HERE`S A HEADLINE guaranteed to quicken the pulse rate of Chicago State administrators: ”Cougar cagers get police escort out of town.”
The headline never materialized because the prearranged escort wasn`t needed. But it was all set at one tricky juncture in Chicago State`s season, which has been more like a Gray Line Tour.
”We were in Hammond (Louisiana) playing Southeastern, and we had to get from the gymnasium to the airport in time to catch the last plane out for Chicago or we were in big trouble,” said Cougar coach Bob Hallberg.
”They`d already changed the game`s tipoff about five times, but fortunately everything ended in plenty of time. We just needed an assistant coach to drive us to the city limits and point the way.”
THE COUGARS couldn`t be blamed for wanting to leave Louisiana in a hurry. They played three games in as many days in the Bayou State in late December and were anxious to return to Chicago for that rarest of experiences this season: a home game, which they won to make it three out of four during the busy stretch.
This is Chicago State`s first year in NCAA Division I, and the South Side school is paying its dues with a schedule of 18 road games and just 9 in its own field house. Life in the National Basketball Association isn`t this tough. ”You`re really at everyone`s mercy,” Hallberg said. ”At one point, when I was drawing up our schedule, the season was over Feb. 4. I had to do some quick calling back to coaches and beg for a few changes.”
Whether it`s from Boise, Idaho, to Carbondale in 48 hours, or Champaign to Ypsilanti, Mich., in the same amount of time, on just about any given day or night Hallberg and his Cougars can be found in some airport.
”IN DALLAS, we had a flight canceled,” said the coach. ”So we all sprinted down the hall with a lot of other passengers to the next airline counter to try and get on the last plane out. The people behind me were really ticked off when they found out I was taking 14 seats.
”It`s gotten so hectic that on one trip we landed in Chicago from Idaho just to catch a connecting flight to St. Louis. We had to wait in O`Hare for about two hours. It was all I could do to keep my players from seriously thinking about jumping into cabs and going home.”
Road-show basketball can be translated into performance, too. Hallberg refuses to make excuses, but others connected with the program believe the Cougars could be better than their respectable 6-7 record with a little more rest, a few more home games and just one starter taller than 6 feet 7 inches, the height of their center.
No one is calling foul, but in 13 games this season Chicago State has had 18 players disqualified and opponents just two. The Cougars have been whistled for 318 personals compared to their foes` 232, and they have been outscored from the free throw line 258-177.
”I THINK WE could be 10-3 with a few breaks, especially if we had some height,” said guard Darron Brittman, one half of Chicago State`s dynamic backcourt duo. ”The teams we`re playing this year compared to when we were small-college are a lot bigger and more physical.”
”In the NAIA, we could come out flat and still win,” said Charles Perry, the other guard. ”Now, we can`t do that, but we all think it`s a lot more exciting this way, even the traveling.”
Chicago State comes off a 10-day rest Tuesday against Jackson State, when it will risk its 54-game home winning streak. The Cougars play two games here in as many nights, so almost a fourth of their home schedule will disappear in 48 hours.
”I think the only person who has liked our schedule so far is my son,”
said Hallberg. ”He gets the car whenever I`m out of town. He had a great December.”
