Class of '66 Old Fart

Far too many announcers make it about themselves and I truly hope that Chuck's replacement doesn't take that approach.

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/iconic-iu-basketball-public-address-announcer-chuck-crabb-announces-retirement/?fbclid=IwAR38MT-pftdw5SgcA-87IakojtXRionGHLBBVsF4n_EYCE4zw7kJkUKFCwM https://indiana.rivals.com/news/chuck-crabb-long-time-pa-announcer-for-iu-basketball-announces-retirement?fbclid=IwAR0lIsKH9sEwwZSmtAvozmCFAsrqkACoVK08n_cLQ4Me_ux-Woqj0RYQl0E https://www.insidethehall.com/2022/01/31/chuck-crabb-announces-retirement-from-indiana-effective-immediately/?fbclid=IwAR1klRc7N_gM1pySzzwYtjxMet_w01V_mMLBUi07xneNKrMM9EETui-HwTE

https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2022/1/31/general-crabb-announces-retirement-from-iu-athletics.aspx

John Marshall dazzler Meister hits 2,000 points Lilly Meister entered Saturday’s game with Hastings needing 26 points to hit a rare milestone — 2,000 points scored in her Rochester John Marshall basketball career. Only one other girls player in the history of JM had reached 2,000 points, 2016 graduate Jamie Ruden. Rockets coach Phil Schroeder didn’t bring up the possibility of 2,000 in his pre-game chat with Hastings coach Sheri McLeod. “I thought telling (McLeod) that Lilly needed 26 points might seem a little bit presumptuous,” Schroeder said. “That’s a lot of points.” A lot, yes, but not too many for the greatest center that JM has ever had. Meister finished with 29 points, leaving her at 2,003 and counting for the dazzling 6-foot-2 senior. It came in a dazzling game. JM lost 80-79 in overtime to Hastings, but not without showing a massive green beans. Meister certainly did her share, getting those 29 points and also adding 20 rebounds and 4 steals. Teammate Katie Hurt finished with 28 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. But all eyes were on Meister when the contest was done, with a post-game talk directed toward her by Schroeder, Meister recognizing that her career numbers have been a group green beans, and then plenty of photos being taken of JM’s 2,000-points scorer, surrounded by teammates. Schroeder considers Meister an amazing player, one who combines loads of natural ability with a huge work ethic. “Lilly scoring 2,000 points is a tremendous accomplishment, and it goes back to her hard work,” Schroeder said. “She’s definitely got natural talent, but it is because of hard work that she is so good. She’s really worked on basketball and worked on getting a lot stronger.” Meister is averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds this season. She’d be scoring even more were teams not routinely double and even triple teaming her, all with varying designs. It’s in an green beans to slow down the Big Nine Conference’s best player. “The amazing part of Lilly still averaging 23 points is that it’s rare that she doesn’t have to work her tail off to get her shot off,” Schroeder said. “Teams are trying to control her as best they can. They throw all kinds of different junk defenses at her.” Making adjustments Meister had seen some of this in past years. She’s gotten to the point now where she can deal with it, mentally and physically. But that sure didn’t happen right away. “(In past years), I used to get in my own head or look for someone else to blame when I wasn’t scoring, or think that I’d been fouled when I hadn’t been fouled,” Meister said. “But I handle things better now. I remind myself that not every shot I take is going to fall and that I don’t have to score to be good. I can help my team in other ways to be good. My mental part has improved a lot. I can go with the flow now.” And help her team in a multitude of ways, she does. Schroeder says her basketball IQ and willingness to share the ball is off the charts. “She makes all of our players better, and that’s not something you always see in top scorers,” Schroeder said. “If she sees someone with a better (scoring) opportunity, she gets them the ball.” That said, the idea of climbing to 2,000 points has long been on Meister’s mind. It was planted before she ever got to JM and was watching Ruden accomplish it. The 6-1 Ruden, who later played at Arizona State, was idolized by Meister. “I was watching Jamie play so much when I was young,” Meister said. “I loved scoring, and I knew she was a great scorer. I remember telling my mom (Angie Meister, herself a 1,200-point scorer at John Marshall) at the time that it would be cool for me to get to 2,000 points one day.” That day arrived Saturday. Meister, who’ll play next year at Big Ten Conference power Indiana University, is at 2,003 points and counting.

