Fifteen years ago this month, Ball State made its debut on the front page of USA Today.
It wasn't the bad press the university has become accustomed to seeing these last few years but, instead, it was a fairy tale of dreams.
A Cinderella story, if you will.
Now, the players of Ball State's 1989-1990 men's basketball team are looking back to the days of their triumph, when they landed the university's first and only entry into the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
It's remarkable to ponder how those 10 players pulled Ball State and Muncie into the national athletic limelight. An even more admirable achievement is that, even after all these years, this group of men is still a team. They still gather together just about every year to reflect upon their collegiate experience -- especially the basketball.
"We reminisce; we have a good time," Muncie native and player Billy Butts said.
Sure, times have changed: Once hoped-for diplomas now hang on office and den walls, all-nighters have switched to all-days and lives have gone down their respective paths. But on the inside, these men still have the camaraderie that got them to the Sweet 16 that fateful St. Patrick's Day in 1990.
Obviously, none of us current BSU students remember those days very well: We were wide-eyed 4, 5 and 6 year olds who knew nothing of a collegiate future, let alone Ball State being a part of it. But, as for the players on Ball State's Sweet 16 team, they recall those days and memories as if were just last year. For the players and those students who celebrated in the Village on that historic night, their college memories are punctuated by the moment.
College students always hear these words recited over and over again: "Enjoy your experience in college -- it's the best time of your life." From family members and relatives to faculty and bosses, the inevitable saying is often beaten into students.
When recalling stories such as this one, it is easy to understand why.
This team's tournament run does more than speak of friendship and memories; it also shows that we tend to remember the good more than the bad.
What we know now, which the students, fans and players did not know then, is that Ball State would not finish its fairy tale with an ideal, happy ending. In fact, the team would not open up that Sweet 16 storybook for at least the next 15 years. Nevertheless, we don't remember the team's final result: a 69-67 last-second loss against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas -- a game that ended the Cardinal's Cinderella story with a 26-7 record. Instead, we prefer to remember the victory that got them there.
And that's a memory that will always be treasured.
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