Whiting’s Hoosiers

Anthony Borgo February 2021

In 1986, the movie Hoosiers chronicled the Cinderella story of Hickory High School and their unbelievable Indiana State Basketball Championship. The film followed the exploits of Jimmy Chitwwod, Rade Butcher, Merle Webb, Strap Purl, and Everett and Wilbur Flatch. Five years before the movie was released Whiting High School had their own batch of Hoosiers. There was Tim Gabrish, Paul Haviley, Andrew Curosh, Bob Hruskocy and brothers Jim and David Polak. Although Hollywood never made a movie about these men their story was just as remarkable.

From the time they began playing together as fifth graders at Immaculate Conception grade school through their Freshman year at Whiting High School, the members of the class of 1981 lost only one basketball game. The game was a part of a double elimination tournament. After the loss, Whiting’s Hoosiers rebounded and went on to win the tourney. After the initial 110-game winning streak ended, the team started another 36-game run.

The 1980-81 Oiler basketball season began with a tragic start. Projected starter, John Evanich, blew out his knee late during football season. In addition, Andrew Curosh broke a team rule and was forced to sit out a few games. Whiting then got off to a rocky start. The Oilers traveled to state-ranked Bishop Noll where they took the Warriors down to the wire. Even without the talent of 6-foot-10 center Tim Gabrish, the Oilers lost just by a couple of points. It was after this loss that Coach Meyer knew he had something special.

In the locker room after the game Meyer challenged his team, “We’re not gonna lose another game.” In order to keep the Oilers on track Meyer pulled out all the stops. Once he noticed some petty in-fighting amongst teammates. In order to keep the team on track he brought boxing gloves to practice urging players to fight it out. Nobody took him up on any amature bouts and no problems cropped up again.

The starting cast consisted of 6-10 junior Tim Gabrish, 6-2 senior Paul Haviley, 5-11 senior Jim Polak, 6-4 junior Andrew Curosh, and 5-11 senior Bob Hruskocy. Joining the talented group of upperclassmen was phenom sophomore David Polak. David played on the Immaculate Conception seventh-grade team as a third grader. Likewise, as a fourth-grader he played on the eight-grade squad.

The East Chicago Washington Sectional was a four team bracket. This was an era when there was a single class State Basketball tournament. There were no divisions based on school size. According to a 2004 Jeff Carroll article, “This was the land of the giants.” Whiting and the host Senators were joined by Bishop Noll and East Chicago Roosevelt.

Whiting faced Bishop Noll in the opening round of the tournament. The Warriors came into sectionals with a record of 19-1 and ranked No. 5 in the state. The Oilers beat Noll 62-50, setting up a championship showdown with East Chicago Roosevelt. Bishop Noll foul woes and Whiting’s free throw shooting sealed the win for the Oilers.

The Oilers next faced an East Chicago Roosevelt team that had beaten them 66-53 during the regular season. According to Whiting coach Gary Meyer, “We got beat on the transition game the last time we played them.” As a result the strategy for the second-go-around was to slow the ball down and prevent the Rough Riders from running.

In the first half Whiting’s plan worked to perfection. After a slow start that saw both teams battle to a 7-7 opening period tie. The Oilers were then able to take an 18-16 lead into the halftime break. However, in the second half the tempo really picked up, with both squads trading baskets rapidly. Going into the final stanza East Chicago Roosevelt took a 36-35 advantage.

With five minutes remaining Roosevelt stretched their lead to 40-35, the largest scoring margin of the game by either team. Whiting’s cagers remained calm and collective, they proceeded to score six unanswered points on two Jim Polak free throws and baskets by David Polak and Paul Haviley to move ahead 41-40 at the 2:54 mark.

The Oilers were forced to use some dramatic heroics to send the contest into overtime. After a basket by Donald Harris gave the Rough Riders a one-point advantage, and a subsequent Whiting turnover it appeared that East Chicago was going to secure a victory. However, Roosevelt turned the ball over on a 3-second violation with 22 ticks on the clock.

Working feverishly against the Rough Riders defensive onslaught Whiting finally got the ball under the rim Jim Polak, who was fouled by Anthony Jones with the clock reading 0:01. Two East Chicago timeouts later, Polak sank his first free throw, then rimmed out the second. Roosevelt’s Robbie Halliburton snagged the rebound sending the game into overtime.

