July 15, 2011 at 5:43 p.m.
Reunion rekindles memories
Hoopsters from 1970-71 RHS squad among greats
Reunion rekindles memories
By Andrew Hildebrand-
For a community that has always saved a special place for basketball, the memory of the 1971 Hodags and what they almost accomplished will forever live in Rhinelander's storied history.
The Hodags hadn't been to state since the early '50s, but everyone knew that year would be different. This team had everything. It was quick, it could shoot, and it could defend. The question of a Wisconsin Valley Conference title was laughable. This team was state or bust, and everyone knew it. Fans were so sure of it in fact, that many had already made early hotel reservations in Madison.
Todd McEldowney covered Hodag basketball for 34 years as a play-by-play man, and even today, he vividly remembers the '71 squad.
"That was an excellent basketball team," he said. "It was very easily one of the top three teams I ever saw, and quite possibly the best. This club could hit from the corner and they were tough underneath. Mark Jamison ran the show, he was the floor general, and Paul Woita was a real sharp shooter from the corner."
The season started with a bout against neighboring Lakeland, but the T-birds proved to be no match. The Hodags won the opener easily by a score of 94-54.
Rhinelander was then a member of the Wisconsin Valley Conference, which looked much different than the Valley they left not long ago. The conference consisted of eight teams including Marshfield, Stevens Point, Merrill, Shawano, Wisconsin Rapids, Antigo and D.C. Everest.
After the Lakeland game, the Hodags were ready to start conference play, where the competition would undoubtedly get tougher. Wisconsin Rapids was next, and other than Rhinelander, was praised as the team to beat in the Valley. RHS rose to the occasion though, destroying Rapids 93-58 to improve to 2-0.
Woita remembers how fast-paced the games were, which contributed to their success.
"We played great defense, rebounded the ball, and pushed the floor as quick as we could," Woita said. "We made the other team have to get back on defense, but we'd just beat them down the floor anyways."
With the blowout win, they proved they were afraid of no one, and in the weeks that followed, continued to roll over competition in dominating fashion. They beat Stevens Point by 22, Shawano by 29, Marshfield by 41 and dropped 104 on D.C. Everest without the benefit of the three-point line, winning by 33.
Dave Gillis was an offensive anchor on the team, and still remembers the fireworks his team put up on the scoreboard.
"We had a good inside-out game," he said. "We could get it done all over the court. And we ran. It was always up and down the court. We just wore teams out because we had great athletes at every position."
Gillis was right. Fans packed the RHS gym to see the captivating team and their fast-paced, high-scoring game. McEldowney remembers the buzz around campus that seemed to grow after each convincing victory.
"The atmosphere was tremendous," he said. "The gym was packed for every game. It was like the school was infiltrated and fueled by the excitement and loyalty to the team."
After their convincing 9-0 start, the Hodags had already clinched a share of the title with an incredible six games left on the schedule. They hosted Shawano, with an early, outright championship on the line. Rhinelander was coming off an unbelievable 111-67 win over Hurley, but stumbled, losing 71-63, a game Gillis is still a little bitter about.
"That was a tough game," he said. "They ran a stall on us and somehow it worked, but I think it was kind of a fluke."
However, the loss proved only to delay the inevitable. The following Saturday, the Hodags traveled to Marshfield and secured the undisputed title with a win.
Thus far, all had gone according to plan. The Hodags were rolling over teams and seemed destined to reach their goal of the state tournament. Fans even spoke of a championship. They finished out the season without another loss and entered playoffs ranked fourth in the state.
The first round of regionals proved no different than regular season ball. The Hodags dismantled Merrill by 27 and set their sights on the regional crown. They were pitted against the small town of Glidden, a team Woita remembers well.
"I remember they only had about five guys " he said. "They were kind of like us. They liked to push the ball and played hard."
Despite a mighty effort, they could not withstand the constant offensive onslaught provided by Gillis, Woita, and Jamison and fell to the Hodags 70-53.
With regionals in the rearview, only two sectional games stood between the team and their goal.
They outlasted an outstanding Osseo-Fairchild team in the opener, due largely to an incredible 21 of 21 free throw performance. The win set up a sectional final contest against the Wausau East Lumberjacks. This was before the days of two Wausau schools. There was no West. All of Wausau was pooled into one team, and they were the last hurdle on the way to state.
The game was one of two champions. It was the WVC against the Big Rivers Conference.
At halftime, Rhinelander had built a formidable 12-point lead, but early second-half foul trouble allowed the Jacks to claw their way back into the game. By the time the buzzer sounded on the third, fans saw the final quarter of play begin with a score of 56-56, with a trip to state on the line.
Free throws proved once again to be the factor, but for the first time all season, didn't sway things in the Hodags' favor. Wausau scored 30 fourth quarter points opposed to Rhinelander's 24, with an overwhelming 16 coming from the stripe.
Despite coming up one game short of their goal, the community's support never wavered. Fans lined the roads on their return home and an escort accompanied the bus all the way to the high school.
A long time has passed since that sectional final. The players have grown and made other names for themselves, but now and again, some still remember their hoops greatness.
"I live in Eau Claire now, and once in awhile I'll hand out one of my business cards to someone from Osseo and he'll kind of pause when he sees my name," Woita said. "He'll say, 'Woita, I recognize that name. Did you used to play basketball?' They still remember our Hodag team and how we beat them in the tournament."
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