Dick Brennan

Art Franz

Bob Pettit, NBA All-Star

Hal Cervini

Billy Roniger

Dale Valdery

Glenn Masson

Butch Fourroux shoots against Shreve

 
Skip Brunet fights Honey Sudds for the ball

The 1968-9 St. Aloysius basketball team faced the Woodlawn Knights of Shreveport for the AAA state championship.

• Both quintets employed fast-breaking attacks. They also shared the fact that each finished as runner-up in its district.
• Woodlawn was trying to add the basketball crown to the one it captured the previous fall when QB Joe Ferguson (future Arkansas and NFL signal-caller) led the Knights to the gridiron title. The last school to win both the football and basketball championships in the same school year was Lake Charles in 1955.
• Larry Davis and Melvin Russell, "two lads who like to drive in for shots or hit on the short jumpers" (to quote John Joly of the TP), led the Knights. Davis had canned 20 and Russell 18 in the 56-45 semifinal victory over Lafayette.

A record crowd of 12,640 in the Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria, anticipated a sizzling duel and were not disappointed.

• A three-point play by Glenn Masson 44 seconds into the game got the Crusaders off to a good start. Davis kept Woodlawn close with a 20' jumper and, a little later, a FT.
• Skip Brunet's 20-footer from the left side pushed Aloysius out to a 10-4 lead, but Russell took command for the Knights, who cut the margin to 18-15 at the end of Q1.
• Brunet scored the first bucket of the second period on a 12' jump shot off a pass from Dale Valdery. But two FTs by Russell and a backhand layup by Davis shrank the lead to one, 20-19, with 6:06 left until halftime.
• Woodlawn pulled ahead 22 seconds later on a driving layup by Mike McGovern. But SA answered right back when Butch Fourroux took a Valdery pass and put in a layup to make it 22-21 Crusaders.

With the score 26-23 Aloysius, Woodlawn went on an 11-2 run that ultimately proved the Crusaders' downfall.

• Russell scored on an underhanded layup, then another on a fast break.
• McGovern pitched in a basket from the left baseline to make it 29-26 with 2:37 on the clock.
• After Russell sank the first of a one-and-one, Brunet hit two FTs to interrupt the run. But Russell countered with two freebies of his own to make it 34-28 at halftime.

Aloysius won the third quarter but by only two points.

• Masson opened with an 18' jumper, and Roniger followed with 23-footer from the right side to pull within two.
• After a three-point play by Wayne Barrett, Masson drilled three FGs in a row to give the Crimson a 38-37 lead three minutes into Q3.
• The teams swapped goals, then a three-point play by Elton Odom and a follow-up by Davis pushed Woodlawn in front 44-40. They maintained that margin, 50-46, when the period ended.

With each coach giving his starters no rest, the last eight minutes would be an endurance test.

• Davis took command, scoring four baskets and two charity shots, to withstand every Crusader thrust.
• SA pulled within one point three times, but each time Davis countered with one of "his soft and deadly shots."
• Valdery, his hands full guarding Russell, fouled out late in the game.
• When the clock reached 0:00, the scoreboard showed Woodlawn 62, St. Aloysius 59.

The loss was devastating for the Crusaders and their legion of fans because it was the last game in the illustrious history of the school before it merged with Cor Jesu to form Brother Martin the following September.

Here is the box score of the final St. Aloysius basketball game.

St. Aloysius-Woodlawn action

 

Butch Fourroux shoots a jumper.

 

Coach Andy Russo addresses his troops.

Final St. Aloysius Basketball Team

St. Aloysius met Holy Cross on Sunday, January 16, 1944, at the Aloysius gym in the opening game of the Prep season.

The contest pitted the defending city and state champion Tigers against the Crusaders, the Southern AAU champions after being ruled ineligible for the 1943 state playoffs.

Here's Hap Glaudi's article on the game in the New Orleans Item.

