‘We are DePue’

Alan Bosnich was working on a job at Streator High School last week and couldn’t resist sneaking a look inside Pops Dale Gymnasium.

Forty years ago, Bosnich was a junior on the DePue Little Giants basketball team that advanced farther than any other in school history, reaching the super-sectional at Streator. They met a loaded Chicago Luther South team that boasted four Div. I athletes, including future Olympic high jumper Michael Conley.

Luther South gave tiny DePue a little shock-and-awe treatment right away, dunking for three of their first four baskets on the way to building a 9-point lead after the first quarter.

“We did not see much of that in the Indian Valley,” Bosnich said.

DePue battled back within four points with under a minute left to play, but Luther South made its free throws to stretch out the final margin to nine, 64-55.

“We gave Luther South all they wanted. They had us down pretty good,” said DePue coach Eric Bryant Sr., who sported his trademark 3-piece orange suit that night.

Luther South went on to win the state tournament in Champaign, defeating Peoria Bergan 56-51.

Memories of that game flooded back when Bosnich popped into Pops Dale Gym for a look.

“I went into the Streator  gym after work and realized it seemed much bigger then, but the memories came back like it was yesterday. They still have the same wooden bleachers just like Prouty,” he said.

“I will never forget as the clock was winding down, Billy ‘Clyde’ Ellis stood up and started cheering “WE ARE DEPUE” and the crowd joined in one last time to show the spirit and let us know they were proud of the season we had. Great memories.”

To make that final step to super-sectionals, DePue captured the Princeton Sectional, defeating Kewanee Wethersfield 68-67 in the championship game. DePue beat Ottawa Marquette in the sectional semifinals and a loaded Indian Valley rival Tiskilwa team for the regional championship.

DePue got a head start on the Flying Geese before the jump ball was even tossed, taking a 2-0 lead as the result of a Wethersfield player being assessed a technical for dunking during warmups. Those two points loomed large in a game the Little Giants won by only one.

“You don’t know it at the time how it’s all going to turn out. Every little bit helps,” Bryant said.

DePue trailed 67-61 with less than two minutes remaining, outscoring the Geese 7-0 the rest of the way, led by all-stater Rick Resetich, who scored 33 points in the game. Seniors Craig Rios and Mitch Bosnich, junior Alan Bosnich, and freshman Ron Marroquin rounded out the starting lineup.

What Alan Bosnich remembers most is the excitement of high school basketball then when everybody went to support the local team.

“I remember arriving at Prouty Gym to a packed house covered with orange and blue. Our fans were there before we were. There were no court restrictions back then, so we would get dressed and come out to shoot around by 6:45 (for the 7:30 start). The crowd would go wild as each player emerged from the locker room and cheer when you left to go back. It seemed like then the whole Illinois Valley was behind us.”

The Little Giants finished with a 27-3 record. Bryant said he knew the team would be good, but not that good.

“Good players make a coach look good,” Bryant said. “I thought they would be good. They got along well and everything. I think they exceeded my expectations.”

• Note: DePue won four straight regional championships from 1949-52 in the one-class system, reaching the sectional finals three times. It has won two regionals since 1980 — 1989 and 2017.