Forget Duke; Let’s all cheer for Grinnell

GRINNELL, Iowa – Fans painted their bodies and faces, waved towels and mugged for the camera.

They were rockin’ and rollin’ in Darby, baby. For one night, the prime-time players came not from Duke or Kentucky, but from Division III Grinnell and Beloit.

Intrigued by Grinnell’s wild, trigger-happy style, ESPN2 brought its crew to televise the Pioneers’ game with Beloit on Thursday night.

The producers didn’t quite get what they wanted as Beloit won 86-85 in Grinnell’s lowest-scoring game of the season. But the atmosphere in Grinnell’s shiny new Darby Gym made up for any lack of points on the floor.

“I can guarantee you, everyone here is crazy,” said Grinnell junior David Coombs.

Two busloads of Beloit students made the four-hour trip from their southern Wisconsin campus to join the party and often made as much noise as their Grinnell counterparts. Many wore shirts that proclaimed: “Beloit College Basketball Playing on the Deuce.”

Grinnell students countered with a shirt that said: “Live on National TV. Our House, Our Pace, Our System.”

Grinnell’s system is built on shooting within 12 seconds of each possession; crashing the offensive boards; pressing from start to finish; and substituting in waves of five, often every 45 to 60 seconds.