After serving in the U.S. Army in WWII Bob Lavoy began his career on the Hill in 1948 and went on to earn All-American honors in 1949 and 1950. Lavoy played for three Topper squads which compiled a 78-12 record and captured a Kentucky Intercollegiate Conference title as well as a pair of Ohio Valley Conference championships in that league’s first two years of existence.

Three three teams Lavoy played on competed in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in Madison Square Garden and when he left Hill, Lavoy owned five school records and was just the second roundball player at the time to score 1,000 points.

He ranks 34th among Hilltopper all-time career scoring leaders today and his 671 single-season points for the 1949-50 squad is the seventh highest single season total in the WKU record books.

He was a member of the first two All-OVC squads and played professionally with the Indianapolis Olympians, the Milwaukee Hawks and the Syracuse Nationals. He served as head basketball coach at the University of Tampa for eight seasons and is also a member of the Illinois Athletic Hall of Fame and the Aurora (Ill.) East High School Hall of Fame.

Bobby Rascoe came to the Hill from Daviess County High School and earned a reputation in the college basketball world as one of the fiercest competitors in the game.

An All-America selection by both Converse and the Helms Foundation as a senior, he has since been honored with membership in the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame and on the All-Time Ohio Valley Conference Team (selected in 1988).

He was an all-OVC pick in both 1961 and 1962 and was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1961 Sugar Bowl Tournament.

At the time he graduated, he ranked as Western’s career scoring leader among athletes limited to three years of varsity play with 1,670 points and now almost fifty years later he is still the tenth all-time leading scorer in WKU history. He remains one of only four Hilltoppers ever to average 20-or-more points (20.9) for his entire varsity career.

The three Topper teams he played on won 69.1 % of their games, winning 56 games while losing only 25.

Following graduation, Rascoe played for several seasons with the Phillips 66ers before joining the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association in 1967. After three seasons with the Colonels, he retired from professional ball and returned to Bowling Green in 1970.

From 1974-78 he served as an assistant coach on the Hilltopper basketball staff under head coach Jim Richards.

Carlyle Towery was the first Hilltopper athlete ever to earn All-America honors on more than one occasion. Towery was selected as a Chuck Taylor Basketball All-American after both his junior and senior seasons.

The three Western varsity teams he played on won 68 games and lost only 13. The Toppers were also champions of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament during those three seasons as well as champions of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament in 1939 and 1940.

The 200-pound Towery was a member of Western’s first team to play in NCAA tournament action. He played center when Western faced Duquesne in 1940. The Toppers lost that game 30-29 with Towery suffering from an injured foot and missing much of the action.

Towery was especially known around Western for his jumping ability. He was one of the few basketball players in the early 1940′s capable of dunking of the ball. He was also one of the first players in the South to start shooting the jump shot, but his was something unusual. Former Hilltopper assistant coach Ted Hornback once stated, “Towery had the craziest way of shooting. He would jump straight up in the air, turn completely around, and shoot a two-handed shot from above his head, all in one motion. He was one of the greatest competitors and most dedicated players that Mr. Diddle and I ever coached.”

Three times he was named All-KIAC and Towery went on to play professional basketball for eight seasons with the Ft. Wayne Pistons (1942-45 and ’47-49), the Indianapolis Jets (’49) and the Baltimore Bullets (’50).

After sitting out his first year on the Hill Chris Marcus emerged on the scene in the 1999-00 season as a redshirt freshman by averaging 11.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and being named Sun Belt Defender of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. An impressive feat considering that Marcus had only played one year of high school basketball prior to arriving at WKU.

As a sophomore, Marcus’ improvement was even more remarkable as he led the nation in rebounding at 12.1 per game while also leading the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game. His dominant play carried the Toppers to a 24-7 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

As a junior Marcus again led the Toppers in scoring and rebounding at 15.9 and 8.9 respectively. However, a foot injury caused him to miss several games and hampered his effectiveness upon his return late in the season. Even so, the Hilltoppers recorded an impressive 28-4 record while advancing to their second straight NCAA Tournament.

Marcus returned for his senior season in 2002 but the lingering effects of his foot injury eventually led to his leaving the team prior to the end of the season. Once considered an almost sure NBA lottery pick Marcus’ injury essentially ended a once promising professional career.

In essentially a little over two years of playing time Marcus scored 1,113 points to rank 33rd all-time at WKU while also setting what was then the all-time blocked shot record by swatting away 214 shots.

In the first-ever matchup in history between WKU and UK, 7′ 0″ All-American Jim McDaniels and the 7th-ranked Hilltoppers completely dismantled the 8th-ranked Wildcats handing uk their worst loss ever in NCAA Tournament history.

The speed and quickness advantage of WKU was evident from the start as the Hilltoppers ran circles around the much slower Kentucky players.

McDaniels was dominant inside and out as the Scottsville, Ky. native poured in 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor and 11-of-11 from the free throw line. He also ripped down 11 rebounds in the game.

The Hilltoppers only trailed once in the game at 2-1 and led by as much as 24 points at 71-47.

