David Hunter, The Murfreesboro Post, July 7, 2013
The 2012-13 MTSU men’s basketball team made history by becoming the first team since 1989 to make the NCAA Tournament. Those Blue Raiders will go down as one of the teams that brought back the Murphy Center magic.
However, the standard for the men’s basketball program was set almost 40 years ago with the 1974-75 team, the first in school history to advance to the NCAA tournament.
One of the members of that historical team, Blue Raider center and 2005 MTSU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Tim Sisneros died June 28 at the age of 59 in his hometown of Kokomo, Ind.
According to the Kokomo Tribune, the reason of his death is unknown.
“We just cannot believe it. He was just back here a few years ago, when he was put in the Blue Raider Hall of Fame,” former teammate Claude “Sleepy” Taylor said. “He was in such good shape when he came back. It’s hard to believe that he is gone. He will be missed.”
Although Sisneros only played one year of high school basketball at Kokomo before graduating in 1972, Blue Raider head coach, Jimmy Earle, and the rest of the coaching staff saw something in Sisneros.
They brought him to Murfreesboro in hopes of making school history; Middle Tennessee had yet to play in the NCAA tournament or bring home a conference title.
“When you are at MTSU, you’ve got to recognize potential, and see how they play,” Earle said. “His high school coach said his best basketball was ahead of him and my assistant coach who recruited the area saw something in him.”
By the time Sisneros left MTSU in 1976, he had become one of the greatest basketball players in school history, and his physical play and hard-nosed defense earned him the nickname the “Kokomo Kruncher.” According to several reports, he earned his nickname through the media.
“They called him that because of his defense and how he played it with intensity,” Earle said. “He was a man among boys inside, and he was a fan favorite. He got his name because of his physical play.”
The now 40-year-old Murphy Center had just opened then, and the Blue Raider program was hoping for its first OVC title and trip to the NCAA tournament. In 1975, they accomplished both.
The NCAA tournament had just expanded to 32 teams, and the Blue Raiders took advantage. But their magical run ended in the first round of the Mideast Regional losing to Oregon State in Lexington, Kentucky.
Both Taylor and Earle still remember the experience like it happened yesterday.
“For years and years, the Kentucky schools (Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, etc.) controlled the OVC with the emphasis they placed on basketball,” Earle said. “They used the run and gun offense. We felt defense was the great equalizer, and we led the OVC in defense. It was a great experience, especially for our fan base. Murfreesboro was great, and they loved Tim and the rest of the team.”
The following season, a senior Sisneros was named the OVC MVP averaging 22.1 points per game. During a two-game stretch that season, he had 29 points against Western Kentucky and 37 points versus Marshall. He finished his Blue Raider career as a member of the school’s 1,000 point club and today ranks seventh all-time in total points scored.
“I have been watching OVC basketball for years, and I coached in it for years,” Earle said. “He is the best defensive post man I have ever seen in the league because of his technique and physicality. On our defense, he was so good we funneled everything inside and he always helped.
According to his obituary in the Kokomo Tribune, Sisneros was drafted by the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers after his time with the Blue Raiders. He also played professional basketball in Mexico and Europe.
“He liked everyone on the team, and he did not mind sharing the ball,” Taylor said. “He got along with everyone on the team. When you do that, share the ball, and communicate on and off the court that makes you a great teammate.”
At his request, the funeral service will be replaced by a celebration of his life, which will include his time as a basketball great and hometown carpenter. It will take place at Celebration Banquet Hall in Kokomo on July 8 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“He was one of the hardest working players I had ever had,” Earle added. “He made himself an outstanding player.”