1967–68 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 1967–68 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball season is considered one of the greatest in the school's history. The Sycamores won 19 games in the regular season and were led by Jerry Newsom
. He led the Sycamores to the national title game versus a George Tinsley
-led Kentucky Wesleyan
team, and ended the season as National Runner-Up with a record of 23–8.
, Indiana State finished with a non-conference record of 10–4; they placed 3rd in the Golden Spike Tournament hosted by Weber State (Utah); shared (with DePauw) the championship of the highly competitive Indiana Collegiate Conference ICC
with a 9–3 record; spent eleven (of fourteen) weeks ranked in the top ten in the country for the season.; had two 6-game winning streaks during the season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament
. The Sycamores finished the regular season with a record of 23–8, 9–3 (Conf).
Newsom received several honors at the end of regular season. He won the ICC Player of the Year
, was named All-ICC
for the third time and was a consensus All-American. The co-captain also lead the conference in scoring with an average of 27.3
Newsome was not the only weapon for Stauffer's Sycamores; Rich Mason led the conference in rebounding, grabbing an average of 13 per game and was named 1st Team All-Conference. Mike Copper, the other co-captain was named Honorable Mention All-Conference and Fred Hardman was named to the All-NCAA Tournament
team.
and faced Kentucky Wesleyan College
, which was led by junior George Tinsley
. Playing in a standing room only arena, they were unable to maintain their halftime lead and Kentucky Wesleyan defeated Indiana State 63–52. Newsom was voted Most Outstanding Player
of the Final Four
.
In 2005, the entire team was inducted into the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame; Jerry Newsom was inducted as an individual in 1984.
Jerry Newsom (1997), Head Coach Gordon Stauffer (2004), Steve Hollenbeck (2005) and Mike Copper (2010) were inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
.
Jerry Newsom
Jerry Newsom is a former American collegiate basketball player.-Columbus:Jerry Newsom attended Columbus High School in Columbus, Indiana. He led the Bulldogs to consecutive undefeated seasons in 1963 and 1964; reaching the State Finals in 1964...
. He led the Sycamores to the national title game versus a George Tinsley
George Tinsley
George Tinsley is a retired American basketball player.Tinsley played competitively at Male High School and college basketball at Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he was a member of the teams that won the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship in 1966, 1968 and 1969, being named Most...
-led Kentucky Wesleyan
Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers men's basketball
The Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers men's basketball team represents Kentucky Wesleyan College, a private college of less than 1000 students located in Owensboro, Kentucky...
team, and ended the season as National Runner-Up with a record of 23–8.
Regular season
During the 1967–68 season1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1968, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Los Angeles, California...
, Indiana State finished with a non-conference record of 10–4; they placed 3rd in the Golden Spike Tournament hosted by Weber State (Utah); shared (with DePauw) the championship of the highly competitive Indiana Collegiate Conference ICC
Indiana Collegiate Conference
The Indiana Collegiate Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1951 to 1979. It consisted of schools in Indiana....
with a 9–3 record; spent eleven (of fourteen) weeks ranked in the top ten in the country for the season.; had two 6-game winning streaks during the season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament
1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1968, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Los Angeles, California...
. The Sycamores finished the regular season with a record of 23–8, 9–3 (Conf).
Newsom received several honors at the end of regular season. He won the ICC Player of the Year
Indiana Collegiate Conference
The Indiana Collegiate Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1951 to 1979. It consisted of schools in Indiana....
, was named All-ICC
Indiana Collegiate Conference
The Indiana Collegiate Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1951 to 1979. It consisted of schools in Indiana....
for the third time and was a consensus All-American. The co-captain also lead the conference in scoring with an average of 27.3
Newsome was not the only weapon for Stauffer's Sycamores; Rich Mason led the conference in rebounding, grabbing an average of 13 per game and was named 1st Team All-Conference. Mike Copper, the other co-captain was named Honorable Mention All-Conference and Fred Hardman was named to the All-NCAA Tournament
1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1968, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Los Angeles, California...
team.
