Paul Payne: Hoping Third Time Is A Charm For Mocs In Indiana Postseasons

This will be my third venture into the state of Indiana chasing postseason basketball nirvana as a long-time fan of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. There’s a sense of trepidation within me thinking back on the two previous trips to the Hoosier State and the emotional scars that were left behind.

As the Mocs (27-9) head to Indianapolis to take on Loyola Chicago (25-11) in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday inside Butler’s historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, I’m cautiously optimistic that my return journey will involve less therapy and counseling on the back end.

The first occasion took place in 1976 when my brother and I loaded up in his Ford Pinto and made the trip to Evansville for the Division II national championship. UTC was playing its best basketball of the year and was on track to deliver on Coach Ron Shumate’s promise of a national title within five years of taking over the program.

Featuring a veteran lineup of senior Kevin Gray along with juniors Wayne Golden, William Gordon, Gary Stich, Book McCray, Fred Rayhle and Ricky Gill, UTC took down Eastern Illinois in the semifinals to set up a championship showdown with Puget Sound.

The Loggers – who could ever forget that nickname – had a Sasquatch-like center in Curt Peterson, and the Mocs had no answer for the handlebar mustachioed seven-footer, losing 83-74.

It was the last time the D-II Final Four was held inside Roberts Municipal Stadium after a 20-year run. The arena was eventually torn down after serving as the University of Evansville’s home for 55 years, and the event has now returned to Evansville permanently since 2019 at the new facility.

I will never forget the disappointing drive home after UTC lost, wondering if we had missed our chance at an elusive title. But Shumate’s Mocs made the long-anticipated ascent to the peak of ‘Rocky Top’ the next season by winning the D-II title staged in snowy Springfield, Mass.

It was six years later in 1982 when I would take my next Indiana road trip in hopes of the Mocs making history, this time to Indianapolis for the NCAA Tournament opening round as UTC made the move to Division I the year after winning its national title.

Bespectacled Murray Arnold, who looked more like a librarian than a basketball coach, had led the Mocs to a one-and-done March Madness showing the previous year, losing to Maryland in Dayton, Ohio after leading at the half. But the 1981-82 Chattanooga squad had every intention of making more than simply a cameo appearance in the tourney this time around.

UTC entered its opening round matchup with North Carolina State with a 26-3 record, waltzing through Southern Conference competition by winning 18 of 19 games. This was essentially the same N.C. State team that would go on to win the NCAA championship the following season under Coach Jim Valvano. But the Mocs sent them packing in ’82 after delivering the Chattanooga’s first D-I NCAA Tournament win by a 58-51 score.

Jim Reynolds, the legendary “Voice of the Mocs” celebrating his 45^th season at UTC, recalls that special occasion at Market Square Arena.

“Murray Arnold always said N.C. State would have won two national championships if it wasn't for us,” Reynolds said. “They had a 7-foot-5 center named Chuck Nevitt.  Murray said he learned from legendary DeMatha (High School) coach Morgan Wooten when they prepared to play Lew Alcindor, he would put tennis racquets in the center’s hand so he could reject shots to simulate playing against Alcindor. And I remember watching the Mocs’ Stanley Lawrence at practice with a tennis racquet swatting away shots to get ready for Nevitt.”

What made that weekend in Indy even more special was that Tennessee was in the same regional, and the Big Orange took on Ralph Sampson and Virginia in Sunday’s opener prior to UTC facing Minnesota in the second round. But it turned out to be a sad afternoon for the Volunteer State.

With the Mocs led by seniors Russ Schoene at forward and point guard Nick Morken along with SoCon player of the year Willie White, who was only a sophomore, UTC seemed poised to spring the upset. But a questionable call late in the second half negated a Morken steal-and-score that would have given Chattanooga a ten-point lead.

“Even (CBS television analyst) Billy Packer said the call was wrong during the broadcast,” Reynolds said.

The foul on Morken completely changed the complexion of the game, as Arnold’s squad had perfected a methodical slow down offense to burn time in that era before introduction of the shot clock.

“If you watch what happened on the video it was clearly a situation where the referee saw the outcome and made up his mind about what must have happened,” Schoene said. “It was a clean steal because the Minnesota player slipped down. If we’re up by 10, we would have gone into our spread and been shooting free throws the rest of the night.”

Minnesota rallied late to grab a one-point lead, and Chattanooga had one last chance to pull off the upset in the final seconds with a Sweet 16 trip to Birmingham hanging in the balance. So, the Mocs put the ball in the hands of the dynamic White.

“They knew I was going to take the last shot,” White said. “I told Nick, ‘Give me the ball and get out of the way.’ Once I drove in, their big guys thought they had the block thinking I was going to lay it up. I brought it back down and handed it to Russ, and they were like, ‘Oh my God, he got us there.’ If Russ would have made that shot, we'd have been famous in Chattanooga.”  

White dished the ball to a wide-open Schoene on the block. But instead of taking the ball to the rim, the 6-foot-10 future professional star went straight up for a point-blank attempt that bounced off the rim, giving Minnesota a 62-61 win.

“Minnesota for me will always leave a bitter taste in my mouth because I had an opportunity to win it for us and couldn’t do it,” Schoene said. “I’m sure Willie’s rethinking that pass he made to me and wishing he would have shot it. I replayed that shot in my mind a lot, but the only change I would have made was to go to the rim.”

Years later while playing professionally in Italy, Schoene found himself in an identical situation with a game on the line. This time, he made the shot to win the game.

“Everybody’s celebrating and I’m kind of looking down at the floor showing zero emotion,” Schoene said. “My American teammate, Mike D’Antoni, comes up to me and asks, ‘What the hell’s wrong with you? We just won the game.’  I just stared at him and the only thing I remember saying was, ‘Wrong game.’”

While Schoene managed to have a successful career with six seasons in the NBA and a sterling stint overseas where he was named the Italian League MVP in 1986, Reynolds wishes his UTC legacy would be viewed differently.

“It bothers me that it has bothered Russ for that long,” Reynolds said. “He was such a good guy, and did so many good things during his UTC career and afterwards. For that to still bother him - and I could see how it would - I feel bad that he still carries that albatross around with him.”

The Mocs are 4-8 in program history in games contested within the Hoosier State. This will be their third visit this season, having lost at Indiana to fall to 0-3 in Bloomington plus a victory at Evansville. UTC also has a win at Ball State (2006), a loss at Purdue (1993) and a pair of defeats inside of Hinkle against Butler.

The season after Butler finished runner-up in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, UTC lost to the Bulldogs, 57-46, after trailing by only three points with six minutes remaining. Three years later in 2014, the Mocs trailed by only three at halftime before going 8:29 without a field goal to eventually fall by a 70-48 verdict at Hinkle.

As I mentally prepare myself for my first foray into Indiana in 43 years, I’m thankful the wounds from those losses have long since healed. Market Square Arena was demolished in 1999, meaning both of those painful venues have now met their demise. In a strange way, it makes me feel better knowing those buildings no longer exist.

But that should serve as a word of warning to the curators of historic Hinkle should the Mocs fall short of an NIT championship. UTC losses in Indiana don’t bode well for aging arenas.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com