Any Iowa State basketball fan knows about Hilton Magic and knows that it started with a coach by the name of Johnny Orr who left Michigan in 1980 to lead the program at Iowa State University for the rest of that decade and part of the next. That was also the year I was born, so my knowledge of the original Hilton Magic, the thunderous shouting and clapping support from the fans that would cause the rafters to vibrate, the floor to shake, and opposing players to miss free throws, is based on second-hand stories from an earlier generation.
I was fortunate, however, to attend ISU from 1998 through 2005 (thanks for a few extra years graduate school). Larry Eustachy was head coach, the torch having been passed on to him from Orr's successor, Tim Floyd, who had enough success to carry on the Hilton Magic tradition, including winning the final Big 8 Tournament over Kansas in 1996. During Eustachy's coaching stint, and my time as a student, Iowa State had some of it's best seasons ever, including two Big 12 championships and a memorable NCAA tournament run to the Elite 8, where they suffered a heartbreaking loss to eventual champion Michigan State. While the old timers may say that nothing compared to the Hilton Magic of the 80's, I can say that I had blast experiencing the late 90's and early 00's version.
Which brings me to tonight's game at Hilton against #3 ranked Kansas. Fred Hoiberg (a star player under Orr) has had more success in his first as coach of the Cyclones than most expected, but a win against Kansas still seemed fairly unlikely. As he said in pre-game interviews, Iowa State would need to play near perfectly to win. A big, loud home crowd wouldn't hurt either, and thankfully there was a noticeable increase in attendance tonight, thanks to Iowa State's decision to honor Johnny Orr with a special presentation before the game for the dedication of a new statue and donor's area. At age 83 he came bounding out of the tunnel to the Johnny Carson theme song, just like when he was coach, and gave the crowd all the first pumps it could handle.
The statue now on display captures the action quite well.
It was all almost enough to help the Cyclones get their most impressive win of the season (and really, of the last five years), but in the end Kansas had too many talented bodies and held off a couple of scrappy streaks by Iowa State to win, 84-79. Iowa State never led, but they came close multiple times, and during those pushes it was clear that Hilton Magic was starting to make a comeback. The crowd was into it, I was yelling my throat off during some key Kansas possessions, and if a three-pointer here or a put-back there had gone in for an Iowa State tie or lead, Hilton would have exploded. It was fun feeling, and we look forward to more in the future. This year's team may not have a lot of talent compared to the rest of the Big 12, but they have a lot of heart and know how to play together. I think we will see some upset wins in Ames yet this season.
In the meantime, here's a hilarious YouTube video of Johnny Orr giving ESPN college basketball commentator Dick Vitale an earful from back in the day.
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