remembering the 1978-79 alcorn team that went 27-0
Undefeated and unnoticed
Alcorn St. went 27-0 in 1978-79 but was overshadowed by Indiana St.and overlooked by the NCAA
By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Staff, 3/7/2004
They are a trivia question buried beneath the press clippings of a basketball legend. Why should you care about the 1978-79 Alcorn State basketball team? For starters, it was undefeated in the regular season. Of course, the team doesn't expect you to know that, because that same year Indiana State and its prized forward, Larry Bird, also finished unblemished in the regular season.
Bird and his Sycamores captivated an adoring public with their attempt at running the table, making it all the way to the NCAA championship game before losing to Earvin Johnson and his Michigan State Spartans in an epic showdown that remains the most highly rated televised college basketball game in history.
Wondering who eliminated Alcorn State in the NCAA Tournament? Nobody. They weren't invited. Apparently a spotless 27-0 ledger wasn't good enough for the selection committee back in 1979, when the tournament field was only 32 teams.
A quarter-century later, Saint Joseph's (27-0) and Stanford were on the brink of becoming the first Division 1 tandem to go undefeated in the regular season since Indiana State and Alcorn State. But Stanford lost to Washington last night, keeping a place in history for 1979's two special teams.
"People don't believe it," said Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Randy Wittman, who, as a guard for Indiana, played against Alcorn State in the 1979 National Invitation Tournament. "I was just telling someone the other day about Alcorn State. He said, `Undefeated? No way. I would have heard of them.' But nobody has. It's too bad, because they were a great team."
How good? Consider this testimonial from another former Hoosier, forward Mike Woodson, whose team narrowly defeated the Braves, 73-69, in that second-round NIT matchup.
"They were the toughest team I played in my four years at Indiana," Woodson declared. "That team gave me fits. They did as good a job as anyone in taking me out of my game. I'm a living witness to what Alcorn State was all about."
People knew so little about the small, predominantly black school in Mississippi that its location was often listed as Lorman, Miss., when, in fact, it was in its own hamlet called Alcorn State. The school was known for its agricultural studies, its landmark chapel, and its excellent sports teams. Students affectionately called the campus "The Reservation," but former Braves star James Horton said he and his teammates had another nickname for it.
"We called it `Home of the Champions,' " said Horton, who was the point guard on the 1978-79 team. "That's because we won all the time. We were good, the football team was good, the baseball team was good . . . but nobody knew about us. Guess that's what you get for being a black school in the South."
Coach Davey Whitney set out to change that. He stockpiled his roster with athletic, coachable, enthusiastic players, including many from Mississippi who were overlooked by larger programs. He emphasized passing and defense, and taught trapping, full-court pressure, which would become his trademark.
"Back then, very few teams used a trapping press," said Wittman. "It would be interesting to know if they were the first team to use it consistently. All I can tell you is, we never faced anyone like them -- ever."
Whitney routinely used nine or 10 players, distributing minutes -- and responsibilities -- evenly.
"Coach Whitney ran the kind of offense that emphasized passing," said former guard E.J. Bell. "Sometimes, we'd get the ball down the floor without ever bouncing it. The only time we were supposed to dribble was when we were in trouble."
Larry Smith, nicknamed "Mr. Mean" because he was so rugged under the basket, was Alcorn State's best player. But Smith, who would go on to enjoy a 13-year NBA career, primarily with Golden State, was hardly a one-man show. Horton, nicknamed "Pee Wee" because he stood just 5 feet 7 inches, was also a key player, an endless whir of energy defensively. "And he could shoot the cover off the ball," said Smith.
Backcourt partner Ronnie Smith, the cerebral Joe Jenkins, forward Cornelius Jenkins, and center Alfredo Monroe also made major contributions.
"The reason we did so well was because we stuck together," said Horton. "We were like brothers. If you're going to press, you have to believe that everyone is going to be exactly where they're supposed to be. We always were."
Time of transition In 1978, the Southwestern Athletic Conference was still developing, and while most of its schools had made the jump to Division 1 sports, there was no automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament just yet.
"They told us no matter what, we wouldn't be eligible for the tournament for a couple of years," said Whitney. "When we started winning, we sent out letters and things, but it didn't do any good. It's just the way it was back then."
One of the problems was the Braves' weak schedule. Alcorn State beat up on schools such as Savannah State (94-60), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (116-85), and Tougaloo (98-76). But it also handled more established programs such as Kent State (82-75) and Alabama State (85-80).
And yet, even as the wins began piling up, the Braves were ignored by the pollsters, the media, and the NCAA.
"Our problem was we didn't have any major schools on our schedule," said Larry Smith. "But that's because we couldn't get any of them to play us. We'd call up some of the top teams and they'd tell us, `Our schedule is booked for the next five or six years.' They were afraid of us.
"It bothered me. We had an excellent team. We could have played with anybody, but we never got the opportunity."
The Braves cruised to 21-0 before their unbeaten streak was seriously threatened by conference rival Southern University, which had already lost once to Alcorn State. The Braves were suffering through an atrocious shooting night, and had coughed up uncharacteristic turnovers.
"We were down 8 points with 1:20 to go," said Whitney. "I called a timeout, and got the guys in the huddle. Not one of them looked beaten."
Whitney called for a trapping barrage. Horton scooted all over the floor, picking off two passes and converting them into layups. Cornelius Jenkins, who was 6-10, 180, and nicknamed "Stick," hit a basket, and stole another pass at midcourt.
"You could see it in their eyes," said Bell, nicknamed "Mr. Quick." "Southern was saying, `Uh oh. We're in trouble.' "
Alcorn State tied the game in regulation, then went on to win in overtime on a jumper by Joe Jenkins.