They had to lock the doors to Aloysius gymnasium last night, and today the Holy Cross Tigers are probably wishing that Anthony Chetta had been included among those who were unable to gain admittance to the court.
Chetta, the veteran Crusader athlete, finally came into his own yesterday evening, turning in his peak performance as an Aloysian to spark the Saints to a 34-to-26 victory over the defending city and state champion Crossmen. An overflow audience estimated at 1400 was witness to Chetta's brilliant effort in the opening game of the Preppers' cage season.
The curly-haired Crusader center was pure poison to the Bengal basketeers. He accounted for very nearly half of his team’s point total, hitting with six fielders and three free throws for 15 markers. It was he who smothered a mild Holy Cross uprising in the third period by slinging a quick pair of baskets which enabled the Crusaders to continue well in front of their downtown rivals. In addition to his ability to hit the nets, Chetta also turned in a fine floor game. All in all, it was the sort of an effort everyone had been expecting of this promising Crusader quintet for the past two years. Last night the Crusaders had the better ball handlers, floor game, sharper shooters and the most poise and points.

Anthony Chetta

Don Landry

Richie Fritsch

Centerville LA is located just off Highway 90 west of Morgan City and Patterson in St. Mary Parish. Centerville High hosts an annual basketball tournament known as "Tourney of the Teche."

The St. Aloysius Crusaders under first-year coach Don Landry won the 1963 Tourney of the Teche.

• Interrupting Catholic League play on February 1-2, the Knights began by beating Erath 64-58. Senior G Bobby Buisson led the scoring with 18.
• The next afternoon, Buisson's 17 again topped all scorers in the 81-62 romp over host Centerville.
• That night, the Saints raced past Maurice 82-65 in the championship game. Senior Richie Fritsch won high-man honors with 19, one more than Buisson, and two more than sophomore Bruce Lacour.
• Buisson earned Tournament MVP. Fritsch and junior Art Troncoso made the All-Tourney team.

The '62-3 Crusaders finished in a tie with De La Salle for the runnerup spot in district behind Jesuit.

• The Saints beat the Cavaliers 36-33 at Loyola Field House in the playoff for second place. Buisson's two FT with 10 seconds remaining settled the issue.
• Aloysius traveled back to central LA to play Lafayette in the state playoffs. The Lions eliminated the Crimson 53-48. Missing 11 of 23 foul shots cost the Crusaders dearly.
• All in all, it was a fine debut for Coach Landry.

Art Troncoso

Andy Russo

 

 

 

Andy Russo, coach of the 34-0 Brother Martin Crusaders, agreed with Clarion Herald writer Andy Kreutz to keep a diary during his team's trip to the 1970 Top Twenty Tournament in Alexandria.

• The entire student body gathered in front of school on Wednesday, March 4, to see the team off.
• The convoy departed in station wagons packed to the gills with luggage, equipment, and people.
• Andy noticed omens right away.

I knew it was going to be a weird day when we stopped at the gas station and the attendant gave me an extra $13 change - and I gave it back. Gabe Williams [Crusader C] is a mechanical genius. He changed a blowout in a record ten minutes flat. So we're off again to Alex and heading straight for the coliseum.

My fantastic luck continues. I find a dollar bill just lying on the floor of the coliseum. This time I'll keep it.

The team attended the semifinal game between Captain Shreve and McDonogh.

I'm impressed with Shreve's shooting ability but not much else. They look like they were firing at washtubs out there. The kids left at the half to go back to the motel. Didn't want them to see too much. McDonogh had a pretty lousy night, anyway.

After the game, I find a silver dime in the lobby of the motel. Who's trying to bribe me, anyway?

The Crusaders disposed of Bastrop 76-67 Thursday night to set up the dream matchup the entire state craved.

Friday entries from Andy's diary:

This is the toughest day. There are so many things going on it would be easy for these kids to get distracted. But I'll say this - they're hell-bent on winning that championship.

This afternoon I did it again. Found a change purse full of pennies. Probably some old lady's life savings.

35-0 Brother Martin vs 35-1 Captain Shreve

• An announced attendance of 15,567 packed the Rapides Parish Coliseum Saturday night for the AAA final.
• Almost all the fans from the two earlier title games stayed, forcing the Crusader and Gator fans to sit in the aisles and stand in open spaces around the court.

Andy's diary for Saturday:

Got to our dressing room at 7:30 and we don't play until nine. ... Okay, let's go. We're ready ... we're really ready. A good warm-up, we're moving, hitting the nets. That's good, keep slapping it in there.

To this day, no one can explain the Saders' poor play in the first half.

