BLOOMINGTON — It's the buzz of Bloomington.
Bloomington High School South basketball coach, J.R. Holmes,
The gym filled up early with old friends and former players to witness the basketball coach go for a career win number of 807 - a shot at the record, a shot at history.
DF: "How special is this for you?"
J.R.: "Well it'd be nice. There'd be a lot of disappointed people if we don't win, but I've disappointed them before."
The man who's record he was aiming to break, Jack Butcher, - the legend of Loogootee - was at the gym to witness the record breaking night.
DF: Did you think this day was gonna come?
Butcher: "Well, you know, I said from the beginning, after i set the record that it will be broken. It was just a matter of who and when."
The Panthers push for the coaching record began with a 16-point first quarter lead against Northview. Up nine at the half, a picture perfect start for J.R.'s first team: Tunnelton High School 1971, his Indians went 18-5 that year.
Mark Bennett played for Holmes 1971 Tunnelton team.
Bennett: "Little would we have known, all those years ago that J.R. Holmes, little Tunnelton High School - 24 in my graduating class - would end up here. But I think it's wonderful."
The second half lead never went below six. As the Panthers won 63-24, and for J.R., the record win of 807 games. Afterward, among the first to congratulate him was Butcher - passing the torch.
DF: "What an out-pouring of support for you and a lot of friends... 807, that's a lot!
J.R.: "I tried to say it all along, it wasn't about me, it was a lot of people that were involved in this. It was great. We hope we have some left down the road."
Well, Jack Butcher will always have one record: all 806 of his wins came at one school. For J.R., he's looking forward to sectionals next week.