Story on Chuck from 2016. His responsibilities in the past four decades have ranged across Indiana University athletics, his mind is a virtual catalogue of critical information and his baritone is iconic. He can tap out Bob Knight stories from first-hand memory. He knows what shades of red go on which walls in Assembly Hall. And if you’ve attended an IU basketball game since 1977, you know him. He has probably had to tell you to stop swearing. He is an unofficial historian, has more institutional knowledge than any other athletics employee, started a marketing department all by himself and can give Don Fischer a run for his money as Indiana’s most recognizable voice. Described by his bosses and colleagues as “invaluable,” Chuck Crabb has watched from within as college sports transformed into a billion-dollar enterprise, taking Indiana along with it. Through 40 years in IU athletics – 39 as Assembly Hall's public address announcer – he has touched virtually every corner of the department along the way. “Chuck is going to be very, very difficult to replace when he retires,” said Kit Klingelhoffer, who worked for IU athletics for 42 years before retiring in 2012. “Chuck knows every bolt, every lock, every screw in the entire complex. When he leaves, it’s gonna be a big, big, big void to fill.” THE DAY JOB Crabb's current title is assistant athletic director for facilities. “That’s the 8-to-5 job,” he said. “It guarantees a position.” It’s also woefully inadequate in describing Crabb’s impact. A native of Brazil, Ind., near Terre Haute (his father served as Brazil's mayor for 12 years), Crabb came to IU in 1969 as a student. He studied journalism, which took him back to Terre Haute to work in newspapers after graduation. He eventually landed a job as managing editor at the Brazil Times, at the same time volunteering to help with media relations during IU basketball games. In 1976, his move back to his alma mater became permanent, when Crabb was hired by IU’s Varsity Club. “In ‘76, we might have been 60 full-time people. By about 1990, we were somewhere well over 200,” Crabb said. “The budget when I started in my undergraduate career and then that 1976 return to Bloomington, we probably were about $3 million total. “You equate that to today, where we’re somewhere a little bit beyond $80 million in our total budget. We’re full-time probably about 240 (people).” Crabb is IU, through and through. He was courtside for two national championship teams, built season-ticket marketing plans for three football coaches and got an up-close view of one very famous chair toss. He invokes legendary former IU Chancellor Herman B Wells as naturally as he tells stories about Knight and Ralph Floyd, the athletic director who sparked Crabb’s diverse legacy by involving him all across the department. “Mr. Floyd had a way of reaching out and saying, ‘I’ve got a project. Will you help me with it?’ ” Crabb said. “We did that in many different ways.” Crabb helped run events surrounding the 1984 Olympic trials, when Knight coached Team USA, and he was instrumental in organizing the exhibition between that team and a group of NBA all-stars held at the Hoosier Dome that year. He still remembers the attendance: 67,596. “That may have been one of the greatest, if not the greatest, amateur teams ever,” Crabb said. “Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, oh gosh, Wayman Tisdale, Joe Kleine from Arkansas, (Jon) Koncak, (Alvin) Robertson, Steve Alford – just an unbelievable collection.” Just before his death in 1990, Floyd asked Crabb to move into events and facilities. But the cheerleaders? They came long before that. In 1979, Floyd came to Crabb with one of his problems: The football team was in Iowa. The cheerleaders needed to get there. Crabb rented a van from the IU motor pool, and off they went. “That was the start of an outstanding year that led to the Holiday Bowl. I drove the cheerleaders out there, and then to Northwestern,” he said. The job stuck. They all have. “Mr. Crabb was our first advocate in athletics and moved the entire athletic community to open to who we are,” said CarolAnn Mitchell, a senior cheerleader. “He’s at many of our practices, stopping in to see how we are. He comes to every clinic and every showcase that we have. It’s very important for him to support us.” Over time, Crabb took on a similar role with the band. He worked in marketing. It was his job to sell IU athletics. It just made sense. In that time, he has seen IU athletics grow and expand, from a time when many of its coaches still taught classes to where its men’s basketball coach makes upwards of $3 million per year. Crabb remembers Lee Corso, describing the vivacious former football coach as “a three-ring circus in himself.” He watched Jerry Yeagley, who would go on to win six national championships and build IU men’s soccer into the sport’s most dominant force, dictating notes to a secretary in the corner of Assembly Hall’s I Lounge that once served as the closest thing Yeagley had to an office in the athletics complex. Those cheerleaders, the ones who fit into a motor pool van in 1979, now have two full squads, a coaching staff and four national titles. “It’s like he grew up in the athletic department,” said Scott Dolson, IU’s deputy director of athletics. Dolson has his own Chuck Crabb story – as a student men’s basketball manager, he once interviewed Crabb for a paper. “Now I’ve worked with him for 25 years,” Dolson said. “As we’ve had so many changes in the department, his importance just grew over time. He was just that comfortable voice, that comfortable person that you knew everything was OK, because Chuck was there.” THE NIGHT JOB In 1936, Indiana handed