In the late 1960s, I started hearing from the older guys about this crazy kid from Midvale who was a helluva basketball player, a kid who regularly wore ankle weights and wrist weights. Having no idea whether it was true or not, I was struck that this devotion was somewhat weird for a kid. In time, I watched that kid emerge into an outstanding player, one of the best Tuscarawas County ever produced. The kid had a simple name, Gene Ford, that made him sound like he was an older man having the name "Gene"--didn't know many kids my age by that name. Little did I realize that Gene would become an important figure in my life--from a distance--as I began my ascension into high school basketball. As the 1970s unfolded, my life underwent a significant change . . . and so did basketball in the Tuscarawas valley.
As I went through the dreaded junior high years, trying to fit in and be somebody, I realized that being involved in sports was a key ticket to popularity. Despite the gradual awareness that my athletic abilities were certainly nothing more than average, I found a niche. Although I played football and ran track, basketball was what I loved. Our junior high teams at the long-gone-from-now Indian Valley South were not overly successful, but that soon changed. Somewhere between my eighth grade and sophomore years, our basketball lives became special. Much to our eventual delight, three outstanding players moved to our district, changing the fortunes of our Rebels. Unfortunately for many, two of those who made it work for us came from our rival school, Indian Valley North, while the third had attended there in junior high. Even to this day, I can only imagine the resentment that those North people felt because our success could just as easily have been theirs. Those three--Chuck McComb, Van Henry, and Bob Huggins--became the cornerstones for the '70s dynasty known as the IVS Rebels. Coupled with those three came the maestro himself, Bob's father, Charlie Huggins, the man who changed basketball in our area and, from my seat, throughout the state.
At the risk of sounding arrogant, overbearing, and offensive to many, my intent is not to brag about our success--that would benefit only a few of my readers and would definitely sour those who do not want to relive that time period. Suffice to say that our IVS teams were the dominant force in our county and throughout the Class A state tournaments during the '70s. While our teams were blessed with great players, our teams produced, at one point rolling through 51 straight wins before losing in the 1973 state championship game. Additionally, the Rebs won another state championship in 1976, led by another Huggins boy, Harry, as well as several key players. My first point is quite simple: Basketball was the sport of the valley in the 1970s. I had mentioned in Part II of this series that Strasburg's 1967 state championship opened many eyes about the quality of play in our area. Without that state championship, we small town boys might not have "caught the fever" that we could experience the same feeling.
I mentioned earlier about Gene Ford being an icon in my eyes; well, let me just add a few names to the list of great players who carried the torch from the late 60s' to the '70s: of course, Bob Huggins, Ed Leggett, Dave Smith, Scott VanFossen, Richie Babcock, Bill Andreas, Greg Zimmerman--all of them had one commonality: they were great offensive players, big scorers. And that, my friends, is where Charlie Huggins entered the picture.
As the '70s unfolded, our area's basketball identity began to change from one where offensive emphasis was replaced with defensive emphasis, Huggins's forte. During that era, the focus shifted from somewhat free-wheeling offensive shows into defensive slugfests. Scoring began to decline as the game began to shift to ball and tempo control, both with the idea of limiting the other team's possessions. While many would argue the merits of that approach, when Huggins's teams began winning so consistently, other coaches began to openly resent that approach, but the realization that to beat him would require significant changes on their part became real. . . and that is when the valley's basketball began to really change.
The 1970s brought about other significant changes; for perhaps the first time, attendance at a summer basketball fundamentals camp became almost mandatory. Huggins'' Eastern Ohio Basketball Camp was the location of choice; featuring renowned coaches from throughout this part of the country, kids flocked to the camp to do whatever was asked. The fever had begun. In addition to the five-and-a-half day camps that ran throughout the summer (looking back, I only wanted to survive from Sunday night to Friday evening!), we played on those courts every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evening throughout the summer in a three-man league with players coming from all over the area. Additionally, we were treated to even greater games when the valley's best would come to play against each other: games featuring the Huggins boys, John Studer, Zimmerman, Ford, Smith, Babcock, Henry, McComb, Joel Cochran, and so many others would only serve to make our area a basketball centerpiece . . . ah, those were enjoyable days, ones that prepared us for such great winter games.
In time, all area coaches understood that to beat IVS would require an adoption of what Huggins did. Soon, coaches were conducting their own camps, taking kids to other camps that began appearing, and making their kids play in the summer. I suppose it could be argued that the era of specialization began during that time because many kids focused on just basketball often at the expense of playing football. Not only did basketball camps and organized leagues begin to appear in our area, but throughout the state, the same began to happen. Camps flourished (and still do); parents wanted their kids involved in successful programs so parental push continued to exert itself. The bottom line is that basketball became our area's identity, contributing to such a memorable time in our history.
Earlier, I mentioned Gene Ford; to me, he recognized that an undersized player could make himself into a star by dedicating himself to being the best. He made believers out of so many. Bob Huggins was as skilled and talented a leader and player as anyone who had ever graced our courts. I could go on, but, as I have mentioned throughout this series, our valley's basketball history is made up of so much talent and success, one I know people my age appreciate yet one that I hope this generation could celebrate as well.
To accentuate that success, I must mention that the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame has included the following Tuscarawas valley players/coaches/officials from the '70s into its prestigious classes:
*Joe Pangrazio Sr. (official)
*Bob Huggins
*Indian Valley South High School Teams of 1972 and 1973 (to be inducted on May 20, 2017)
The '70s were special years, highlighted by statewide success, colorful characters, and outstanding players . . . not sure this area has seen anything to rival it in the years before or since!
The foregoing is Part III of a few-part series chronicling basketball in our Tuscarawas valley. . . here's hoping a few readers may be intrigued by this mini-series! (For those who may not have read either Part I or II, those entries can be found at three locations: michaelagunther.blogspot.com OR The Times-Reporter web page under "Opinion" and then "Blogs" OR my Facebook page.)
