The tournament seeped into their DNA early, a shimmering light and joyful noise that at once seemed an unreachable mirage and close enough to touch. It beckoned them forward, inspiring the first steps of a journey that became their profession.
Bill Keller and George McGinnis had parallel basketball careers in many respects. They led their Washington High School teams to the state championship in their respective senior seasons. They were voted Mr. Basketball, symbolic of being the best player in the state, and the passing years would confirm that opinion. They had standout college careers at Purdue and Indiana respectively, earning individual national recognition, and then joined forces on Pacers teams that won ABA championships.