A monumental event in the history of Big Ten basketball occurred Dec. 4, 1948, in front of 9,500 at the Men's Gymnasium on IU's campus.
It was on that night that a newcomer from Shelbyville, Ind., scored eight points on 3-of-14 shooting to help Coach Branch McCracken's Hoosiers to a 61-48 victory over DePauw in the season opener.
That newcomer was sophomore Bill Garrett.
Garrett was many things for a team coming off a disappointing 8-12 season in 1947-48. A lean, athletic player from Shelbyville (Ind.) H.S., he was the 1947 Indiana Mr. Basketball after leading his prep team to the state championship as a senior.