Sheboygan

My dad gave me his ticket so I could see my hero Wilt Chamberlain and the Lakers battle Lew Alcindor and the Bucks in a series the Bucks won on the way to the NBA title. Wilt lost, but outplayed the rookie, the only thing I really remember is laughing with my cousin Randy Kober as my grandpa led the crowd in polka songs during the timeouts, Wilt stopping Lew dead on a dunk attempt and the Bucks winning.

Years later I touched Magic Johnson during the Timberwolves first game at the Metrodome and found myself in the midst of a Spur’s prayer while waiting for my bud’s John Schilling and Bill Zeineman to pee before we “covered” a game at the Target Center. I saw Shaq at LSU, KG as a prep, and home playoff games for the best team in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks and Super Sid Moncrief.

When Bo Ryan came to UW-Platteville, I asked him how he was going to take the lowly Pioneer’s to the next level. Bo responded with a story about Tom Desotell, showed me the new locker room and just plain sounded like a winner. That winter Bo was in Sheboygan watching the Optimist tournament at South High School, Bo Knows Basketball, Bo Knows Sheboygan is basketball!

Years earlier I drove to Green Bay Southwest to see Sheboygan South’s Jeff Fessler hit a pair of free throws with no time left to cap off a one point run to the locker room comeback victory that I will never forget. Later that season, North legend Tom Desotell’s, Pete Hopfensberger powered team comeback against a great Koko, Kobelsky, Fessler, and Weaver powered squad at the best place to see a basketball game in the world, The Armory, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

The Sheboygan Municipal Auditorium and Armory, the same building that was home to the NBA Sheboygan Redskins, Harlem Globetrotters original summer camp, and Moose Woltzen’s Lakeland Muskies, whose games I was at before I remember even being me. The same packed Armory that saw Joe Wolf’s shot hit the flag and drop to center court as Kurt Portmann, Troy Rudoll and company at Sheboygan North won a squeaker against The future North Carolina and NBA standout’s Kohler Blue Bombers.

Sheboygan is a basketball town, just ask Jack Gebler, Wally Rekalaitas, Tom Posewitz, John Cinealis, Gordy Zastrow, Continue reading →