In one of the greatest team perofrmances in WKU history, Hilltopper legend Dwight Smith played one of the finest games of his career. In a first round matchup with 4th-ranked Loyola (Ill.) at Kent, Ohio, the Hilltoppers played with a chip on their shoulders.

Unranked with a record of 23-2 coming into the game, Western completely outclassed the Ramblers and beat them at their own game of speed and quickness.

Smith scored a game-high 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. Probably the best defender in WKU history, Smith’s defensive prowess against the Loyola guards was another key factor in the Hilltoppers’ thrashing of the Ramblers.

Coming off the emotional high of defeating Kentucky two days earlier, the Hilltoppers next faced Big Ten Champion Ohio State for the right to advance to the NCAA Final Four in Houston, Tx.

Ohio State shot nearly 67% in the first half and led by as much as 13 points at 36-23 before the Toppers managed to cut the deficit to 40-34 at the break.

Long range shooting by McDaniels and the WKU guard combination of Jim Rose and Rex Bailey allowed the Toppers to get back in the game in the second half.

A corner basket by Bailey with just ten seconds to play in regulation gave Western a 69-all tie and forced the overtime period where the Hilltoppers outscored the Buckeyes 12-9 to earn the hard-fought victory.

McDaniels stated in an interview with HH, “They scouted us real well and they knew our plays. They just played some tough basketball. Ohio State was a very tough team, very tough, very good team. But there again, we just refused to be denied. I think our team had the will to win that was incredible. That’s what it takes. You just have to have a certain will to win, to not be denied. no matter whether you win or lose. Our team was the kind of team, whether you beat us or you didn’t beat us, you didn’t want any more part of us, because we really came to play. We pulled that jersey on that said, “WESTERN KENTUCKY” on it and we came to play, EVERY night.”

In a wild first-round NCAA Tournament matchup versus 14th-ranked Drake that saw 70 three-point field goal attempts and 30 made three-point attempts (both NCAA records) senior Hilltopper point guard Tyrone Brazelton led all scorers with 33 points while delivering big shot after big shot for WKU.

Brazelton hit 6-of-10 from beyond the arc and overall was 11-of-20 from the floor while adding five rebounds and five assists for the Toppers. Despite all of his offensive prowess it was Brazelton’s unselfishness that led to his most memorable play in the game. Trailing 99-98 with 5.7 seconds left in overtime, Tyrone raced the ball downcourt in a play that was designed for him to take the ball to the rim but as he crossed halfcourt he spotted fellow senior Ty Rogers open on the right wing. Brazelton kicked the ball to Rogers who drilled a 26-foot desperation shot at the buzzer giving WKU  a heart-stopping 101-99 victory.

“I can’t give Tyrone enough credit for what he did,” said Rogers. “We pretty much wanted the ball to be in his hands to make the last play, but I told him before we threw the ball in, ‘Don’t be afraid to kick it out.’  He did a great job of finding me.”

Hilltopper Memories From The Glory Days

By: John Oldham, Jr.

I can still remember the first time I set foot in Diddle Arena when my father, Coach John Oldham, took over the reins from the Diddle legend back in the early 60’s. It was an awe-inspiring and cavernous building to me. Heck, I was just about 12 years old, and this was the biggest basketball arena I had ever seen. I had heard about it, but never visited it in person, and it was impressive and even then you could hear the echos vibrate around you from the main court in while it was empty, I could only imagine what it would be like with 11,000 or more fans cheering and screaming. Very cool indeed! I realized I was now a Hilltopper, and had no idea what that meant, much less what a Hilltopper was, I had spent most of my youth in Cookeville, Tennessee, where my father had coached at Tennessee Tech. I knew even then that Diddle Arena was something special, and that Western was big-time, and there I was standing alone, center-court, yelling and listening to the echos and only imagining what was to come.

My first real great memory of the early 60’s teams that my father coached was the Clem Haskins-era teams. As a young kid, I got a full pass to run around and explore Diddle Arena during practices, I found every little nook and hiding place that there was in there. I got to run free in the dressing rooms, shot ball with the players at times, got kidded a lot from them and just ate it all up. And the actual games were something, the large crowds, the winning, the cheering, it was something else, and I would always go to the locker rooms after the game to see the players and just soak the whole atmosphere in. Yes, it was nice indeed to be the coach’s son during that time.

The best fun was the road trips, from time to time I would travel with the team – by bus to the OVC games and by air on longer trips. I would get to sit on the bench, way, way down at the end or right behind the bench, out of the way of course. And man, did I learn some new language at those OVC away games – the Murray and Eastern games were always the nastiest crowds, they were unmerciful with what they yelled, taunted and did. I was always surprised at my dad’s patience and calmness in those packed gyms in the OVC. He often told me that they were just jealous of Western’s success and this was their biggest game, and they measured their own success against how they did against Western. He said facing adversity in a storm strengthens your character and if you remain focused and are prepared, it can only bring you success.

His teams during that time I think often fed off Coaches’ calmness and confidence. He never got rattled it seemed, and always spoke calm and smooth in the huddles. Even when we were behind or maybe getting bad calls, he would call a timeout and just calmly tell the team to focus, persevere and play together as a team. Must’ve worked, don’t know how many times they would just come back on the court and change the game and usually win.

