March 28, 2024

Looking back: memories last for 1998-99 Southwestern men's basketball team

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Before this season’s Southwestern Community College men’s basketball team captured the attention of the community and the campus, there was another team.

This one had a rare combination seldom found in junior college basketball.

The Southwestern Community College Spartans had plenty of beef inside.

They countered that outside with a strong combination of shooters.

Those Spartans had a much different skill set than this year’s team.

While this Spartan team like to run up and down the floor, the group led by coach Bill Taylor preferred to slow the game down.

Unlike this group of Spartans that come from all over the country, most of that team’s roster came from Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. Seven alone were from Iowa, including two with ties to the head coach’s high school — Diagonal.

The 1998-99 Spartan team wasn’t the first to go to nationals. The 1965-66 team, back when it was Creston Community College, reached nationals. The 1998-99 team tied the school record for most wins with 25, broken by the 2015-16 Spartan squad and shattered by this season’s team.

Those Spartans led by Bill Taylor made history, becoming the first team from Southwestern Community College to reach the NJCAA Division II national tournament.

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Taylor knew he had a good team heading into the 1998-99 season.

The 1997-98 team had went 20-10.

It was setting up for a big season the next winter.

“We had some pieces coming back,” Taylor said. “We had some good pieces coming back. We were expecting a pretty decent year.”

Southwestern then had something unusual in the junior college ranks. The Spartans' front line featured three big players — 6-foot-8 and 250, 6-8, 250 and 6-7, 240.

“Those were big, big strong guys,” Taylor said. “It was a whole lot different than it was today.”

Taylor recalled conversations after the first game at nationals against Newbury, Massachusetts.

"Coaches were coming up to me after the (Newbury) game. We had big, strong, thick kids, untypical for JUCO basketball," Taylor said. "A lot of times the guys are athletic, can run, jump. We were more methodical. They were like, 'Where did you find these big, thick kids.' They had never seen guys like that could play with their back to the basket. In JUCO basketball, you don't see a lot of back to the basket guys."

The 1998-99 Spartans averaged 72 points a game offensively and allowed 67 points per game.

The Spartans used their size much to their advantage.

“We were slow and deliberate,” Taylor said. “We pounded it inside. We could guard people really well.”

The big guys opened it up for the shooters.

“If we didn’t have anything, we threw it back outside,” Taylor said. “Terrance Jackson was 10th in the nation in three-point shooting. He could really shoot the ball.”

Like this season’s Southwestern team, that group of Spartans lacked a dynamic scorer.

Like this team, those Spartans were unselfish.

“Nobody seemed to care who scored,” Tassel said. “We’d get the ball inside to the big guys, they’d kick it out. They would leave it open for me or a couple other guys for open looks from three. We had guys like Terrance Jackson who were good scorers, could score multiple ways. We were good at taking care of the ball.”

Jackson led the Spartans in scoring at 12.8 points per game. Jeremiah Ubben scored 11.6 points per game. Darran Miller, NJCAA Division II's leader in field goal percentage, averaged 9.3 points per game. Jackson dished out five assists per game. Ali Hayes led the team with 6.8 rebounds a contest.

The unselfishness of this season’s team is something the 1998-99 team can relate to.

“Watching the (this season's SWCC team), it doesn’t seem to matter who scores the points,” Tassel said. “They try to get up and down the floor. We tried to get it in to our be guys. We could slow teams down where they like to run and gun. They played some good defense. Coach Taylor prided himself on defense first, like this group.”

Like this season’s team, the 1998-99 team had to go through Kirkwood to earn a trip to nationals.

“It was a bit of a blur,” Tassel said. “I remember the game at Kirkwood. We knew them, they knew us. They were locked in on one of our really good shooters. Justin Maggett from Winterset had the best game of his career. He went 5-for-5. We would kick the ball inside to Jeremiah Ubben or Darran Miller. They would kick it out of the double team or we’d run set players for our shooters like Justin or myself. If they stayed and helped the big guys, they’d leave it open for Justin or myself.”

Kirkwood’s defense clamped down on Tassel, leaving Maggett open. He didn’t miss.

“They were not leaving me very much room,” Tassel said. “We knew he (Maggett) could knock them down.”

The end result meant Southwestern was going to nationals.

“It was like this year. They were the defending national champions. The only difference was we were playing them on their home floor,” Taylor said. “Beating them on their home floor was surprising.”

Game preparation was much different than it was now. Tracking down coaches to find out information was a challenge. The Spartans had one game film to prepare for Danbury.

“We went into that game and I thought we were very unprepared. We had one game film and that was about it. We might have been the most unprepared we’d ever been. We knew we could do our stuff, but we were unprepared from a scouting standpoint.”

Southwestern played well in the opening game, but ultimately fell 73-68.

The Spartans recovered nicely, winning 61-59 over Cecil and 61-56 over Clinton to take seventh.

This season’s team, Taylor noted, has the opportunity for something much more.

“They want to hold that trophy. They have a legitimate chance,” Taylor said. “Coach Lorensen, coach Davis, I can’t express how good of a job they’ve done. There’s been a lot of talented, deep teams, but there’s bickering that people aren’t playing. You can only play five at a time. It’s amazing what they’ve been able to build, to get those kids to work hard, buy into defensive systems, get in the weight room, daily fundamentals of the game, blocking out. They’ve just bought in. They’ve just bought in.”

The 1998-99 came together in ways that other Southwestern teams had not in the past.