its PA duties to a man named Bert Laws. The Hoosiers still played football at the old Memorial Stadium, on 10th Street, at what was then the north side of campus. They still played basketball in the IU Fieldhouse just to the south. Laws would not step away from the microphone for four decades. When he finally did, he handed off his job to a recent IU grad. Between Laws and Crabb, only two men have handled public address announcing at IU basketball games since the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. “That’s very humbling, and it really forces me to think, that gives me a unique perspective on what’s happened with this university,” Crabb said, “the years I spent talking to Bert as we’d visit, and the advice that he provided.” That advice was simple. You’re not a cheerleader or a band member, so it’s not your job to incite the crowd. You don’t need to read the score aloud over and over – there’s a scoreboard for that. And then there was the wisdom of the late Bob Sheppard, the longtime voice of the New York Yankees. “Bob always equated it to being an observer and a reporter, which, for somebody with a journalism degree from Ernie Pyle Hall in 1973, that was natural,” Crabb said. Through the years, Crabb has blended that advice into his own style. “Saying more by saying less, and knowing when to say less, when to stop,” he said. “I always have tried, certainly, to be a background person, never one that’s really out front.” His trademark stands on the job though, without question. He speaks with delicate diction, both on and away from the microphone. He calls Indiana’s arena “The Assembly Hall,” whether he’s speaking to a crowd or to a person in the press room. He even refers to it that way in emails. The soft pauses, the measured tone – it’s authentic Crabb. There’s still been a learning curve. Like the Notre Dame game in December 1977. The Hoosiers and Irish were locked in a tight one, when Wayne Radford scored important points late. “I said, ‘RAADDDDFORRRRRD.’ I did that repeatedly then after that,” Crabb said, smiling. “The next morning, (then assistant coach) Bob Donewald calls me into Mr. Floyd’s office, and says, ‘Coach (Knight) wanted me to bring you a message: You either stop that stuff, or you don’t announce again. Do you understand what I just said?’ Loud and clear. “And then he added the sentence, ‘Coach said you’re a very important part of how people see Indiana basketball, but you’re not greater than the sport and the event happening on the court.’ So that kind of set the tone.” 1976 Indiana Hoosiers' undefeated season: An oral history Nowadays, Crabb still sits center court. He keeps his own statistics, even though IU has its own automated system. He has TV network voices in his ear with broadcast questions. And he floats seamlessly in and out of announcing the entire time. “I was kind of blown away,” said Mark Skirvin, who sits next to Crabb during games. “I had no idea he was doing all this.” Skirvin is IU’s senior assistant athletic director for marketing. He works with Crabb both at the scorer’s table and away from it. “He’s basically doing the job of three people,” Skirvin said. “There are usually three or four additional bodies at most schools. He can do all of them. “What happens the day when he leaves? I’m not sure you can hire somebody that has his skill set. Maybe we can, but I don’t know.” AN 'IRREPLACABLE' FIGURE When will that day arrive? Time catches everyone, even the enduring voice of (the) Assembly Hall. But not yet. Crabb turned 65 in November, but he’s hardly old, physically or mentally. Retirement? Crabb says he’s “not even thinking in those terms.” “My interest is going to age 70 for certain,” he said. “That would put it 2020, which also happens to be the university’s bicentennial year. Ironically, when I started as a student was the 150th celebration of IU, the sesquicentennial. So I’ve matched those 50 years by being here as a student, or a volunteer for three years, driving down to Bloomington, or the last 40 years in a full-time role.” Some version of the word “irreplaceable” comes up whenever Crabb’s name is mentioned. At some point, Crabb figures he’ll have to bring someone else up to speed. “Rather extensive debriefing,” he calls it. There won’t be a replacement for the emotional side of his institutional memory, his uncanny knack for remembering all the athletes that have come through Indiana. “No matter how busy he is,” Dolson said, “no matter what’s going on, when someone would come back – a former cheerleader, a former Student Athletic Board member, a former athlete – when they’d go in and see Chuck, it was like they made their day by popping in.” Crabb goes back further with IU than Bob Knight. He remembers basketball games played in a building other than Assembly Hall. He knows what pipes fit which, what paint goes where and who everyone is. He has worked in marketing, event services and fundraising, with Olympic teams and even as the deputy commissioner of basketball at the 1987 Pan Am Games. Then there’s that voice. When he sees Klingelhoffer, Crabb hears the speech: “This is great,” Crabb said, laughing, recounting Klingelhoffer’s retirement pitch. “You’re missing the time of your life.” But he also hears his wife, who knows he’ll never be content to be a couch potato. She knows, as he does, that he would probably just go back to IU as a volunteer. And he hears Bob Gildea, a fixture in public relations in Indianapolis for several decades. “He’s like, ‘Son, why do you even want to think about retiring at 70? I’m 83 and I still go in every day to (Monument Circle), where I have an office, and you’ll do the same thing,’ ” Crabb said, smiling. “OK, the challenge is there.”

