A Tooth Away

Wahoo freshman point guard Josh Kasischke walked to the bench with a bloody mouth and a tooth in his hand.  It was the first round of the 1997 Class C1-5 Sub-District Tournament.  The season had been billed as a rebuilding year for the Warriors.  With no returning starters and only one player with significant playing experience it was generally believed that the Wahoo dynasty was coming to an end.  But when you checked the scoreboard, it showed that with just over five minutes to go in the game, Wahoo was ahead 47 – 43.

If Coach Watton, or the Wahoo fans for that matter, had been presented with that scenario at the start of the season, there might have been two reactions.  First of all, Kasischke’s departure might not have been seen as that significant.  After all, Kasischke was a freshman, and Wahoo certainly had players to fill the position.  Secondly, it was just the first round of the tournament.  Certainly, Wahoo would have had a chance to at least get past the first round.  The reality was that Kasischke’s play had risen to a level not expected of your typical freshman.  He had started from game one of the season and had a solid stat line, averaging 7 points per game and 4 assists.  Although this was the first game of the tournament, the opponent was more than a challenge.  The Elkhorn Mount Michael Knights were the top seed in the district and ranked #2 in the state.

Wahoo’s situation with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter against Mount Michael was what the fans came to expect of the 1997 team.  In a word, it was “surprising.”  A team with so little experience stepped up to compete with some of the top teams in Class B and C1.  A team that was expected to be average, won two-thirds of its games.  A team that was expected at best to be a contender brought home an 11th consecutive Capitol Conference Tournament championship.  And if they could hold on for five more minutes, they very well might make it to an 11th consecutive state tournament.  That would truly be “surprising.”