Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2009, Page 56

Description:	above andbeyond.Through dedication, hard-work, and team unity thisyears boys basketball teamexceeded all expectations,walking away from theseason with not only a statechampionship, but anundefeated season as well.Conseco Fieldhouse was a sea of purple on March 28, 2009, as BloomingtonSouth played Fort Wayne Snider in the4A boys basketball state championship. Hundreds of loyal Panther fansgathered to watch the undefeated basketball team make history and win thestate championship for the first timein 90 years. Winning state was thebiggest thing that has ever happenedto me, said power forward ErikFromm, a junior.The victory was number 606 forCoach JR Holmes, who had beencoaching basketball at South for 27years. Following the championshiprun, Holmes was named by USA Today as National High School Coach ofthe Year to honor his achievement andhigh level of success. I was amazedat this group of boys for being able togo undefeated and be state champs, ontop of all the pressure theyve gotten allyear, Holmes said.But hard work and dedication werenot the only contributing factors to thesuccessful season. Were all reallyclose, Fromm said of his teammates.We all hang out outside of the court,which helps make us closer as a team.The teams ability to work well togetherboth on and off the court helped maketheir season even better.The memories that they shared together will not soon be forgotten. Senior Jordan Hulls had the privdegeof being one of the few players allowedto cut the net at the end of the statechampionship game. I only wish thatall of my teammates would have beenable to cut the final net too. It wassomething that we had looked forwardto as a team all season.For senior Jacob Mulinix, thedefining moment of the season was thevery end of the state game. The buzzer sounded, and everyone jumped upand started screaming. Its something Iwill never forget. Neither, it seems, willPanther fans all over Bloomington.The community backed the teamextremely well. It was a solid victoryfor all involved; students, parents,adults, and players, Holmes said.Many fans attended a communitypep rally after the game to congratulate the victorious team; it served as aconclusion to a memorable and history-making season. It was a perfect season, Mulinix said. I wouldnt changeanything. -ELIZA WILLIAMSThe team rushes center-court out of excitement for having just defeated Fort Wayne Snider, 69-62, in the 2008-2009 IHSAA 4A Boys Basketball State Championship at Conseco Fieldhousein Indianapolis. PHOTO BY PAUL BAECHTOLD56 \| SPORTS \| boys basketball state championship
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/8078
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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