• When you suffer from cold shooting, a ripple effect runs through the game. The other team rebounds the misses and takes off on fast breaks for easy baskets.
• As a result, Shreve jumped out to an astounding 36-20 lead. The 20 points was bad enough, but never had the vaunted Crusader D surrendered 36 points in the first half.
• Martin scored the last four points to leave the court down 12.

Andy's diary:

In the locker room, I exploded. Didn't mean it. Told them I didn't think they had the character or the guts to get off the floor and come back. I told them to find a hole they could crawl into with their heads between their legs.

I don't know how I got hold of that bench. But I just picked it up and threw it across the locker room. Then I walked out. Told them to find their own way back into the court.

Whatever was said or done, nothing had more impact than the decision to switch to the 1-3-1 zone trap just before the first half ended.

• Even though the Crusaders had used that D many times, Shreve wasn't prepared for it.
• Holding the Gators to just 8 points in Q3, the Saders cut the deficit to one.
• The lead seesawed between the teams throughout the final eight minutes. Glenn Masson's jump shot tied the game at 0:45.
• Shreve held for the last shot, but a charging call with nine seconds left sent the game into OT.

That OT period is the most famous in Louisiana basketball history.

• When the Crusaders won the tip, Andy gave the thumb down signal, which meant only layups or foul shots.
• A few seconds later, senior F Skip Brunet, either not seeing the signal or ignoring it, launched a jump shot from the elbow. Swish.
• Shreve missed its shot, and the Crusaders hit another basket, then another, and another, plus foul shots.
• Martin made every field goal it attempted in the OT and grabbed every rebound, outscoring the Gators 16-0 to complete the dream season.
• Williams, with 23 points, made the Top Twenty All Tournament team. Brunet added 18 in his final game and Masson 17.
• The victory pushed the 36-0 Crusaders past the 35-0 LaGrange Gators of 1967-8 for the best record in Louisiana history.

And now you know the secret to the comeback. It was the bench.

 

Brother Martin, S.C.

Brother Ralph, S.C.

Sammy Trombatore

Whitey Jackson

The speaker was Brother Martin, S.C., athletic director at St. Aloysius.

• The game he referred to was the Prep Basketball Championship playoff against Holy Cross to be held at the Municipal Auditorium on Sunday, March 2, 1941.
• Brother Emmett, the Holy Cross AD, also reported sales going well. The students made their returns today, and from the figures I have it looks as though we'll have a wonderful crowd.
• The three downtown box offices also experienced heavy action. Maison Blanche ran out and ordered more while Holmes and Dunlap's Sporting Goods both indicated good sales.
• Pregame prices were the same as for the regular season: 15 cents for students and a quarter for everyone else. The cost jumped to 50 cents for everyone at the gate.
• At a time when the largest high school gyms held 500-600, Brother Martin's prediction was quite optimistic.

The Crusaders, under first year coach Brother Ralph, S.C., had defeated the Tigers in both rounds of the regular season.

• However, Aloysius lost to Jesuit both rounds whereas the Crossmen didn't stumble against anyone else.
• That set up the playoff game at a neutral site, the 11-year-old auditorium on Rampart Street within walking distance of St. Aloysius.

• A record-shattering throng of 5,261 paying customers jammed into every seat.
• Times-Picayune writer Stanford Opotowsky called the contest "a suitable climax to the most thrilling title race the loop has seen in a decade."

Despite playing without starter Tony Cotogono, at home sick, the Tigers got their revenge.

• After the opening period ended 7-7, HC jumped ahead for good by outscoring the Saints 13-8 in the second stanza.
• They increased their margin to 26-15 early in Q3 before Aloysius staged a comeback, cutting the margin to 31-25 entering the final eight minutes.
• Sparked by G Sammy Trombatore's team high 12 points, the "Crimson-clad gladiators" came within a point, 32-31, with less than five minutes to go. Opotowsky: The crowd leaped to its feet, giving forth deafening bedlam as the great climax was reached.
• Mike Smith fouled SA star Whitey Jackson who was in the act of shooting. But with an opportunity to put his team ahead, Jackson bounced both shots off the rim.
• Holy Cross scored the final six points to win 38-31 and claim the crown.