Photo Albums

The seventh annual alumni, faculty, and staff symposium -- Wally Hoops: A Slam Dunk Symposium, was held in Hays Hall on Feb. 19, 2016. Jon Pactor '71, our resident referee, and Godfather of the Wabash alumni community according to Dr. Chris Carr, tipped off the event and moderated activities in Hays 319.

Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Dr. Richard Dallinger delivered 'The Hoops Doctor Holds Court.'

Dallinger served as the Wabash basketball official scorer for 28 seasons, saying, 'At the scorer’s table I was an actual game official. I took that very seriously. I had to turn off rooting for Wabash for 28 years. That was the hardest thing.'

Head Basketball Coach Emeritus Mac Petty H'82 delivered 'Basketball From Beginning to Now,' his first-ever PowerPoint presentation, saying, 'I've never done a PowerPoint before, but I didn't want people only staring at me.'

Petty said, 'I don't envy anyone being a referee. When I started, basketball was a finesse game and football was a contact sport. Now, basketball is a contact sport and football is a collision sport. Maybe the Warriors and Spurs are helping to change that.'

Dr. Preston Bost, Professor of Psychology, delivered 'Outside the Box(score): Building a Better Basketball Team With Modern Analytics.' He said, 'We shouldn't think of analytics as a magic wand. Analytics operates within certain constraints. Think of it as using technology to maximize your resources.'

'Analytics tries to figure out the story within the game and its predictive value. The heyday of analytics of basketball began about 10 years ago. We're still trying to figure things out. It's kind of like watching a litter of puppies...lots of energy, but all over the place.'

Mike Ricks '87 delivered ''Hoosiers' and the Cutting Room Floor.'

Ricks played a part in the award-wininng film, which was released in 1986. '“I remember that coach (Mac Petty) was so supportive. He said, ‘You go do this life experience.’ It was one of the most boring days of my life. I would have rather been playing in the red/white scrimmage,' he said.

Matt Tanney '05, Athletic Director at Western Illinois University, delivered 'Learning to 'Dance': Creating a Championship Culture in a Division I Basketball Program.' He asked, 'Why is it important to qualify for the NCAA Tournament? Not the money or exposure, but for the student-athletes and the quality of their experience.'

'It's our job to make sure the student-athletes have the resources in place to be successful after graduation. It's a process and it takes patience and perseverance.'

Tanney (left) and Joe Haklin '73 (right) share a moment with Professor Emeritus of English Tobey Herzog. Eariler in the day, Tanney called Herzog his most influential professor.

David Phillips H'83 (above), Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, and Brent Harris H'03, Sports Information Director, collaborated on 'Wabash Basket Ball: The First 30 Years.'

The Wally Hoops Symposium was held on the 119th anniversary of the first intercollegiate basketball game played in the State of Indiana, a 23-13 Wabash win over Purdue. Phillips noted, 'I consider Homer Stonebraker ’18 to be one of the greatest players at Wabash,” said Phillips. “He could shoot from anywhere.'

Wabash Athletic Director Joe Haklin '73 delivered 'Basketball as a Process: The Score Will Take Care of Itself.' He said, 'I haven't lost a game in 14 years. It's different when you are the head coach and the W/L is attached to your name.'

'Playing to your potential is an elusive goal, but a worthy one. Especially at a place like this, a liberal arts college, it is definitely worth pursuing,' said Haklin.

Petty (left) and Ray Jovanovich '84 (right) laugh with Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Executive Director Chris May.

Ray Jovanovich '84 delivered 'Asia's Love Affair...From the Late 1980s to 2016 & Beyond.' He said of his foray into broadcasting in Asia, 'I got my start at WNDY and little did I know that a few years later I'd be sitting across a dinner table with the Managing Editor at RTHK in Asia. At the time, they were expanding content in sports.'

'(Former NBA Commissioner David) Stern understood the domestic needs for the game and saw the potential for growing the game overseas. He and his team were brilliant marketers. No one has come close to what the NBA has done in China,' said Jovanovich.

Matthew Weedman (above) presented 'Man-Made Hoops: Artistic Responses To A Cultural Peenomenon' with fellow professor Annie Strader.

Strader (above) looked at the game's cultural and societal impacts on the world. 'No artist has complete control over the artistic interpretation of their art,' she said.

Here Dallinger listens to Dean of the College Scott Feller prior to the keynote dinner in Detchon Center.

(From left) Lora and President Greg Hess talk with Dr. Chris Carr '82 before his keynote address 'Mental Toughness: The Role of Sport Psychology in the NBA.'

'Basketball is a fascinating sport. It's dynamic and fluid. It's about one shot, one point, and one stop. I try to help make every team member better, including coaches,' said Carr.