{"id":68506,"date":"2018-03-04T21:39:07","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T03:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=68506"},"modified":"2018-03-04T22:29:33","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T04:29:33","slug":"chicago-state-mens-basketball-ends-40-game-division-i-skid-and-hopes-to-begin-a-climb-upward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/chicago-state-mens-basketball-ends-40-game-division-i-skid-and-hopes-to-begin-a-climb-upward\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago State men’s basketball ends 40-game Division I skid and hopes to begin a climb upward"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Patrick Engel<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/i><\/p>\n

The monstrous ring encircles Tracy Dildy\u2019s fourth finger on his right hand. It\u2019s shiny and silver, with the letters \u201cCSU\u201d intertwined using evergreen gems. His name is on it, as are 2013 and \u201cCIT.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, it really is a ring honoring an appearance in the Collegeinsider.com Postseason Tournament, a pay-to-play tourney designed for mid-major programs.<\/p>\n

Dildy and Chicago State reached the CIT in 2013 by winning the Great West Conference tournament. It took two wins in March 2013 to earn a championship in a conference that no longer exists, and when it did, gave its winner a free bid to the CIT and not March Madness.<\/p>\n

It may seem trite, unnecessary, or just downright silly. Dildy, Chicago State\u2019s eighth-year head coach, has his reasons.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI wear it every day to remind them and let them know that we have been champions,\u201d Dildy said. \u201cWe\u2019re just trying to get back to that level.\u201d<\/p>\n

A return starts from the bottom rung of the ladder.<\/p>\n

Dildy grinned. The first step has been taken.<\/p>\n

Chicago State snapped a 40-game losing streak against Division I opponents with a 96-82 dusting of UMKC at home Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t a fluke. The Cougars led for nearly 36 minutes. They shot 49 percent from the field. They made 11 3-pointers and 25 free throws. They had five players score in double figures. It all produced their first victory over a Division I team in 415 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is bigger than just games,\u201d Dildy said, sweat dripping down his forehead. \u201cIt\u2019s about bringing more positivity and giving people good things to talk about with our university.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago State sure needs it. Perception is an exponentially tougher opponent than anyone it faces on the court.<\/p>\n

Roughly two years prior to Saturday\u2019s breakthrough victory, Chicago State\u2019s future was in doubt because of a state budget impasse that dried up government funding, a critical source of money for the university. The school declared a state of financial emergency, canceled spring break and issued layoff notices to all its employees just in case the stalemate forced the school to close.<\/p>\n

A new budget passed in July 2016, and the university survived. Its enrollment, though, has decreased by 33 percent in the last two years to its fall 2017 total of 3,171.<\/p>\n

Athletics, even with a tighter budget, have remained intact. But why? What could have compelled the university to keep a Division I athletic program that struggles to compete? Like Dildy\u2019s ring, there\u2019s more to the story.<\/p>\n

Provost Dr. Angela Henderson gives three objectives: student engagement, diversity on campus, and exposure in the greater Chicago area. She later circles back to athletics creating engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really allows us to appreciate the students and build some camaraderie on campus,\u201d Henderson said. \u201cThis allows us to get together, celebrate together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago State was built as, and still is, a commuter school. Its tree-lined campus located in the South Side\u2019s Roseland neighborhood is tucked between East 95th Street, South King Drive and I-94. It has one residence hall on campus, housing about 300 students. The rest commute.<\/p>\n

A non-traditional student body creates the need for campus life as well. Illinois Board of Higher Education stats from fall 2016 show the average age of Chicago State students is about 28. Two-thirds are women. Nearly half are parents. For many, Chicago State is their last shot at a four-year college degree.<\/p>\n

\"Tracy
Chicago State coach Tracy Dildy (left) roams the sideline during the Cougars’ win over UMKC on March 3, 2018 (Patrick Engel\/MEDILL).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most Chicago State students are either from the Chicago area or transfer from junior colleges. That\u2019s also the case with the basketball team, because the athletic budget doesn\u2019t allow for national recruiting. Six of the seven players Dildy recruited out of high school are from Chicago. Five others came from junior college.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get the ones nobody else wanted,\u201d Dildy said. \u201cWe\u2019re like Last Chance University. For them to go and have some success, that builds their confidence, builds their esteem and helps bring somebody in that someone else might not want or might not think was good enough. And we give the opportunity to live their dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago State\u2019s home arena is the 5,500-seat Jones Convocation Center, a 10-year-old brick, chrome and glass venue built with former Illinois State Senator Emil Jones\u2019 fundraising help. It\u2019s plopped right in the middle of campus.<\/p>\n

The plentifully lit interior still feels fresh. The hum of the lights is heard in the main entrance and, at times, on the arena floor during a quiet moment in the game. It has a homey, relaxed vibe, aided by the PA announcer\u2019s lighthearted calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom King Drive \u2026 Buckets!\u201d he calls when leading scorer Fred Sims Jr. makes the first of his trio of 3-pointers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have traveling \u2026 without a ticket,\u201d he says when a UMKC player walks.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuh nuh nuh, duh nuh nuh!\u201d He bellows the SportsCenter jingle when senior forward Deionte Simmons dunks after grabbing an offensive rebound.<\/p>\n

The crowd of 553 erupts with 16 seconds left when Simmons grabs his 11th rebound of the game, sealing the win. The bench players spill onto the court. Dildy raises his fists. He hugs his players, takes a microphone and thanks the fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people came out for the first time,\u201d Dildy said. \u201cThat\u2019s contagious. That\u2019s going to spread around this campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

One first-timer is former Chicago Bulls guard Craig Hodges. Michael Jordan\u2019s former teammate and Chicago State\u2019s coach from 1994-96 sits courtside and watches intently. Standing on the court after the game, Hodges fulfills a slew of photo requests before offering his view of the program\u2019s outlook.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to happen eventually,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it\u2019s one of those things where we have to keep being patient and keep being supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hodges points to a few elementary school children dribbling around the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to do whatever we can to impact that generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo at top: Chicago State senior forward Deionte Simmons (center) celebrates with teammates in the final seconds of the Cougars’ win vs. UMKC on March 3, 2018 (Patrick Engel\/MEDILL).<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Patrick Engel Medill Reports The monstrous ring encircles Tracy Dildy\u2019s fourth finger on his right hand. It\u2019s shiny and silver, with the letters \u201cCSU\u201d intertwined using evergreen gems. His name is on it, as are 2013 and \u201cCIT.\u201d Yes, it really is a ring honoring an appearance in the Collegeinsider.com Postseason Tournament, a pay-to-play […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":68520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,3987],"tags":[192],"class_list":["post-68506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-winter-2018","tag-promo"],"yoast_head":"\nChicago State men's basketball ends 40-game Division I skid and hopes to begin a climb upward - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/chicago-state-mens-basketball-ends-40-game-division-i-skid-and-hopes-to-begin-a-climb-upward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chicago State men's basketball ends 40-game Division I skid and hopes to begin a climb upward - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Patrick Engel Medill Reports The monstrous ring encircles Tracy Dildy\u2019s fourth finger on his right hand. 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