Arch Madness 2000 – We Met Barry & Special K

(St. Louis, MO) – “Biggins & Water Bugs” and “Special K” that’s how I remember ‘Arch Madness 2000”. That was Head Coach Barry Hinson’s first year at Missouri State and Kyle Korver’s freshman season.

Barry showed up after the long journey of sweeping up gym floors, coaching junior high teams and assisting in Oklahoma. He had two successful years at Oral Roberts and was beginning his MVC career. Barry had a way with the English language and with barbeque tongs!

After a first round win in the MVC tournament he described his team’s size disadvantage as only he could.

 

While Coach Hinson was winning popularity points and adding some interest to the sometimes indifferent St. Louis media, Creighton’s Kyle Korver was emerging on the Valley scene. The Los Angeles native and Pella, Iowa graduate was named to the MVC’s ‘all-freshman’ team and one of my broadcast partners that year, the late Dick Dale nicknamed him “Special K”. Little did we know how good the oldest of four basketball-playing brothers would be.

Korver would finish his Bluejay career as the MVC’s all-time leading three point shooter. Twice he was named the league’s ‘Player of the Year’ and he’s still playing in the National Basketball Association. He holds the NBA record for the highest 3-point shooting percentage in a season (.536 in 2009-10).

He could shoot and never missed free throws, but what impressed me and broadcast partner Jeff Stirnaman was how poised he was under pressure.

 

 

 

 

Coach Hinson proved prophetic that year and a reoccurring theme would follow him all his days at (then) Southwest Missouri State. The Bears would have really good records, outstanding RPI’s and somehow be left out of the NCAA tournament.  Barry seemed to know that could happen.

 

By Monday night we were crowning Creighton for the second straight year. The Bluejays had to defeat the regular season champions in the semi-finals and Hinson’s second seeded Bears in the final, but they won it convincingly behind the veteran leadership of Ryan Sears and Ben Walker.

 

Creighton Head Coach Dana Altman was building an MVC dynasty, Kyle Korver was just getting started and so were the near misses for Barry’s Bears.

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