“Steve Forbes’ second year, we had a group of talented kids that may have been able to rival these (the 2016-17) guys,” Taylor said. “This group is real special. They’ve come together as a team, sacrificed personal agendas for winning. That’s what you like to see as a coach — the ones that jell at the right time.”

The relationships Taylor built with the team in practice are ones he still relishes, even though he no longer is involved as a coach.

“It was fun, it was a lot of good memories of good guys,” Taylor said. “What I miss about coaching is the relationships with the other coaches, officials. That was the fun part of coaching, and the players, seeing the player development. What I really liked was practice. The games I could care less about. What I liked was teaching the game. That was rewarding.”

Between the semifinals and finals, six of the 1998-99 players came to Creston to cheer on this season’s team.

“It was great to see them,” Taylor said. “Brian Werner — I hadn’t seen him since he left. For the final, four were there. It was good to see them. Jeremiah Ubben lives in Huxley, it was good to see him.”

Two players came from the heart of southwest Iowa. Tassel, also known as T.J., and Mike Goodale were both from Diagonal.

Tassel meant plenty to Taylor. Taylor played for Tyler’s father Dennis at Diagonal High School.

“You can’t go wrong when you recruit a coach’s son,” Taylor said. “That was pretty special to be able to to coach T.J.”

Dennis Tassel, and Taylor’s father were there in Danville to share in the experience.

“To go to nationals and have coach Tassel and my dad there watch myself and T.J. and Mike Goodale was fun,” Taylor said. “I’ll never forget those days.”

Taylor credits Dennis Tassel for shaping his life as a youth in Diagonal.

“Coach Tassel was an idol for me,” Taylor said. “That’s why I went into education, why I went into coaching. He was everything to me. That’s where I learned how to work hard in the game of basketball. He was hard on you, but it was rewarding. I didn’t ever want to let the guy down. That was a good thing.”

Over the years, the team has found ways to stay in touch. With the advent of social media in recent years, it’s been much easier for them to stay in touch.

“One thing I’ve always said is that with Facebook, I can follow them, see their kids and wives, things like that, connect,” Tassel said. “We saw Southwestern is having a good year, ranked number one. It’s neat to stay in touch.”

The 1998-99 team, like this season’s team, created a special buzz around campus and in Creston.

“It made us feel like big guys on campus,” Tassel said. “A lot of people were cheering for you. When they heard you made it, a lot of people were telling you congratulations. Facebook wasn’t a thing. When we’d run into (former players), it was great to hear from them either by phone call or letter. It was real fun.”

The bonds the 1998-99 team is one Lorensen wants for his team.

“That’s what college athletics is about is finding your niche as a team, as a program and coming back 15-20 years later and being proud of what you did,” Lorensen said.

Seeing the 1998-99 players back was special for Lorensen.

“We had a lot of interaction with those guys and to see the respect they have for Bill Taylor who was their coach, that’s why you coach, that’s why your in the game.”

Lorensen noted four or five players from his first two teams were back for regionals as well.

“It was very rewarding for all the guys from many different years back here to support the Spartans,” Lorensen said.

Lorensen talked to his team about the 1998-99 team.

He shared about how they bought into the team-first vision.

This season’s Southwestern team has done what the 1998-99 team did.

“I told our guys I think this helps play into our unselfishness,” Lorensen said. “We talked about the 1999 team was the only team to get to the national tournament. I said, ‘who was their best player?’ They all looked at me like I have no idea. I knew they wouldn’t and that’s OK. We talked about here at Southwestern the 1997 team that won the conference championship and the 1999 team who went to the national tournament, I explained whether you’re our leading scorer or our 15th guy on the bench, if you’re a part of this team that goes to nationals, you’re going to go down in the history books at Southwestern forever.”

It has helped the team establish a legacy that will be remembered for many, many years to come.

“When you come back in 15-20 years, people are going to ask you what team you played on and when you say the 2016-17 national tournament team, and hopefully more than that, people are going to automatically give you a great deal of respect because you were part of a winning team.

Lorensen has noticed how the teams that excelled are the ones who care the most about the program.

“When I was at Truman State, they had an NCAA Tournament team in 2006 and 1998 I believe. Those two teams, the players for those groups were around and active more than any other era,” Lorensen said. “They were winners. They had a great experience and they want to be a part of it.”

“Hopefully that’s the same thing about Southwestern as we move forward.”

It made for a special time to be on campus and in Creston.

“The community support was tremendous,” Taylor said. “The school supporting was tremendous.”

What the 1998-99 team meant is still special to Taylor.

“I really can’t quite put it into words what a good group of kids they were,” Taylor said.

The players, coaches from that team take pride in what this Southwestern team have accomplished.

“It was really cool to see them have the success they’re having. They’re number one, have one loss. I’m happy for coach Lorensen. I know coach Taylor is real proud of them even though he’s not the coach,” Tassel said. “I repost a lot of stuff on Facebook. I want people to see it, be proud of them. I want people to know they’re having the success they’re having.”

Southwestern’s success makes alumni like Tassel beam.

“It makes you walk a little taller. I tell people I went there, played there. You hold your head a little higher. It’s big seeing the success my alma mater is having.”

Taylor recalled how people have asked him if wants to be remembered as the only team at Southwestern to reach nationals.

“No!” Taylor said. “I want them to win the whole thing.”

“We want to put Southwestern on the map.”