Just as they did 20 years ago in Horton Field House, a crowd of nearly 200 sang out Lo-o-o-o-ou to salute one of the Illinois State basketball greats, Lou Stefanovic, at the Porter Moser Redbird Basketball Luncheon Friday at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington.
Stefanovic scored 965 points in his four-year career, helping lead the Bob Donewald-coached 1983, 1984 and 1985 Redbird teams to Illinois States first three NCAA Tournaments. But none of his baskets was more important than a jump shot with eight seconds left to beat Alabama 49-48 in the first round of the 1984 NCAA Tournament for Illinois States first Division I NCAA victory. He was honest with the crowd about what led to that historic shot.
I had not played well in the first half and had not played much in the second half but Michael (McKenny) hurt his eye, said Stefanovic. I was next to go in and coach asked me if I was ready, and I said that I was. We ran a motion offense and wanted to take the first open shot available. That was me. It wasnt until after the game that I found out it was Illinois States first NCAA win.
Stefanovic, 6-foot-8 and a strapping 230 pounds when he played, was part of a group of four players who were part of all three of those teams. He and classmate Rickie Johnson, along with Matt Taphorn, who was a freshman on the 1985 team and a leader on two subsequent NIT teams, joined coach Porter Moser and Redbird TV play-by-play voice Kurt Pegler (a 1987 ISU graduate) on the dias.
The trio all talked about the toughness and leadership which characterized those NCAA teams. Taphorn, still ranked as one of the most accurate three-point shooters in Redbird history, is remembered for a booming three-pointer which was the difference in a one-point win over Iowa in 1987--ISUs most recent win over a ranked team. He said he learned toughness from older players like Johnson and Stefanovic.
As tough as we were on the court, we were tougher with each other, said Taphorn, now a successful financial planner who is vice-president of The Redbird Club and does color commentary on Redbird television games. It was an important part of the cohesiveness of those teams. Guys like Lou and Rickie taught me the ropes; you have to be willing to challenge each other as teammates. In the long run, teammates will respect you for standing up. We had a lot of that and it was important to our success and our tradition..
Johnson agreed.
These guys are my brothers, said Johnson, a stylish left-hander best remembered for causing Horton Field House to erupt with his signature steal-and-dunk efforts. Being successful begins with players bonding into a team. To do that, sometimes, they have to earn respect by being tough on one-another.
Stefanovic acknowledged the physical dominence of those teams, which won 69 games in three seasons including the aforementioned win over Alabama and an NCAA win the following year over Pac 10 champion USC. Playing before the shot clock and three-point line, those Redbird teams ran a physical motion offense which included punishing screens and a defensive style which exacted a price for players who wanted to cut across the lane.
We werent the tallest guys--6-7, 6-8--but we were all 230 to 250 pounds, said Stefanovic, who played five years in Europe before beginning his current career in management for Ford Motor Company. But no opponent went through the lane without paying a price.
While much of that success took place in Horton Field House, it inspired the groundbreaking of Redbird Arena, which opened in 1989 and is currently in the process of raising funds for completing the lower level to enhance strength training facilities for all Redbird athletes. Moser remembers following those teams as a high school kid in Chicagos Western Suburbs and it began a respect he has held for the Illinois State basketball tradition--a tradition Moser is committed to restoring.
These guys and their teams are what Redbird basketball tradition is about, said Moser. They have (championship) rings on their fingers. They stand for the idea that you can be a good team when your coach holds you to high standards. You can only be a great team when players hold each other to higher standards. I just hope our young guys (current players) can see these guys and feel what thats all about.
Johnson played professional basketball in the CBA in the 1980s before returning to Illinois State, where he works in student services and spends a lot of time teaching and coaching basketball in the community. He thinks this weekends Redbird Champions Reunion of those 1983, 1984 and 1985 teams is also about the returning champions showing their appreciation for the opportunities they received at Illinois State.
Athletes dont realize the amount of support behind them, said Johnson. The athletics department. The faculty and staff. The community. Its a great program and a great university and a great opportunity for young people who are fortunate enough to be part of it. This weekend is a chance for us to say thank you to all of you who have supported the program. Its a great honor to play here. Illinois State has always been a special place.
Taphorn, Johnson and Stefanovic will be joined by other teammates to be recognized during halftime of the 4:05 p.m. Saturday Redbird mens basketball game against Bradley.
