Naperville Central’s title teams going into Hall

It has been a few years since Andy Nussbaum last watched tapes of his Naperville Central championship teams.

He doesn’t need to. The memories flow as seamlessly as a Candace Parker highlight video.

Nussbaum and players from those title teams will take an enjoyable trip down memory lane this Saturday. Naperville Central’s 2002-03 and 2003-04 state champions will be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Normal, just a short drive from Redbird Arena.

Parker, who is playing in the EuroLeague in Russia, won’t be there, but Nussbaum expects to see many ex-Redhawks like Tiffany Hudson, Rachel Crissy and Courtney Peters.

“It’s a very nice honor, but what it does for me is it recalls the pinnacle of my professional career,” Nussbaum said. “It brings back all those smiles again.”

The 2002-03 season was indeed a dream one. Naperville Central had lost the 2001 supersectional to Neuqua Valley, then was beaten by Benet in the 2002 sectional final on Benet’s home floor.

It was the Redhawks’ last loss in quite some time.

Naperville Central went 35-0 the next year. The Redhawks rallied to beat Fenwick in the Dundee-Crown Tournament championship, Parker going coast-to-coast in the final seconds to force overtime. Naperville Central beat Marshall 46-44 on the Commandos’ home court and two weeks later won a controversial 72-67 sectional final over Neuqua.

Naperville Central beat Regina 56-54 in the state semifinal, then in a classic championship edged Fenwick 63-59, again in overtime.

Parker scored 32 points in that game, including a tying 3-pointer late in regulation to force OT.

“That state championship to me,” Nussbaum said, “is the most exciting championship game in the history of Illinois girls basketball.”

Naperville Central’s chances of repeating were put in serious jeopary that summer, when Parker tore her ACL July 11, 2003.

While Parker mended, talented teammates Crissy, Hudson and Erica Carter led the Redhawks to a 9-2 record.

Parker returned Dec. 29, 2003 to beat Resurrection in the Dundee-Crown semis (exactly three months later she won the slam dunk contest) and Naperville Central never lost again.

“(The year) 2004 was so different than 2003,” Nussbaum said. “(The year) 2003 was like a magic carpet ride. Everything was new and awesome and joyful. 2004, that was like being a coal miner. It was hard work — magnified by the fact that we were everybody’s target.”

Parker won her last 58 games in a Redhawks uniform, and on Feb. 10, 2004, her jersey was retired in an 83-64 win over Marshall.

The only time a team came within 10 points against Parker and Naperville Central that year was a 61-53 win over Peoria Richwoods in the state quarterfinals.

Parker scored 35 points in that game, but it was a Carter 3-pointer that gave Naperville Central the lead for good in the fourth quarter.

“Richwoods was the only team that said, ‘We’re going to let Candace score and we’re going to try to stop everybody else,’” Nussbaum said. “Our game plan was pretty easy. If you were going to play us straight up, we were going to get it to Candace and she would beat her defender. If they put two on Candace, our other kids were good enough to beat teams 4 on 3. It sounds simple, but it takes mature players to buy in and execute.”

Nussbaum’s high school coach back in Columbus, Ind., coached for 47 years, got to the Final Four twice but never won a state championship. Nussbaum himself has coached many great players who never saw the Redbird Arena floor.

Memories of the two teams that did? Pretty special.

“Winning a state championship was something I thought about since I was 8 years old,” he said. “It’s a sweet memory and it’s nice to relive it a little bit.”