transfers out of the program that Smith had during his tenure.

Does anyone know the date of Homer's hiring? I'm fairly sure that it would be 20 years ago this April or May. Congrats to Homer on a fine 20 years with VU (19 of them as coach)!! I'm sure even jj would agree that the VU Men's basketball program is in a much better place than it was 20 years ago.