Roster
The Sycamores were led by Newsom, the ICC Player of the Year, and his 26.1 scoring average. He was followed by Mike Copper's 17.8 average. The starting lineup also included Fred Hardman, Rich Mason and Steve Hollenbeck. Howard Humes and Mike Phillips were key reserves. The remainder of the roster consisted of Dan Chitwood, Ken Hass, John McIntire, Jerry Novak, Jim Waldrip, Don Weirich and Tom Zellers.- #34 – Dan Chitwood
- #33 – Mike Copper (Valparaiso, Indiana)
- #35 – Fred Hardman – All-NCAA Tournament
- #43 – Ken Hass
- #45 – Steve Hollenbeck (Columbus, Indiana)
- #13 – Howard Humes (Madison, Indiana)
- #52 – Rich Mason (East Chicago, Indiana) – All-Conference
- #30 – John McIntire
- #41 – Jerry Newsome (Columbus, Indiana) – All-American; All-Conference; All-NCAA Tournament; Conf MVP, NCAA Tourney MVP
- #44 – Jerry Novak
- #51 – Mike Phillips
- #54 – Jim Waldrip
- #20 – Don Weirich
- #40 – Tom Zellers
NCAA basketball tournament
The top seed in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional was awarded to the Sycamores. The final game of the regional tournament was against heated-rival Illinois State with a berth in the Final Four on the line. The Sycamores won by 5, and returned to a National Tournament Finals for the first time in 15 seasons (1953 NAIA Tournament). They advanced to the championship gameNCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions of Division I...
and faced Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky, a city on the Ohio River. KWC is just 40 minutes east of Evansville, Indiana, 2 hours north of Nashville, Tennessee, 2 hours west of Louisville, Kentucky, and 4 hours east of St. Louis, Missouri...
, which was led by junior George Tinsley
George Tinsley
George Tinsley is a retired American basketball player.Tinsley played competitively at Male High School and college basketball at Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he was a member of the teams that won the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship in 1966, 1968 and 1969, being named Most...
. Playing in a standing room only arena, they were unable to maintain their halftime lead and Kentucky Wesleyan defeated Indiana State 63–52. Newsom was voted Most Outstanding Player
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships , the Associated Press selects a Most Outstanding Player. The MOP need not be, but almost always is a member of the Championship team, especially since the third place game was eliminated after 1981...
of the Final Four
NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions of Division I...
.
- Great Lakes Regional
- Indiana State (#1 seed) 101, South Dakota State (#4 seed) 83
- Indiana State 98, Illinois State (#2 seed) 93
- Elite Eight
- Indiana State 94, UNLV 75
- Indiana State 77, Trinity (TX) 67
- Kentucky Wesleyan 63, Indiana StateIndiana State Sycamores men's basketballThe Indiana State Sycamores basketball is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. They currently compete in the Missouri Valley Conference...
52
Awards and honors
- Mike Copper – All-Indiana Collegiate Conference (Honorable Mention)
- Fred Hardman – NCAA Tournament All-Tourney Team
- Rich Mason – All-Indiana Collegiate Conference (First Team)
- Jerry Newsom – Consensus All-American (AP, UPI, and Coaches)
- Jerry Newsom – Indiana Collegiate Conference Most Valuable Player
- Jerry Newsom – All-Indiana Collegiate Conference (First Team)
- Jerry Newsom – NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award; NCAA Tournament All-Tourney Team
In 2005, the entire team was inducted into the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame; Jerry Newsom was inducted as an individual in 1984.
Jerry Newsom (1997), Head Coach Gordon Stauffer (2004), Steve Hollenbeck (2005) and Mike Copper (2010) were inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in New Castle, Indiana. It honors men and women associated with high school, college and professional basketball in Indiana....
.
See also
- 1968 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament1968 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball TournamentThe 1968 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament involved 36 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 1967-8 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. It was won by the...
- List of NCAA Division I institutions