Beyond the playing field

Coach Jim Rosborough and his men’s basketball staff have a word they like to throw around: positive.

They like to use it when they talk to the media. It’s used to try and have people see the program through rose-colored glasses. I wore my Mac Tonight black sunglasses Monday night to the season finale.

But there are some positive things that happened this year with the Huskies. For one thing, the team did post a 20 in the win-loss column. Unfortunately, it followed an 8. As in 8-20. As in the second-worst record in NIU history.

Since I’m an investigative reporter, I was able to steal David Letterman’s Top 10 List for his show tonight. So here’s the scoop, straight from the home office in Ames, Iowa.

TOP 10 POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT THE 1987-88 NIU HUSKIES

10. The toilet paper being thrown on the court after NIU’s first basket of a game. (Note: This would’ve ranked much higher, but the home team is now threatened with a technical foul and it’s been eliminated the last two home games.)

9. The verbal abuse section yelling “S—” whenever an opponent made a free throw.

8. No locker room fights in which a Huskie had a jaw broken.

7. NIU only played one game in the Rockford MetroCentre.

6. Dave Pygon was perfect from the field. He was 1 for 1, a three pointer, before quitting the team.

5. The Huskies won a game on the road. Actually they won two, plus one on a neutral court.

4. Back-to-back wins against Drake and Loyola—the high point of the season and an actual highlight.

3. After a near-record 10-game losing streak, the Huskies made a late run to avoid having the worst record in the nation among Division I independents.

2. Rosborough wasn’t ejected from any games, although he stamped his feet a lot.

1. John Culbertson made two trips to Iowa without being arrested.

So there are at least 10 positive aspects of this campaign, and Letterman’s writers don’t even follow the Huskies.

But for those who did cover the team throughout the season, one fact must be looked into: the schedule this year was easy—or was it?

The Huskies won one less game than they did last season, but—as Rosborough put it—they had more talent this year. That seems true, but where are the wins?

Before the season, people were saying the Huskies could win 15 games if they played with their hightops tied together against teams like Central Connecticut State, Wisconsin-Parkside, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Central Florida. Rosborough refuted statements like those by saying the teams on the schedule were very competitive.

Looking back, he either believed what he said and was right, or he didn’t believe it, said it to cover himself for a weak schedule and turned out to be right anyway.

Of course, it could be that the schedule was pathetic and his team just plain stunk.

Take your pick.