The Clem Haskin’s team was something special, they were a truly a “band of brothers” – black and white, didn’t matter, they lived together, played together and hung out together. My real memories are of Clem, Greg and Dwight Smith. They were the leaders on that team. Clem was always serious, but had a light hearted side to him, I remember him shooting, shooting and shooting all the time at practice, before and after. Greg was the funny one on the team, he had a smile that was contagious, and he kept everyone loose and relaxed. Dwight just worked and worked, he loved to play defense more than anything. I can’t remember the game, but Dwight stole the ball three straight times from this guard on the opposing team every time he crossed mid-court, and their coach yelled something out at this guard and the guard yelled back – “Coach he knows where I’m going before I do” – and that was Dwight, he had such tremendous natural instincts, and quick feet, and those long arms and big hands. He was a demon on defense.

Clem, well what can you say about him that you haven’t heard – his shot was smooooooth baby, he would come down and just rise up over the top of his defensive player and release at the very apex of his jump and poof! right through the net, but sometimes he would rise up to shoot and everyone on defense would turn around for the rebound (which were few) and he would just flick his wrist and pass it down under the basket to a teammate for an easy shoot.

Greg, was a bit of everything, great defense, solid offense, he just made the team run on all cylinders it seemed, sort of the glue that held everyone together, and of course, his light-hearted style and personality kept everyone loose during pre-game and timeouts. There were a lot of role players, and I can’t think of everyone, so I apologize for not naming others. But they were “brothers” in every sense.

During their junior and senior years, they truly were one of the top 10 teams in the nation. I still think we could’ve or should’ve won two national championships during that time. First, the “worst call in history” happened during the NCAA semi’s against Michigan and Cazzie Russell. I’m sure everyone has heard about it. Honzo, still remember that bum, made that historical bad call. If not, WKU wins plays Kentucky and most likely set up to play Texas Western for title later on. Then their senior year, Clem gets his legs cut out from under him at a Diddle game against Murray (still believe its was cheap shot). Breaks his arm… man, another bad break for Toppers. But, I remember him playing in a cast the rest of the season. The Dayton NCAA game that year, I think Clem came in at half time, Toppers were down a few points, and he tears off his cast and they just wrap tape around it for second half, think he came out on fire, but Tops lost by just a few to end their season and I believe Dayton went on to finish 2nd maybe that year. Both of those years, Tops could’ve won it all.

I often think of if they had the 3-point line during that time, phew, Clem would’ve averaged 40 points a game easily. He never really worried about points, just wins and keep the team play going. He was so unselfish, so many times he passed up easy little 12 to 15 foot jumpers to hit a wide open teammate.

I remember that during those junior and senior seasons, Coach would have the team over to our house for a pre-game meal. We would all hang out downstairs in our basement, shooting pool, ping-pong, whatever… they would just relax and have fun. Coach wanted to get them out of the main stream pressure of being nationally ranked, reporters calling them, friends and family bugging them sometimes. They would just relax, have fun together, eat and horse around before home games. Then they would all get in their cars and drive to Diddle a few hours before the game.

Something else most people aren’t aware of during this time was the racial climate in the country, it was still pretty tough on the African American man and woman. I didn’t truly realize the prejudice out there, as I just looked at both black and white as basketball players, good guys and my idols. But, one road trip that I traveled on with the team, we were coming back from an OVC game and stopped at a little diner and the team all walked in to eat a post-game meal, and the manager said he didn’t serve “blacks”. My dad just gave him a stare I still remember, first time I had ever seen him really get upset. The manager saw it too, and said something like “oh, we’ll serve the white boys, and you can take out some meals to those black boys they can eat on your bus”. Coach just didn’t even blink, told the boys we’re leaving and if we can’t eat together as a team we’ll find someplace else. Turned around and the boys had already walked out to the bus and didn’t even hear Coach say that.

That’s the way there were, brothers, teammates, all in it together. Truly opened my eyes to the real world at that time, and the ignorant scumbags out there. Even at away games in the OVC and down south, there were racial slurs and taunting from the fans before and after games, even a few choice words written on the team bus after the game. Coach just kept the team together and I remember one time he asked one of the players “Joe, look over there at Greg, is he black?” and Joe just replied “Black, naw Coach he’s just a ball player and my teammate and friend”. Cool stuff during some weird turbulent times in the south in the mid-60’s.

Of course, I still remember the day that Dwight and his sister were killed in a car wreck after his senior season and after he had been drafted to the pros. We were at home, and dad got a phone call, he just stood their motionless, and I saw tears start running down his cheeks – it was the first time I had seen my father cry. He hung the phone up and turned around and said Dwight had been killed and walked outside. He still doesn’t like to talk about it much, and told me that Dwight was one of the finest young men he had ever coached, said he would have been a tremendous pro ballplayer, that he would be have been the new prototype big guard. Still makes me sad, Dwight was a great human being.

Okay, next time I’ll talk about the Big Mac era team and memories…