BU might not have been whistling Dixie

Oh, what might have been.

Former Illinois State men’s basketball coach Bob Donewald revealed a little-known fact this week during a wide-ranging interview with the Journal Star:

He actually interviewed for the Bradley head-coach opening in 1978, just weeks before the job was given to the man who became his fiercest rival, Dick Versace.

At the time, Donewald was an assistant to Bob Knight at Indiana. Donewald met in Normal — “Of all places,’’ he said about the home of the ISU campus — with Ron Ferguson and Chuck Orsborn, the incoming and outgoing BU athletics directors.

“Well, they end up hiring Dick,’’ Donewald said. “A few weeks later, Gene Smithson leaves Illinois State, and ISU calls. Just think, I could have been the Bradley coach. Now you know the rest of the story.”

Donewald was 208-121 (.632) at ISU, with three NCAA tournament appearances, three NITs and one MVC co-championship in 11 years.

Versace was 156-88 (.639) at BU with two NCAA tournament appearances, two NITs, an NIT championship and three MVC titles in eight years. 

Donewald confirmed something else that could have altered basketball history at both schools. Legendary Bradley player Hersey Hawkins — the school’s all-time leading scorer, a U.S. Olympian and eventual NBA star — almost went to Illinois State.

“There was a point I thought we were going to get him,” Donewald said. “Dick did a great job at the end getting him to come to Bradley. I don’t think anybody realized just how good that young man was going to be. If they did, neither one of us would have gotten him.

“There’s no question, during my tenure, Hersey Hawkins was the greatest player in the (Braves-Redbirds) rivalry.”

Dave Reynolds can be reached at 686-3210 or dreynolds@pjstar.com.