Students Clobber Faculty at Assembly Hall
Shortly after 8 p.m., five faculty and staff members ambled bravely onto the Assembly Hall court outfitted with protective eye wear, and taped up with knee braces and arm bands. They met their student foes in one Law School competition where pride trumps percentage points.
Four student teams shelled out the dough during this spring's Women's Law Caucus (WLC) benefit auction to compete in the round-robin tournament. Winners battled the ever-youthful faculty, staff, and librarians in a 40-minute, full-court game, followed by dinner and drinks at nearby hangout Nick's.
Despite valiant efforts by faculty and staff team members Luis Fuentes-Rowher, who organized the event, Kevin Brown, Joe Hoffmann, Sarah Hughes, Ajay Mehrotra, Debbie O'Leary, Earl Singleton, Jeff Stake, Bill Weeks, and Dick Vaughn, students won handily by more than 30 points.
Coaches Jim Barnes and Dan Conkle, clipboards underarm, donned Bob Knight-style red IU sweaters, but couldn't seem to hatch the kind of strategy that forged last year's faculty championship.
The game tilted badly from the tipoff, which went to the student team. Immediately, the students scored a bucket, but the faculty showed a glimmer of hope when they briefly tied it up. Barnes shoved secret-weapon Michael Hoffmann, Joe's speedy, high school-aged son, into play only minutes after the tipoff in an effort to secure the lead.
Families of players on both sides, tournament participants, and curious community members whooped it up in the stadium stands, bringing gaggles of children and cheering voices. But a losing fate was soon obvious. Game commentator Professor John Scanlan expressed doubt only seven minutes into play. "The students are dominating the field!" he shouted.
Singleton, reminiscent of his college hoops days, crashed the boards, leading to fast breaks by Vaughn, Fuentes-Rowher, and Mehrotra. The speedy guards maneuvered down the court, dishing the ball to Stake, Brown, Weeks, and the Hoffmann family, who managed to sink a few shots. But, at the half, the leaders in law lagged by nearly 20 points.
The elder team fought viciously for each possession. Weeks made a gutsy block that was hailed as "an ESPN highlight moment," reminding some spectators of A. J. Moye's rejection of a Carlos Boozer dunk when IU beat arch rival Duke in the 2002 NCAA tournament.
Michael Hoffmann, who was appointed Distinguished Visiting Adjunct Professor for the evening, flew to the baskets, nailing outside shots and making impressive steals. With 12 minutes to go in the second half, O'Leary zoomed down the court with gazelle-like flair setting elaborate picks and screens. Hughes scurried across the court to aid in an assist. Yet, their efforts fell short.
Though a final score of 62 to 29—students on top—lowered the heads of veteran faculty players, proceeds left two certain winners at the end of this rivalry: WLC charities the Middle Way House, a local domestic violence shelter, and the Indiana Law Protective Order Project, both helped by high bids for this hot-ticket package.