 Railer basketball: putting the decade into perspective
As I've traveled more of Illinois and now into Wisconsin, I see why
people might get a little tired of Lincoln. Especially of Railer
basketball. They know they have to have an almost perfect game to
derail our hoopsters. I also know that several high schools would
give just about anything to have just one year like the Railers
string together EVERY year.
I think what Neil Alexander and his staff have put together over
the years is nothing short of astounding. It will be talked about
50-100 years from now even if there are some who don't appreciate it
now. Over the course of the last 10 years the Railers have not just
had successful teams. They have not just had teams that have had
occasional 20-win seasons... still the national barometer for a
great season. The Railers have averaged MORE than 20 victories a
year over that time span. Actually, if my math is correct, they've
averaged over 25 wins a season. In fact, they had only one year when
they didn't make 20 wins, and coincidentally it was the only year
they finished under .500! That... is pretty incredible!
Including this campaign's solid season, let's take a look at what
the boys have accomplished during this remarkable run:
|
2009-10 |
28-4 |
|
2008-09 |
29-5 |
|
2007-08 |
13-17 |
|
2006-07 |
33-3 |
|
2005-06 |
24-8 |
|
2004-05 |
31-5 |
|
2003-04 |
21-10 |
|
2002-03 |
32-3 |
|
2001-02 |
20-9 |
|
2000-01 |
20-9 |
The only comments I want to make about this stellar run are
these: Most of this is done in a very tough league -- the Central
State Eight. And, the Railers get every team's best shot EVERY
night. It makes a team's year, sometimes their history, IF they can
beat Lincoln just once. To me that is amazing. That is dominance!
Oh, and one last thing... Coach Alexander, who just happens to be
the winningest coach in Lincoln Railer history with a record of
429-142, has now tied another great Lincoln coach, Loren Wallace,
for most average wins per season at 22.6! Alexander will soon topple
the all-time winning percentage record, assuming his teams continue
to execute like this. All we can say is that the LDN tips its
proverbial hat to the coach and his players. Nice going, fellas!
It's GREAT to be a Railer!
Cleaning up the college basketball year
I guess covering and following the Illini this past season and
being asked to come up with a description of the season, only one
word would do justice. Disappointing. I saw glimmers of hope early
in the year, but I didn't see a sense of urgency, and ultimately
that bit this team in the rear.
They did finally muster an all-out effort at the Big Ten tourney.
However, it was not without some controversy. Sitting near the team
for two days, it appeared that the league wanted one of their teams
(I'll let you figure out which one) to get a very high if not a No.
1 seed for the Big Dance. There were just a lot of weird things that
happened that it appeared to not be a coincidence.
I can give you one small example. I thought that Illinois totally
outplayed Ohio State in their semifinal game. But that wasn't the
final outcome. I guess it happens, but it just left a bad taste in
my mouth. That's just one man's opinion, and I admit that I may be
just a little too blind to see it objectively, but c'mon!
At any rate, the Men in Orange did put together a nice little run
in the NIT and hopefully got some work in for next year. Though it
is possible, I just don't think they will be quite as snakebitten
next season. I will hold my collective breath and I will not tout
them early in the campaign until they show us what they can do, but
I am hopeful of a really decent season. Couldn't we all just use
one?
The Final Four was at least a place for me to go to forget my
Illini frustrations. Of course that didn't happen, but it wasn't due
to lack of effort. My colleague and former assistant coach Craig
Zastrow could not stay the whole weekend in Indianapolis, the site
of this year's basketball championship. My son stepped in and
volunteered for the assignment. This was his first Final Four.
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 My first Final Four didn't come about until I was 31 years old.
At that age I was almost too old to appreciate it. Payne at 9 years
old was at the perfect age to get everything out of it.
The plan was for him to attend the semifinal games with me and
then return to my wife and her family for Easter and spring break.
However, he figured out right away that the championship game would
be on Monday, and since he was on break, why not stay a couple more
days and be waited on hand and foot?! One day or one game usually
maxes out his senses and he almost can't stand himself after that
much fun. But he was so good that I told my wife that it was OK with
me if he wanted to stay.
So, it was off to the championship game to see the upstart
locals, the Butler Bulldogs, take on the Goliaths of Duke
University. It also didn't hurt that he got to sit next to two kids
about his same age who were sons of a D-1 coach that I know.
It was a great game. In fact, it was a much better game than I
had prepared him for, as I thought that the Blue Devils would blow
them out. He got very worked up and almost had an anxiety attack
during the final two minutes, so there is still room for growth. A
final half-court heave very nearly dropped that would've allowed us
to see perhaps the most historic Final Four championship game in
history. As it was, we had a memorable trip and something that I'll
never forget!
Central Division baseball is not over yet
Some of my friends have called or e-mailed to congratulate the
Cardinals on winning the Central Division. Now if they want to mail
that in, I'll take it, but there's still a lot of baseball left. As
we go to post, here's what the divisional standings look like:
|
Team |
W |
L |
% |
GB |
|
St. Louis |
18 |
9 |
.667 |
- |
|
Chicago
Cubs |
13 |
14 |
.481 |
5.0 |
|
Cincinnati |
13 |
14 |
.481 |
5.0 |
|
Milwaukee |
11 |
15 |
.423 |
6.5 |
|
Pittsburgh |
11 |
15 |
.423 |
6.5 |
|
Houston |
8 |
18 |
.308 |
9.5 |
Yes, the Cardinals are off to a good start, but y'all know that
baseball is a marathon; it is never a sprint. As the weather warms
up even more, things will settle down and we'll see more of what
some of these teams are capable of. I still think that the Cubs will
push St. Louis a little bit, and I really like what the Reds have
done in building their club.
For those of you who haven't been paying any attention to MLB yet
this year, you may be wondering how the Cards have gotten off to
such a good start. The casual fan would point to Pujols or Holliday,
the everyday lineup, etc. But the reality is that while we knew, or
at least hoped, that the starting pitching would be decent, it has
been downright phenomenal! With Adam Wainwright's fantastic start on
Tuesday night that dropped his ERA from 2.13 to 1.96, the Cardinal
staff has achieved something that hasn't been seen in over 30 years!
It was the starting staff's 13th consecutive quality start (a game
where the starter hurls at least six innings and gives up three or
less runs). The last time that happened for St. Louis was in 1973. I
probably followed them more closely then than I do now, and I sure
don't remember the '73 team doing that! The Cards staff currently
leads ALL major league teams with a 2.56 ERA. Let's just say that if
they keep that up, then I really like their chances this season!
This 'n' that
Congratulations to Kirk Whiteman and the Lincoln College Lynx on
winning their first men's basketball national championship! I think
they made a Final Four appearance last season but brought home the
bacon this year. Nice going, guys!
It made me remember that coach Allen Pickering brought home a
national runner-up finish several years back with one of the best
junior college teams I have ever seen. Those were the days.
The Illini football squad had a good showing at their annual
spring game. The Orange, comprised mostly of starters, took down the
Blue 24-6. I wish we had a traditional schedule, but once again the
Illini will have to beat some tough teams to turn things around in
2010. I'm all for it and am hoping for the best.
That's it for me, folks, on this installment. Make it great one,
everybody!
[By JEFF MAYFIELD]
Respond to the writer at
jeffmayfield@centralwired.com.
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