The NIU basketball team must have felt like it traveled through a time warp on its way to Aurora Monday night, as five former Huskies were on hand to face them.

Rodney Davis, a surprise addition to the Aurora Challenge team which lost 100-93 to NIU Monday at West Aurora High School, was one of the ex-Huskies.

Unfortunately for Davis, he’s also an ex-Thunder. Last month Davis thought he had secured a starting job with the Quad City Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association, but a week ago Davis got bumped from the Quad City roster when the team signed two former NBA players.

Thunder management told Davis they will try to make a trade in order for the 6-foot-2 guard to stay in the CBA, but Davis isn’t sure he wants that.

“If they would work something out with the Rockford Lightning, then maybe (I’d stay in the CBA),” Davis said. “But I’m thinking about going back to school and then maybe trying to play overseas.”

Despite the Thunder’s shunning, Davis sounded (and played) upbeat as he led all scorers with 24 points. John Culbertson, an NIU teammate of Davis last season, added six points for Challenge, though his first-half dunk registered at least 7.5 on the Richter scale. Culbertson might have been taking out some frustration as he, like Davis, recently felt the ax of the Quad City Thunder.

“I was on the team, but it was politics,” Culbertson said of his dismissal from the Thunder.

Culbertson who lives and works in DeKalb said he will either continue playing with Challenge or another amateur team.

Randy Norman, also a former teammate at NIU with Davis last season, poured in 20 points for Challenge, including five 3-pointers in the second half.

Matt Hicks, a star performer for NIU in the ‘70s, scored eight points for Challenge and ex-Huskie Dennis Taylor added nine.

“They wanted very much to do well here,” NIU coach Jim Rosborough said of his former players. “They wanted to stick it down our throats.”

They also may have wanted to impress Chicago Bulls coach Doug Collins who was on hand for the first half signing autographs with second-year Bulls forward Horace Grant.