Kentucky is an NIT team.
- Thread starter fkfootball
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Rupp Rafters is hilarious right now - always is after a loss UK has to a team they shouldn’t lose to.
Add Evansville and Utah to the list of teams that Calipari will refuse to play again. Chicken shit
Speaking of UE, my Amazon Prime pick this month for new release download was a book about the '77 UE team and plane crash. I've enjoyed it so far, so if anyone is looking for a holiday read or gift, it's a good one for bball fans. Not great, but good, imo. Several IU/RMK mentions. I'd give it 4 stars.
Amazon product ASIN B07LF4VRPC
That was a tragic event that I remember as if it happened yesterday. It is one of those Kennedy assasination, 9/11 things for me (I can pinpoint exactly where I was, and what I was doing when I heard the news). I knew some of the players and their families, and it devastated everyone who was impacted.
Then I think you'd really like the book. I think the author is from Evansville and it focuses more on the people, City and social climate at the time and I think does a good job of that. Since I'm not from there, I was more interested in hearing about the game, players, etc... and it doesn't get into as much of that, except in profiling the individuals.
Ironically, it states as you mention, that anyone from Evansville who was alive at the time, remembers exactly where they were when they heard.
Still have the next morning’s Evansville Courier from that horrible accident.
Lived in Vincennes at the time and have a clipping from the Sun-Commercial front page. Attended the Purple Aces summer bball camp in 1980. Was still too young to wrap my head around what had happened.
I think I was there in 1980, too. Or '79.
yeah years are piling up now, I was trying to remember but I think it was summer of 1980. I was in the incoming 7th grade group. We had a one-on one tourney the final 2 days and I lost in the semi finals, so was proud of that. The following year Lincoln won the state and IU won the NCAAs, so a fun year of ball in southern IN. The next summer, my dad took a new job up in the Lafayette area and we moved deep into the belly of the beast. Pilgrims in an unholy land (stole that line from Sean Connery).
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VanPastorMan
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I was in Washington, and remember it on the news. At a young age it's hard to wrap your mind around it, but once I did I felt real bad for everyone. This event is right up there with Marshall crash.
well, that's better than UNC right now. 4 losses in a row, one to Wofford at home.
They have to start feeding the rock to " it's time to be selfish". He can pad those one and done stats.
yeah I'd say...7 ppg/4rpg and 54% FT shooting / 27% 3pt shooting isn't an ideal OAD stat line.
Brooks is way over-rated.
Deshaun Thomas was far better than Brooks and he did not stick in the NBA.
Daddy "time to be selfish" Brooks had big visions of NBA $$$.
Now he probably wonders why he steered his son to Calipari.
Another tragic case of talent arrogance over reality.
54% FT? His son has regressed as a shooter at UK.
Skills killer Calipari.
An Evansville sportscaster cried on the air that night. It was an absolute tragedy for a former Division II power that had a good young coach and dreams of making it big in D1. Crews had some good seasons but mostly a very mediocre program in the past 30 years.
Yeah, I didn't know about their earlier success, I guess in the fore-runner to Division 2. 5 NCs?
some info below regarding the lone player on the team who 'survived' the crash, and his fate a few weeks later. Can't put into words how bizarre and unfortunate was his fate.
Per Wikipedia- The only member of the Purple Aces who did not die in the crash was David Furr; he was out for the season with an ankle injury and thus was not on the plane that day. But just two weeks after the crash, Furr and his younger brother Byron were killed in a car accident near Newton, Illinois, leaving the entire 1977 Evansville team dead.[2]
Per Wikipedia- The only member of the Purple Aces who did not die in the crash was David Furr; he was out for the season with an ankle injury and thus was not on the plane that day. But just two weeks after the crash, Furr and his younger brother Byron were killed in a car accident near Newton, Illinois, leaving the entire 1977 Evansville team dead.[2]
Geez, that sounds like something out of “Final Destination”. That is spooky.
The Crews years were fun. My favorite was the '89 team that beat Gary Payton and Oregon State in the NCAAs. UE mens soccer was a national powerhouse around that same time and made a couple final fours (College Cup now). Good times at that tiny little school on Lincoln Ave.
My Dad is retired Prof at U of E and was there at the time of the crash. Go Aces and Go Hoosiers!
I'll have to get the book. I promise you my dad won't read it.
I'm shocked he plays as much as he does cause he does not do a whole lot
I got my BS in Civil Engineering from that tiny school on Lincoln and enjoyed every minute of it. The ball team tragedy has a nice monument on campus honoring the team. A very sad part of Aces history.
I think that’s the first time I ever heard that. Poor guy had to have an awful final 2 weeks. Wonder if his grief was a factor in the accident, or if he was simply an innocent party in the wrong place at the wrong time. Incredibly sad.
I was a Jr High student at Clark when it happened and I can still picture being in our living room hearing about it. I was on the city swim team when I was younger and used to go down to UE for swim lessons so it really hit home. You might have been in my younger sister's class.
I don't blame the players or their parents. I don't even blame Calislimy (I just wouldn't want IU to become what UK has) They are simply playing with the set of rules that exist in their worlds.
This set of rules is hurting college basketball and it needs to change.
This set of rules is hurting college basketball and it needs to change.
I was very close to going to UE, but growing up in the area, I was ready to get away from home and chose Bloomington. I still root for the Aces though as my "2nd favorite school."
I went to Clark in 7th grade, 1980-81. Then moved up north to Lafayette area over the summer. Went to grade school at Franklin. Went to all the games during the 80-81 championship season including regionals/semi-state in Evansville and F4 in Indy. Great memories.
seriously the last 2 weeks of the kid's life had to have been absolute torment.
I was at Clark in 7th grade in 1983-84. So I did the same for the runner up year! Even though we lost they are still great memories.
Growing up in Evansville, Sloan and Buse were 2 of my favorites as they both had successful pro careers. I know most if not all here know that sloan initially took the coaching job but backed out to stay in Chicago. I just remember driving into Melody Hills a day or 2 after the incident. We were able to park and walk to a top of small hill that overlooked the ravine of debris. Really eerie. Went to High School with Mark Kirpatrick at central. He was one of the team managers who was on the plane.
I went to Riley. My sister was in seventh grade in 80/81 and I was a junior at Lincoln.
I was part of the duet that played the national anthem at sectionals in '81. The only game I missed of the championship run was the first semi-state game. The trumpet player and I that played the national anthem at sectionals were in the first ever Indiana All State Jazz Band that weekend - we got them to move the performance up to Saturday afternoon from Saturday evening so we could drive down to Evansville to catch the tail end of the final game.
Nice to meet ya, sorry you had to move to Lafayette.