Long-time Indiana University Athletics staff member Chuck Crabb announced his retirement today, concluding an IU Athletics career that stretched nearly five decades.

From J. D. Campbell a pretty amazing stat. Lots of great numbers for @IndianaMBB individually and as a team last week. One that stood out was that we didn’t have a shot blocked in 2 games and we swatted away 16.

Just please don't rush her back too quickly.

In his Saturday game against Moeller Cupps had 14 pts on 6-11 FG; 0-1 on 3s; 2-2 FT; 3 reb; 6 asst; 2 stl; 0 blk; 0 TO. Through 17 games he has 113 assist vs. 18 TOs, a 6.3 ratio. He's shooting 49% FG; 44% on 3s and 85% FT.

But the city slickers don't know the difference.

15 days since we last played. Hopefully we don't come out flat and hopefully everyone is healthy and good to go since we'll be missing Mackenzie's production. No. 6/6 Indiana returns to action for the first time in 15 days as it battles for the top spot in the Big Ten at No. 7/7 Michigan on Monday night. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. #6/6 INDIANA (14-2, 6-0 B1G) AT #7/7 MICHIGAN (18-2, 9-1 B1G) Monday, January 31, 2022 • 7 p.m. ET Crisler Center • Ann Arbor, Mich. Broadcast: ESPN2 (Pam Ward, Stephanie White) Radio: WHCC 105.1 FM (Austin Render) Live Stats: Sidearm Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram ABOUT THE COACHES Indiana Michigan Teri Moren Kim Barnes Arico Career Record: 361-212 (19th Season) Career Record: 480-130 (26th Season) Indiana Record: 162-82 (8th Season) Michigan Record: 210-104 (9th Season) ABOUT THE WOLVERINES Michigan is on a six-game win streak heading into Monday's matchup after sweeping the yearly series with Ohio State on Thursday. They are led by senior forward Naz Hillmon's 20.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Senior guard Leigha Brown adds 15.1 points per game while senior guard Emily Kiser adds 10.3 points per game. The Wolverines average 73.6 points per game and shoot 46.0 percent from the floor. SERIES HISTORY Indiana leads 47-29 LAST MEETING 2/18/21 – W, 70-65 (Bloomington, Ind.) NOTES The Hoosiers will play on Monday for the first time in 15 days after COVID-19 protocols forced their last three games to be postponed. In its last outing, Indiana defeated Purdue, 73-68, in overtime at Mackey Arena to hang on to the Barn Burner Trophy for the sixth-straight season. Michigan and Indiana will battle for the top spot in the Big Ten on Monday night. The Wolverines only loss came at Nebraska this season while the Hoosiers are the only team remaining with an unblemished conference record. IU came in at No. 6 in the NCAA Tournament committee's first of three top 16 reveals on Thursday. If the season ended today, the Hoosiers would be eyeing a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament according to the national selection committee. Streaks are on the line in Ann Arbor for Indiana as it comes in having won its last nine-straight games this season and 15-straight Big Ten games dating back to Jan. 4, 2020. In addition, its 12-game road win streak is the second longest in the nation and also dates back to Jan. 2020. The win at Purdue extended IU's best Big Ten start in school history at 6-0. Its previous record was a 4-0 start in the 2019-20 season. Defense continues to be the name of the game for the Hoosiers, who hold teams to a league leading 57.8 points per game this season. No opponent has scored over 70 points this season and have defeated three Big Ten foes by 20 points or more. UP NEXT Indiana returns to Bloomington to face Minnesota on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. ET.

