By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Basketball players, coaches, fans, and even cheerleaders. On Sunday, the St. John Homecoming Hall and Museum hosted a forum to celebrate the community's basketball history. More than two dozen people attended the forum in person and another dozen attended via Zoom. Longtime assistant coach Kurt Fairchild helped emcee the event and said St. John's basketball legacy extends well beyond Stafford County.
"I've found when people ask where you're from, a lot of times you just say, 'St. John' and it's 'Oh, well I know the Kinnamons,' or 'I know Dean Wade,' or 'You guys are pretty good in basketball.' That's been amazing to experience the people who do relate St. John to basketball memories."
Current and former coaches and players who joined the discussion were Clint and Kurt Kinnamon, now coaches at McPherson High School. Ivan Williams coached the Tigers to their first state basketball championship in 1974. Perhaps the most famous Tiger, current Cleveland Cavalier Dean Wade, said his NBA teammates get a kick out of his St. John stories.
"They feel sorry for me for some reason," Wade said. "I don't understand it. I feel very blessed to grow up in a small town. Everyone is watching and taking care of you."
Board Member Beccy Tanner streamlined the history of basketball into the history of the sport in St. John. Dr. James Naismith invented the sport in 1891, and by 1907, classes at St. John High School were playing against one another. The following year, St. John played its first game against Stafford High School.
Kevin Alpers moved from his class of eight in Hudson to a class of 40 as a freshman at St. John in 1970. His freshman team that season had nice height and often beat the junior varsity team. That squad would go on to win the first state championship in 1974.
"Back then, we had a lot of talent in the school," he said. "As a freshman or sophomore, very few kids got to play varsity because we were so deep. The team of '73, we went undefeated until substate but we lost. That team was probably deeper than the team that won in '74."
Many things changed when the Kinnamon family moved to St. John in July 1969. Kurt, who has coached 38 years of high school basketball, including 30 years as head coach at McPherson High School where he has won seven titles, remembers the disappointment of the 1972-73 season. He recalls crying on the way home after a season-ending loss to Victoria.
"Those guys were my heroes," Kurt said. "Clint and I would play in the basement. I would be Larry Atkinson and he would be Mike Osborne. We would play what we called 'indoor basketball' and there were no fouls allowed. He got mad and threw me through the wall one day."
The Kinnamon boys were not the only ones watching the Tiger varsity team that year. Joel Hood, another member of the 1982 championship team, shared his memory of that season via Zoom during Sunday's forum.
"In 1974, I was in second grade," he said. "One of the things I realized was basketball in St. John was a community thing. It wasn't just the high school. The entire school loaded up in the gym to send off the '74 team. I was just amazed. I didn't know that many people existed."
Alpers and Coach Williams remember how good the defense was in 1974. Mike Osborne and Mike Leroy both played guard and were exceptional track athletes. Alpers recalls being able to run a press because the guys never tired. Williams remembered a game in Rozel. An ice storm caused the lights to go out two minutes before halftime.
"When we went back to finish the game, we went out and warmed up, played for two minutes, then went to the dressing room for halftime," he said. "I'd never done that before."
In a post shared to the St. John Homecoming Hall and Museum Facebook page, Williams recalls St. John's first trip to the state tournament in Dodge City as a big community event. The Tigers had to knock off unbeaten Basehor and Frankfort teams to win the title.
"To coach a state championship team was a phenomenal experience," Williams wrote. "I personally think this happens when you have a great school board, superintendent, principal, group of parents, very talented players, the best assistant coach, the best cheer leaders, pep band, and an outstanding community, and without a doubt the most supportive coaches wives and families. Certainly, one of the proud moments was when we not only won the state championship, but we also brought home the sportsmanship award. What a tribute to our fans and our cheerleaders. This means we did it with class."
The Kinnamons' mother recalls the boys shoveling snow in the garage so they could shoot hoops. Kurt remembers dribbling a basketball across town to play pick-up games in the park. All the efforts paid off. Kurt was part of the 1982 Tiger team that won the Class 2A title in a perfect season.
Kurt averaged 28.2 points a game over his 65 career varsity games. Wade scored 1,749 points in 92 games before his successful NBA career. Clint Kinnamon and his son, Cole, rank No. 5 and 6 in school history, respectively, and are separated by just six career points.
State championship rings were not handed out in 1982. Kurt had a custom ring made for that title. Before winning a seventh title as a coach at McPherson, he showed his box of rings to his players, explaining no ring is as special as the one he earned as a player.
Clint Kinnamon led the Tigers to 11 state tournament appearances between 2002 and 2020. He won state titles in 2007, 2013, 2014, and 2015, and finished second in 2008, 2017, and 2019. The 63 Tiger wins from 2013-2015 remain a state record for most consecutive wins in boys' basketball. Clint's favorite ring came from his 2014 title in which he coached his sons, Kade and Cole.
"As a coach, I was so blessed with all the players we've had come through here," he said. "It's amazing. We were fortunate enough to be in the substate finals for seven years straight. We had a little stretch where we didn't, then the last eight years here we were able to be in the substate finals. That's a tribute to the community and the kids all wanting to become basketball players."
The St. John girls have also had their share of success on the hardwood. In 2007, the girls advanced to the state tournament under Dean Rausch. They finished second the next season in his final year. Danny Smith took over the program in the 2008-09, winning the Class 1A title in his first season. Smith's Lady Tigers placed third in 2010 and lost to juggernaut Hoxie in 2012 and 2014 to place second and fourth, respectively. His teams also qualified for state in 2018 and 2024.
Another big basketball tradition in St. John has been the Lions Club Mid-Winter Classic. The event, hailed as "The Longest Annual Lions Club Tournament West of the Mississippi, celebrated its 50th year in 2018. USD 350 St. John now handles the tournament, which now includes a girls' bracket. Kurt Kinnamon still holds many of the tournament's records, including a 46-point game in 1981, but Hoisington's Zach Baird still holds the record for 107 points over three games in 2003.
Just as famous as the tournament were the homemade pies. Anna Minnis, outgoing board president, spoke at Sunday's forum about her famous black bottom pies, which sold out quickly the first time they were offered around 1970.
"I thought, if those pies are that popular, I'm going to learn how to make those, so I got the recipe and I made many, many black bottom pies for the tournaments," she said. "Before the tournament would start, I'd have people ask me if I was going to be making my black bottom pies. That's part of the legacy, but no more. I don't make the black bottom pies anymore except for my family...occasionally."
The Tiger tradition continues to work its way through the basketball landscape in Kansas. After brief stints at Wichita East and Remington, Clint joined his brother at McPherson High School this season. Clint's son, Cole, is now the head coach at Meade High School. Danton Hilton, who played under Clint and coached Attica to a state championship in 2016, is the current Tiger coach.