My View/Your View: State's Best Hoops Team(s)? The Envelope, Please ...

No matter where basketball fans gather to discuss "Our Game," you can always find a spirited discussion over which was the best Indiana high school team assembled since the first State Finals in 1911. There's a good argument for a handful of boys teams. In my book, "Have Laptop, Did Travel, a newspaper journalist's memoirs on sports' grandest stage," I gave the nod to the 1971 East Chicago Washington Senators. Many media members I know give that a thumbs-up vote. Led by UCLA-bound Pete Trogovich and four other NCAA Division I signees that included a legendary front line, the Senators went 29-0 and never really received a severe challenge. Yet, some other folks in "the Region" believe that E.C. Roosevelt (28-0), led by the late Jim Bradley in 1970, would beg to differ. Case in point: I once had an acquaintance in East Chicago tell me he would have given his last dollar, not to mention his favorite seat at the neighborhood bar and his favorite Saturday night date to see those teams play. Now, that's what I call passion for the game. Carmel's David Shepherd, who certainly knows more than just a little about the game, recently shared his thoughts on the subject. "E.C. Roosevelt was the best team I played against,'' said the 1970 Mr. Basketball whose Greyhounds lost to the Rough Riders in the State Finals title game despite his then-record 40-point scoring output. And the best team? "I'd have to say the 1969 Indianapolis Washington team was the best I've seen,'' said Shepherd, whose 1,079 points remain a single-season record. When talking about the best of the best, you certainly could throw a few other big-school teams into the mix. Start with Indianapolis schools Crispus Attucks and Washington. Attucks, the first Indianapolis school to win the State Finals in 1955, also won in 1956, led by the fabulous Oscar Robertson, generally regarded as the most skilled player Hoosierland ever produced. Make that at both ends of the floor. The Tigers went 31-0 in Robertson's senior season, then South Bend Central (30-0), led by the Coleman brothers, kept Attucks from making it three titles in succession. Washington, which was 31-0 in 1969, was led by 6-7 George McGinnis and 6-9 Steve Downing. I can't imagine any team able to showcase a more powerful athlete than "Big Mac," who just happens to be Indiana's only first-team High School All-American in both basketball and football. Marion was 29-0 in 1985 en route to its first of three straight state championships, and Jay Edwards and teammate Lyndon Jones shared Mr. Basketball honors. Of course, the other big-school champion, Lawrence North (2004-06), blazed a trail that will be talked about for years to come. In addition to producing a 29-0 won-loss record in 2006, the Wildcats won a state-best 50 consecutive games, surpassing the 45 mark set by the great Attucks teams (1954-56), earned a USA Today No. 1 national ranking, and also had the national high school Player of the Year in 7-foot Greg Oden, selected No. 1 in the NBA draft two years later. There have been other teams that have posted unbeaten seasons, including Class 4A Pike (2003), while Bloomington South, led by likely Mr. Basketball Jordan Hulls, has a chance to join the list in Saturday's State Finals. Still, No. 1 - the best boys team ever assembled - probably will be debated for years to come. I know one whose-the-best team discussion that would be hard to debate. That's the 2009 Ben Davis girls. The Giants met every challenge while producing the most wins and record (30-0) in Indiana girls history, and their national No. 1 ranking may survive the test of time among those Indiana teams hoping to follow in their footsteps.