The players celebrated briefly but also scolded themselves. Their only chance at making the tournament, they knew, was to go undefeated.
Yet few in the media took notice of their narrow escape against Southern. Conversely, the exploits of Indiana State continued to make national news.
"We used to root against Indiana State," said Bell. "I can remember saying, `I hope they lose tonight.' I want us to be the only undefeated team."'
Half a world away, the Indiana State Sycamores were oblivious to the exploits of their fellow unbeaten collegians.
"I'd heard of Alcorn State," said Bird, "but I had no idea they were undefeated that year. Nobody ever talked about it."
Scent of discrimination Whitney, who had played professional baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro leagues, sympathized with his players, who were certain the fact they were a black school had tainted their accomplishments in the minds of many.
"I told them the best way to open new doors was to win," Whitney said.
Two weeks after the Southern game, Alcorn State withstood one more regular-season scare when it squeezed past Grambling State, 76-74.
"It was the only time all year that I'd say we were a little sluggish," Horton said. "Ronnie Smith pulled out that game for us. He hit a couple of big shots. Ronnie was a guard, but he was the type of guy who would go over and block shots with the big guys."
Smith was also the team's best dunker, and delighted in hammering down breakaway slams.
"He was so great on those dunks," Bell said. "Sometimes, he'd slam 'em in from the side, other times he'd just knock it down with one hand. People hadn't thought up too many fancy things yet, but Ronnie could have matched any of them. He and James were fantastic. They really ran the show."
The show came to a grinding halt when the NCAA snubbed the Braves. Alcorn State snapped up the NIT bid as consolation, but the frustration was difficult to mask.
"It was disappointing," Larry Smith said. "Being from the South, being a small school, and being a black school, there were a whole lot of strikes against us. We just weren't going to get any exposure. Our feeling was, `If we keep winning, they have to notice us.' But they didn't."
The first NIT opponent was Mississippi State, a predominantly white school that had long overshadowed Alcorn State -- and refused to play it. The Braves, by virtue of their higher seed, should have hosted the game, but their gym was declared too small. A neutral site was proposed, but the game was moved instead to Mississippi State's home court.
"I was mad," said Horton. "Bad enough we didn't get to go to the NCAAs. But then to make us play at Mississippi State's gym? That was an injustice."
The game was a sellout. Tailgaters lined the campus. Alcorn State's players were quiet as they pulled into the gym. Sensing they were intimidated, Whitney reminded them which team had not lost all season.
And when Larry Smith nailed a baseline jumper at the buzzer for an 80-78 victory, the Braves were still perfect.
"It was a big deal," Smith said. "To be a predominantly black school going into an almost all-white school and beating them like that . . .
"You could feel it in that gym. When our fans started celebrating in the stands after we won, they had some problems. We just got off the court as soon as we could."
Breakthroughs The next opponent, Indiana, needed no introduction. Alcorn State had finally made it to the big stage: the Big Ten and Bloomington, Ind.
"I guess I was from the country," Bell said. "I walked into that gym and started looking around, and I couldn't believe how big it was. I bent over to talk to one of my teammates and I couldn't even hear him because of the noise."
"You grow up watching teams like that on TV, and you just wish you could play against a big school like that just once," Horton said. "And then, all of a sudden, there we were."
Predictably, the Indiana players knew nothing about Alcorn State -- but coach Bobby Knight did. "I can vividly remember what Coach Knight said to us," Wittman said. "He said, `Whether we win this game or not, I guarantee you this will be the toughest team we'll face in this tournament.' And he was right."
As Woodson, Indiana's top scorer, took the floor, an Alcorn State guard sidled up to him and said, "Not tonight, Woodson."
Flummoxed by Alcorn State's pressure, Woodson submitted a dreadful first half, missing shots and committing five turnovers (he had seven for the game).
"Whenever Mike touched the ball, they just descended on him," Wittman said. "They caught him off-guard. They were a very, very athletic team."
Alcorn State's depth also came into play. While Knight used only six players, Whitney went nine-deep, using fresh legs to trap and press the Hoosiers.
"They were wearing us down," Wittman said. "I remember late in the game, Coach said, `I'm going to use timeouts for rest instead of strategy.' "
But Woodson, who would later become Larry Smith's teammate in the pros, finally broke free of Alcorn State's pressure. He scored a game-high 19 points as the Braves' magical run ended. Alcorn State lost, but impressed Knight so much that he invited the Braves back to play in the Indiana Classic.
Alcorn State went 28-2 in 1979-80. Even though it was not undefeated, it did receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament -- the first ever for a predominantly black school -- and it knocked off South Alabama, 70-62, before losing to No. 1 seed Louisiana State.
Twenty-five years later, Alcorn State is known for its agricultural studies, its landmark chapel, and its sports teams. "The Reservation" is no longer considered a politically correct nickname, so the campus is referred to as "The Academic Resort." The basketball gym was renamed Whitney Complex, and the SWAC now has an automatic bid into the 64-team NCAA field.
The old Alcorn State players still follow their team, which last played in the NCAAs in 2002, but nothing has matched that perfect season.
"I'll never forget getting on that plane to play Indiana," said Horton. "It was amazing. We put on our good stuff. We made sure we were presentable."
"We had a group of guys who loved to play ball," Larry Smith said. "That's a rarity these days. We played together, hung together, won together."
Bird said he wishes he had known about Alcorn State back in 1979. He gave little thought to his team's own streak of 33 straight wins at the time, but can look back and see it as one of the great thrills of his life.
"Thirty-three wins in a row? Come on, that's awesome," he said. "And 27 wins in a row, I don't care who they played, that proves they belonged."
Your fellow undefeated collegians from 1979 couldn't agree more.
? Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
