The missing trophy
Twenty-five years later, the state basketball title that got away still haunts Valparaiso
The greatest team in Valparaiso boys basketball history doesn’t gather for cookies and milk to discuss the 1993-94 season.
They don’t talk about winning 28 straight games or being ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 13 in the country.
Twenty-five years later, the memory of that state final remains heartbreaking and sour.
Mark Burnison, a starting forward, hasn’t even looked at his state runner-up ring.
Dave Furlin tries not to think about it, saying, “It still stings. I’m not gonna lie. We had invested a significant part of our lives into basketball.”
Former Valparaiso coach Bob Punter hasn’t watched the tape. Doesn’t need to. He knows what happened.
Everybody in Valparaiso knows the story.
South Bend Clay’s Jaraan Cornell made a 3-pointer in the final seconds to tie it in regulation. The Vikings lost 93-88 in overtime. Valparaiso blew an eight-point lead in the last 46 seconds.
The Colonials outscored the Vikings 11-3. They made three 3-pointers and a basket inside by Lee Nailon, a 6-foot-8 center who would play in the NBA, in those last 46 seconds.
Sandwiched between that were two free throws by Valparaiso’s Tim Bishop and one by Bryce Drew.
The ending was unfathomable and, frankly, cruel. Yes, cruel is the right word.
That’s sports. It’s unforgiving, immune to sentiment.
This was the perfect team with the perfect blend of players with the perfect coach.
It just didn’t get the perfect ending.
The Vikings averaged 78 points and had three great players. Drew, who would win Mr. Basketball, was a top 50 recruit. Bishop was all-state in football, basketball and baseball and was drafted by the New York Mets. Furlin played at Bowling Green.
I never once heard Punter say, “Defense wins championships.” Thank you for that, Bob. These kids could flat-out play.
“Yeah, I lost a lot of sleep over it,” said Punter, who quit coaching at Valparaiso after the 200607 season. “You never get completely over it. You can’t forget what happened.”
Punter had a plan too. He was considering pulling an Al McGuire and retiring if the Vikings won. McGuire famously walked away from Marquette after winning the 1977 national championship.
Had the Vikings delivered, they would have been only the seventh team to go undefeated.
“What else are you going to do after that?” Punter said. “That’s the pinnacle.”
Valparaiso didn’t get the breaks at the end.
Bishop was grabbed by a Clay player and shoved but no foul was called, Punter said. Drew also was fouled on a ball he ended up turning over.
Mostly, though, Clay took it with some great shots, according to Punter.
Burnison isn’t sure about that. He remembers giving Nailon his layup because he didn’t want to foul him. Valparaiso let up.
“We did everything you shouldn’t do to win a game,” Burnison said.
Even though he hated the last game, Burnison loved the experience.
Best time of his life.
Drew said it was the perfect storm for Clay.
“We probably win that game 10 out of 10 times if we played it again,” he said.
Punter has gained perspective from it. He coached the Vikings 13 more years and then spent 11 seasons as an assistant at Hanover Central, Lake Station, Kankakee Valley and Wheeler.
“I coached Robbie Hummel and Scott Martin and a lot of great kids,” he said. “I might’ve missed out on all that. Life isn’t what happens to you. It’s how you react to it.”
Life also is complicated.
The losses stick with you like a bad cold.
And that game will always be the one that got away.