MICHIGAN CITY -- As East Chicago celebrated its Class 3A regional title Saturday at the Wolves Den, players and coaches draped red and navy blue ties around their necks, a tribute to the late Junior Bridgeman, one of the city's favorite sons whose achievements on the basketball court were second to his success off of it as a business entrepreneur.
"He had such a smart business mind. He was so talented on the basketball floor," Cardinals coach Alaa Mroueh said of Bridgeman, who died Tuesday at the age of 71. "When you're dealing with one of the greatest ever to do it, not just in East Chicago or this country, but the world, I think you've got to know who he is, especially if he came from your soil. He paved the way for future generations and generations. We figured, if we were able to show our talents out there, then after the game, we show a sense of formality for him. This is in memory of Junior Bridgeman."
Bridgeman, the son of a steel worker and homemaker, rose from humble roots to professional acclaim, an inspirational message to students and athletes alike in his native city and area. A member of the undefeated 1971 E.C. Washington team (29-0), he went on to successful playing careers at the collegiate (Louisville) and NBA level (primarily the Milwaukee Bucks). In 2016, Forbes ranked Bridgeman the fourth-wealthiest retired athlete in the world behind only Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Arnold Palmer with an estimated income of $32 million.
East Chicago Central coach Alaa Mroueh, his staff and players put on red and navy blue ties after Saturday's regional win as a tribute to the late Junior Bridgeman, an East Chicago basketball legend who went on to fame and fortune in the business world.
"You have all the fans who came out in all red, just seeing the pride and respect the community has for this basketball program and East Chicago Athletics in general, it just tells you the impact some of these legends have had," Mroueh said. "We're very grateful. Keon Frazier donates shoes every year. He bought us pink Sabrinas. I's all love when it comes to East Chicago."
Dominique Murphy, the latest in a long line of East Chicago greats, shined brightly on the big stage, pouring in 28 points to go with seven rebounds and four steals as the Cardinals overpowered Hanover Central, 78-55.
"I'm very in tune with the history of EC," Murphy said. "It was really the crowd. The crowd cranked us up, coming all the way from EC. It was full red. They're really passionate. It means a lot, having a community to come support us. We had no choice but to get cranked up. We couldn't let them down. "
Murphy put the exclamation point on a performance that included three 3-pointers with a late-game slam off a lob as the Cardinals (20-8) erupted for 49 second-half points. He surpassed Jenasae Bishop as the school's career scoring leader and is 30 away from 2,000.
"You look at a guy who's played varsity basketball for four years and it shows in everything it does," Mroueh said. "We told him we wanted to dominate inside. His 3-point shot's looking better and better. He's won himself sectionals back to back, a regional. He's on his way to 2,000 points. The legacy he's built for himself as a high school basketball player at East Chicago Central is something special. I'm really, really proud of him."
On the same floor a year ago, the Cardinals fell hard to Mishawaka, 68-52, and the loss drove them to make amends.
"That fueled us a lot," Murphy said. "We didn't want to feel that same hurt again. Everything, from what we did the night before, everything played a part. We all play our role, we all play for each other. As long as we keep doing that, we should get farther in the tournament. It just felt like I was a comfort zone because we've been here before and we practiced here the night before, so it was easy. I feel like there ain't no limit. We're gonna keep hoopin' and God's gonna keep blessing us."
Early on, Mroueh was getting a few flashbacks. EC didn't score until Murphy's 3 at the 4:47 mark of the first quarter, though Hanover itself was also on zero until the prior possession.
"We had to play two halves like the first half and the ball needed to go in," Wildcats coach Brad Stangel said. "We had a lot of good shots and we missed shots early. We were 1-of-8 (from 3) in the first half, and I thought they all were shots we could have made. We just didn't make them. We just needed to rebound. It came down to us being a little disorganized on offense. We were OK with a quicker pace. We weren't OK with us turning the ball over. We had to move the ball more. Because of the pressure, it was a little harder and took a little longer."
The Cardinals led for good after going in front 8-7, pushing the margin to double figures (29-18) on the last basket of the half, a Joseph Watkins putback.
"The biggest thing is getting teams who are kind of methodical into what's called the speed dribble," Mroueh said. "They run really good stuff. They want to slow it down and run their stuff. They have a state championship coach, you can see it. Just trying to get them to play in the full court with us and not necessarily get set in the half court is a recipe against teams like this. They burned two minutes before we got two shots up, I'm like, man, we've got to change the pace of this game or else we're going to be looking at another story like last year."
Hanover Central (15-13) continued to hang around in the third quarter on the broad shoulders of 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior Brad Rhode.
"I think he's as good a basketball player as I've coached in nine years." Stangel said of the school's No. 2 scorer all-time scorer. "He was open. They mixed up their pressures, which also threw us off balance."
The game was still competitive at 38-29 before a 14-4 Cardinals surge to end the quarter.
"Murphy was gonna get his," Stangel said. "(Most) everything he got was outside of where we wanted to go. We had to give up something. As soon as it gets loose, that's when we were in trouble. They're old, they're experienced. There's something to that. The two guards who don't get any love are good and they made plays."
Rhode matched Murphy's 28 points but didn't have much help until it was too late. Henry Maurer notched 12, but struggled from the arc. Gage Rodriguez scored 11, with three 3s in the fourth quarter. Only one other Wildcat scored.
In contrast, Jamarie Pollard, Keontaye Bell and Watkins all reached double figures for E.C., with Yamauree Wallace a basket away from making it five.
"Those guys are very capable basketball players," Mroueh said. "A lot of people forget because of the presence and impact Dominique has. They see Murphy, as they should, because of the work he's put in. Wallace is a 6-6 guard. He's going to play on TV one day. Bell has already committed to play at Illinois Central. Watkins had a tremendous game. He had the mismatch all night and he took it, he rebounded. Pollard hit a really big 3 that took us over the hump. (Greg) Williams wasn't as active, but he had a tough assignment in Rhode. We really rely on him to be our anchor. We've just got guys who step up."
The win gave the Cardinals their first regional title since 2007.
"We were just here a year ago and let it slip away," Mroueh said. "They stuck with us for some time, up until this moment. Our preparation the last 24 hours has been the been best we've had all year. My coaches are dominant. We've got guys looking at all different angles. We've got a great coaching staff and really great players. In my young coaching career, I'm blessed to be in the situation I'm in. I didn't walk into my first job being a rebuilding job, which is what most jobs are you walk into the first time, especially at a young age. Every day, I kind of pinch myself, give gratitude to everybody around me. They're the pulse of this."
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