Past Meets the Present

Sam Jones remembers the day he shook the right hand of a sizable portion of no fewer than four different basketball record books. Jones can't recall what he said or at what volume level, just that whatever exterior cool he possessed was being shoved through a meat grinder. Present, meet the past. Past, this is the present. "I got to shake Oscar Robertson's hand when he was here, and it was pretty nerve-wracking," admitted Jones, 17, one of four juniors on the 2008-09 Crispus Attucks boys varsity basketball roster. "I can't believe we're following some of the names that went here. It's a magical feeling the history that's here." It was a magical program at a magical time. During the 1950s, Crispus Attucks was the unquestioned yardstick of Indiana high school hoops. From 1950-59, the Tigers produced three state champions, one runner-up, two Mr. Basketball recipients in Hallie Bryant (1953) and the aforementioned Robertson (1956) and nine Indiana All-Stars. Old-timers often point to the undefeated '56 squad, coached by Ray Crowe and by Robertson and Stanford Patton, as the greatest of the great when it comes to the state titlists crowned here since the state tournament debuted in 1911. Sure, the 1969 Washington Continentals, anchored up front by the imposing duo of George McGinnis and Steve Downing, might have a valid argument. The same holds true for East Chicago Washington in 1971 (Pete Trgovich, Tim Stoddard, Junior Bridgeman), Marion of 1987 (Jay Edwards, Lyndon Jones, Daric Keys) and the 2006 Lawrence North Wildcats (Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Jr.). It's a small, tightly-knit fraternity, to be sure, but Crispus Attucks might be the one asked to think up the secret handshake. While some of Indiana's bold-letter boys basketball programs are able to occasionally run roughshod for two- or three-year clusters, the Attucks Tigers dominated a decade - one that proudly houses Bobby Plump's last-second jumper, powerhouse ball clubs at South Bend Central and Muncie Central and numerous other delicious storylines. And now, following a lengthy hiatus after Indianapolis Public Schools shut down Attucks as a high school at the completion of the 1985-86 school year, the Tigers are back playing varsity basketball. After being converted to a junior high school in 1986 and a middle school seven years later, Crispus Attucks returned to its high school roots in 2006, this time as a medical preparatory institution of learning for grades 6-12. During the winter months of the 2006-07 school year, the Tigers could only put a freshman squad on the court. Last season, with ninth- and 10th-grade boys in the fold, junior varsity competition became a reality. Now, those freshmen from two years ago are juniors, the foundation for what coach Greg Orr senses could become something special down the road. "Part of what really attracted me to this job was to go start a brand new program," said Orr, 40, who is also the school's athletic director. "But to do that with a storied program like Crispus Attucks . . . shoot, my dad used to tell me Oscar Robertson was the best player he had ever seen. We are just soaking in great history here no matter what direction you turn." Crispus Attucks had been playing boys basketball for nearly three decades by the time the program captured its initial state championship, a luxury this season's Tigers don't have. Orr's team lost its opener at Winchester by 46 points, its second game by 60 and its third, the home opener against Northwest, by 53. Attucks notched its first varsity victory in a very long time on Dec. 12, downing Indianapolis Herron 69-29. "The thing you have to keep in mind is, No. 1, these kids have never played at this level before," said Orr. "These juniors are blazing the path. This is how you work. This is how you prepare for practice. I've told them how proud I am about the job they do in school. They are such great kids, and the freshmen and sophomores now have players ahead of them they can follow." The junior nucleus Orr refers to is four strong: Jones, a 6-foot-1 forward-center; 6-0 guard Keith Thacker; 6-0 forward Nick Byrdo; and 5-8 point guard Malachi Campbell. Every member of this quartet is painfully polite; all four, led by Jones' 3.8, possess grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher. Time will tell as to whether Crispus Attucks is able to someday grab a fistful of its impressive basketball lineage and bridge that success to connect the generations. Who knows? Maybe the Tigers, a Class A program, can accomplish something special before the class of 2010 dons caps and gowns for commencement exercises. Then again, they already have. "This school just started back up again. We'll be the first class to graduate, so that makes you want to start the trail. It feels good to know you're starting something," Byrdo said. "You've got to represent that uniform, got to represent the green and gold. I remember one game this season when a man came up to me and said, 'Man, Attucks. That used to be the team to beat.'" Someday ... someday. -