Throwback Thread

[Good News]

How about some nostalgia during a pandemic offseason while we’re wondering whether there will be a season and what form it will take. I found some things while doing some organizing that can be discussion starters.

Apologies in advance if images get screwed up - I’ve been on SN since the beginning but never put up images.

[Good News]

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This last one is the big one - I’m actually curious if anyone went to the game and can offer their memories. Btw, can I just say how awesome that looks? Hat tip to the guys in the media department at the absolute freaking apex of the Cold War putting “WICHITA STATE VS. SOVIET UNION” on the front of the damn program. No “exhibition game”, no “national team”... just the Shocks versus one sixth of the earth’s land mass. I think I’m having that one framed.

As far as the memories:

I don’t know what their reception was in other places they played, but in blue collar middle America, 10 years after they cheated their way to a gold medal, I remember them getting booed coming out of the tunnel. And I don’t mean like Creighton booed.

I remember some problem with the clock at the end of the game and things seemed really heated. A lot of booing and screaming.


What do you remember?

[Good News]

This last one is the big one - I’m actually curious if anyone went to the game and can offer their memories. Btw, can I just say how awesome that looks? Hat tip to the guys in the media department at the absolute freaking apex of the Cold War putting “WICHITA STATE VS. SOVIET UNION” on the front of the damn program. No “exhibition game”, no “national team”... just the Shocks versus one sixth of the earth’s land mass. I think I’m having that one framed.

As far as the memories:

I don’t know what their reception was in other places they played, but in blue collar middle America, 10 years after they cheated their way to a gold medal, I remember them getting booed coming out of the tunnel. And I don’t mean like Creighton booed.

I remember some problem with the clock at the end of the game and things seemed really heated. A lot of booing and screaming.


What do you remember?

Also, since I just looked at the scorecard again - did AC not play in that game? Why? And was that really X’s coming out party? Or was the scorecard of a random kid wrong?

[WuDrWu]

Carr was injured and didn't play the first few games that season. X was an effing man child that game and everyone knew something was different about him.

Back in the old SSS days, I bet I watched the replay of that game 100 times. All kinds of talent on that Soviet team, but a 17 year old kid off the bench would make the biggest splash in the world. He's not my Vydas, he's not your Vydas, he's Arvydas Sabonis. Long time NBA career and now his son is in the league. He tried a 60 foot bounce pass that just missed, and I said to myself, this kid has a unique understanding of the game that's just not seen very often. Knew he'd be special.

Still, X battled his ass off and refused to let a HUGE team get the best of him.

Lots of emotion, no doubt, in the arena that night.

[Atxshoxfan]

Antoine had shin splints. I was there but mostly remember how loud it was and the fact that we won. I'd say it surpassed the old Tulsa games and on par with the Iowa State tourney game.
X was a man...his first game he played in he went 10 for 10 from the field and was a ball hog on the boards

[WuShock16]

It’s not Shocker-related but my FIL was a K-State student in the mid/late 70s when the Soviets came to Manhattan for an exhibition game. He remembers a big shot by Mike Evans (?) where he swore that the roof at Ahearn was about to cave in.

[Ashockalypse]

Iowa not Iowa State

[ShockingButTrue]

Everybody played good against the soviets.

As a matter of fact, that's when I became a fan of G. Cundiff. He displayed some adroit ball-handling in that contest.

[Good News]

Carr was injured and didn't play the first few games that season. X was an effing man child that game and everyone knew something was different about him.

Back in the old SSS days, I bet I watched the replay of that game 100 times. All kinds of talent on that Soviet team, but a 17 year old kid off the bench would make the biggest splash in the world. He's not my Vydas, he's not your Vydas, he's Arvydas Sabonis. Long time NBA career and now his son is in the league. He tried a 60 foot bounce pass that just missed, and I said to myself, this kid has a unique understanding of the game that's just not seen very often. Knew he'd be special.

Still, X battled his ass off and refused to let a HUGE team get the best of him.

Lots of emotion, no doubt, in the arena that night.

This is what I was looking for. Big fan of Sabonis’ cerebral understanding of the game and wished he would have gotten to the league sooner. I thought Domantas was a hard-nosed player at Zaga even if he didn’t get his father’s size.

[Good News]

Antoine had shin splints. I was there but mostly remember how loud it was and the fact that we won. I'd say it surpassed the old Tulsa games and on par with the Iowa State tourney game.
X was a man...his first game he played in he went 10 for 10 from the field and was a ball hog on the boards

This lines up with a couple of comments I’ve heard over the years with something about how in the old days there was concrete or something under the floor and they thought it caused player injuries.

[Good News]

Everybody played good against the soviets.

As a matter of fact, that's when I became a fan of G. Cundiff. He displayed some adroit ball-handling in that contest.

I was surprised to see him on the roster - I think of the 1987 version of him and didn’t realize he was around back in 82. After looking at his stats I guess he got hurt and redshirted during his first junior year. Started every game for Fogler his senior year but wasn’t a starter for Smithson.

He was also one of the good guys among the basketball camp instructors.

[ShockingButTrue]

It was a Stress Fracture of the shin.

I believe his first game back was the 7th game, against Arkansas Little Rock. The game where he did the 360. I nearly jumped outta my seat, over the rails and down to the concession stand...