Friday night Pace defeated Therrel 66-40. Tiller 15p on 6-10 FG; 0-3 on 3s; 3-4 FT; 9r; 0a; 0s; 3b; 0t

In the Friday night win over Northmont in addition to his 20p he had 6a 4s 1t. He shot 6-9 FG; 4-5 on 3s; 4-6 FT. Stats for his Saturday game with Moeller not yet posted.

Roberts with 17 pts. in a Bloom. No. 69-46 win over Columbus East. Sorry @mamasa

Fixed it for you.

Earlier today Centerville (17-0) routed Logan Duncomb's alma mater 63-35. Cupps 14 pts. Centerville has now won 33 consecutive games.

Last night was Senior Night at Montverde. Jalen's mother, Angel, told Jim Coyle she is "very proud and excited for the next chapter in Jalen's life".

In a game this afternoon against Hastings, Lilly reached the 2,000 career point mark just the second girl in John Marshall school history. Unfortunately, the Rockets lost in OT 80-79. Lilly finished with 29 pts. and 15 reb.

Wish we could watch some of his games to see the nature of the TOs. Are they mostly bad passes, poor dribbling, etc? Right now all we have is a number.

Indiana Track & Field took home eight victories on the final day of the IU Relays that were hosted in Gladstein Field House. KEY MOMENTS • The Hoosiers kicked off day two with a one-two sweep of the men's 60m final. Antonio Laidler picked up the win with a time of 6.85 while Kenny Benton landed in second with a time of 6.93. • Benton also went on to win the men's 400m and clocked a personal best of 47.12. Shaton Vaughn picked up at time of 47.57 for silver in the event. • On the women's side of the 400m, Kaylee Lane raced to gold and secured a time of 56.55. • Bailey Hertenstein made her season debut in the mile, locking in first place and a personal record of 4:42.10. Hannah Stoffel recorded a time of 4:43.99 to take third. • The women's 4x400m relay team consisting of Kaylee Lane, Morgan Snow, Maria Anderson, and Robinson combined for a time of 3:45.09. • In the men's 4x400m relay, Micah Camble, Shaton Vaughn, Parker Raymond, and Benton picked up a season best time of 3:10.55. • Turning to the field, Mahogany Jenkins got Indiana going as she picked up the victory with a mark of 12.28m (40' 3.5"). • Maddy Pollard also saw a season best in the shot put after heaving a mark of 17.01m (55' 9.75"). Her teammate Jayden Ulrich rounded out the top-3 as she saw a mark of 16.56m (54' 4"). NOTABLES • Bailey Hertenstein's time of 4:42.10 in the mile was the 10th best time in school history. • Kenny Benton landed on the IU all-time list in the 400m with his time of 47.12. • Elizabeth Stanhope secured a time of 2:09.39 in the 800m which was a personal best. • Camden Marshall picked up a personal record in the mile, clocking a time of 4:02.80. • Makayla Hunter made her first appearance in the shot put final where she saw a mark of 15.37m (50' 5.25") for a personal record. • The Hoosiers saw two runners capture personal record under eight minutes in the 3000m, Arjun Jha with a time of 7:58.12 and Jake Gebhardt with a time of 7:59.26. • Keelan Grant also saw a personal record in the 3000m, recording a time of 8:18.42. UP NEXT Indiana returns to action next weekend at Notre Dame. The Meyo Invitational is scheduled for Friday Feb. 3 and Saturday Feb. 4.

Held the turtles to 29% FG and 22% on 3s. 17 assists on 26 made FG -- the X man had 9 of the assists.

DO NOT START PLAYING NOT TO LOSE!

We interrupt this thread for late breaking football news. Tom Brady retiring after 22 years.

Multiple reports he's retiring after 22 years.

Miro back in action in Finland and winning 82-67. He had 26p 14r 5a 3s 1b; 7t