Loudest Basketball Crowd You've Ever Heard (In Person)

#101      

illinidd12

I
illinidd12
RockyMtnIllini81 said:
This is going WAAAY back. It's March 1980. The Illini, have not been to the post-season in a while. Lou Henson is building something. The Illini are in the NIT in Assembly Hall against Loyola. Fans camped out to get tickets. Late in the game, the Illini are in control. The crowd is having a great time, but really exploded when Levi Cobb came into the game and hit a shot to reach 100 points. Final score 105-87.
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I never knew Cobb scored 100 pts, impressive!!
 
#103      

APS iMBA

APS iMBA
Urbana, IL
APS iMBA
Loudest venue I've ever been in was Illini @ Purdue last season. We have an acoustic roof, they have bare metal. It reflects sound.
 
#105      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
IllinoisssssssVarsity said:
I grew up in south suburban Chicago... I moved to Texas... In terms of pure talent, the winner is Illinois in my opinion. I think there are more and better players, and I think the general talent level of teams is higher in Illinois... In terms of high school game environment, I have never seen a place like Indiana... If you wanna be wrapped up in the atmosphere and pageantry of high school basketball, find a big game in Indiana.
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In terms of roundball history and passion... Illinois and Indiana are like one great big region unto itself. The two States in general are similar in many ways... a couple large urban areas and then lots of smaller towns and great farm communities. And a love for the game that no other two States together can beat.

Talent is of course spread out all over America (and the World). But in terms of legacy and environment and passion... Illi-ana is without peer.

The big Eastern cities like NYC and Philly are great. But the passion isn’t there State-wide. Same can be said for the LA area and Cali. And the Texas urban centers vs. the rest of the State. Plus, Texans and Floridians prefer the ball with the funny shape. Carolina has the two big brand name schools but that’s it.

And within Illinois and Indiana... the greater Chicago region (all the way to Gary, etc.) is just amazing. The great ballers coming out of Chi-town. The great suburban conferences and coaches. And Northwest Indiana basketball has been something over the years.

It takes real people, hard work, dedication, and a love for the Game to keep a great legacy like this going. Wonderful coaches and teachers and parents who share their love for the game with their kids who then pick up the ball (so to speak) and carry all that on into the next generation.

As the wisdom teaches... We all stand on the shoulders of Giants. Again, in more ways than one.
 
#106      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
My uncle (by marriage ) is David Lee's brother and he took me and a couple of my cousins down to Carbondale to watch David
and the Saluki's take on Louisville when Wes Unseld played there and they were ranked # 1 in the nation......

Rowdy crowd , the loudest i had ever heard and the Saluki's won 54-51.......the Saluki mascot was running around and raising his leg as if to pee on the Louisville bench and fans.....We had a Louisville fan setting right behind us with a whiskey bottle drinking freely for most of the game........he made the mistake of spilling some of his whiskey on my uncle and my uncle stood up , turned around and grabbed that fan by the shirt collar and knocked his arse out with one punch to the jaw.......when we left the fan was still laid
out and my uncle was a hero to all the SIU fans sitting there,,,,,,David came into the stands where we were sitting and hugged us all...............I remember how sweaty he was but it didn't matter b/c of the upset win........

True story....................
 
#107      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
Roundball Sage said:
In terms of roundball history and passion... Illinois and Indiana are like one great big region unto itself. The two States in general are similar in many ways... a couple large urban areas and then lots of smaller towns and great farm communities...
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I'd be curious to see what the comparison of talent produced would look like between non-Indianapolis Indiana and non-Chicago Illinois. I would assume Indiana would have the slight edge, but there have been A LOT of great basketball players from Downstate Illinois (defined here as everything outside of the Chicago metro) over the years.
 
#108      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
Fighter of the Nightman said:
I'd be curious to see what the comparison of talent produced would look like between non-Indianapolis Indiana and non-Chicago Illinois. I would assume Indiana would have the slight edge, but there have been A LOT of great basketball players from Downstate Illinois (defined here as everything outside of the Chicago metro) over the years.
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That would be good to find out. And I'd like to see an annual game after both State's high school tournaments are over between the Illinois high school champs vs. the Indiana high school champs (they can figure out how to work the 'classes'... or just form one Super Team from all classes). Rotate that among Champaign, Bloomington, Chicago, and Indianapolis. State bragging rights... and National TV coverage. Showcase it to the Nation and give the players another great memory for the Ages.