During the extra period, the Rough Riders took two leads on a pair of Donald Harris field goals. East Chicago immediately went into a skin-tight defense, trying to force the Oilers to shoot from long range. However, David Polak fought to pull Whiting within one point, 50-49, with a front end, one-and-one from the free throw stripe.

Polak’s second free throw attempt bounced off the rim and was retrieved by the Oilers who called a timeout with 33 seconds to go. According to Gary Meyer in a March 1, 1981 Times article, the Oilers didn’t even set anything special up for the final shot. “We just told them to get the best shot they could.”

Whiting was very patient setting up their last shot. The ball eventually found itself into the hands of Tim Gabrish. Gabrish took a 10-footer from the left of the lane amidst a swarm of Rough Riders. With two seconds remaining the ball passed through the net giving the Oilers a 51-50 lead. Roosevelt desperately tried to call a timeout , however their attempt went unnoticed, as pandemonium had already ensued with Whiting supporters storming the court.

The victory secured Whiting its first Sectional crown in 57 years. Their previous Sectional title came in 1924 when the Oilers beat the Crown Point Bulldogs 19-17 in Gary, Indiana. The game was also Whiting’s first title game appearance since 1974. The Oil City Hoosiers continued their Cinderella story the following week where they faced the Highland Trojans at the Gary Regionals.

In the morning matchup Whiting faced the No. 20 ranked Highland Trojans. The Oilers continued their history making season with an impressive 61-45 win. According to Ron Vrabel, Junior Varsity Coach, the coaching staff wanted to ensure that the players were ready for the night game so the entire team stayed at his house before tipoff. He said that we brought in food for the boys, set up cots for naps and just created a situation where they could relax.

Dan Dakich and the Andrean 59ers were the next challenge for the Oilers. As they did against Highland, Whiting got off to a fast start in the championship game. The Oliver Street underdogs were able to race to a 19-14 opening quarter. And at Halftime the Oilers were up by one point, 35-34.

Andrew Curosh scored 17 of his team-high 19 points before intermission. However, three quick third quarter fouls hampered his play the rest of the way. The 59ers put it into high gear in the second half, blistering the nets with a 72 percent efficiency.

The 59ers started to take charge three minutes into the third period breaking a 40-40 deadlock. Heading into the final quarter Andrean had a six point advantage over Whiting 56-50. A three-pointer by Gabrish at the outset of the last period put Whiting within striking range. The 59ers got those points back shortly after and then never turned back.

In the final minutes of play the Catholic cagers never led by less than three points. Andrean were led in scoring by Dan Dakich and Jim Bullock with 24 points each. But like all journeys, Whiting’s had to come to an end. The Oilers gutsy effort came up just short with a 79-71 defeat, which brought their Cinderella story to a close.

The four class Indiana State Basketball Tournament began during the 1997-1998 season. The controversial decision to separate basketball teams by school size never netted Whiting a single Sectional title, which makes the achievements of the 1981 team even more remarkable. Consider the journey that the Whiting High School squad endured.

Whiting drew Bishop Noll, the No. 5 ranked team in the state, in the opening round of sectional play. Whiting went on to embarrass the Warriors 62-50. The underdog Oilers then claimed victory on a buzzer beater over the legendary Roosevelt Rough Riders. Whiting’s little giants then beat the Highland Trojans in the first round of Regionals. And then the dark horse cagers provided a heroic effort that resulted in a 79-71 defeat to the defending state champion Andrean 59ers.

I was at the 1981 Sectional game. I was a mere four-year-old but the memory is still embedded in my mind. I may not remember any details about the actual game, but I do remember Gabrish’s game winning shot. I remember the pandemonium that then ensued when fans who for years bled green and white stormed the court. I remember having a sense of pride in rooting for my city’s team, and the joy that this win brought to so many. Moments like these are magic, and Hollywood could not have written a better script.

Congratulations 1981 Whiting Oilers on your forty year anniversary. You will always be a part of Whiting High School lore. And, I would like to thank you for helping to instill in me a love for sports on that historic night so long ago.