Editor’s note:This is the first in a series of four stories that will run throughout the basketball season as SIU senior guard Kent Williams makes his way up the school’s all-time scoring list.

The SIU men’s basketball team provided its fans with plenty of thrills last year when it advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament and posted a spotless 13-0 home record.

Yet last season’s version of the Salukis could never match what happened at the SIU Arena on Feb. 29, 1988. That day Steve Middleton was a part of one of the most amazing college basketball games to which the Arena has every played host.

Middleton – who scored 1,710 points as a Saluki and is now fifth on the all-time list after being passed on Sunday by current star Kent Williams – teamed with Bradley’s Hersey Hawkins to put on an offensive clinic that is still talked about to this day.

The game was Middleton’s last in Carbondale, and the University honored him by declaring it Steve Middleton Day. He did not disappoint as he went on to score 42 points against the Braves, only four shy of the school record.

Hawkins, who was named the national player of the year, poured in 49 points to lead Bradley to a 113-102 overtime victory. However, nobody would forget what Middleton did that day, especially not his former teammates.

“It was so impressive; Steve would just not let us lose,” said Rick Shipley, a freshman forward on that SIU squad. “He just battled Hersey Hawkins. That was just an awesome performance. They just matched each other shot for shot.”

That game was the pinnacle of one of the most prolific seasons, as well as careers, by a Saluki. Middleton averaged 25.4 points per game that year, the second-highest season mark in school history.

He led the Salukis in scoring his last three years with the team and finished his career with an average of 18.4 points per game.

Middleton was one of the school’s best free throw and three-point shooters. He led SIU in steals during his last three years, and he even paced the team in assists in his sophomore season. He also earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior and senior.

In today’s world of college athletics, a player with Middleton’s numbers might consider cutting his amateur career short for a chance at the professional level and never obtain his degree.

Middleton not only received his bachelor’s in history with a minor in black history, he stayed at SIU for another four years and earned his master’s degree in education-recreation while assisting the women’s basketball team.

“I’m a firm believer in the concept of student-athletes,” Middleton said. “Education comes first. Athletics is a part of your education, but I don’t believe it outweighs your education.”

Middleton went on to become the athletic director and head varsity boys basketball coach at St. Mary’s High School in Paducah, Ky., in 1993.

He turned a team that had been considered the doormat of the state into one of Western Kentucky’s best. He led the Vikings to four consecutive Class A regional championships and back-to-back 20-win seasons.

Rich Herrin, Middleton’s coach at SIU, isn’t surprised his former star pupil is doing so well in the coaching ranks.

“He knows the game,” Herrin said. “He’s a dedicated coach. He’s a hard worker. He gets a lot of mileage out of his kids.”

After nine years at the high school level, Middleton is now in his first year as an assistant coach for the Eastern Kentucky men’s basketball team.

He said he’s excited at the chance to coach at the Division I level and noted that it is not something that happens very often to high school coaches.

“This is the greatest job I’ve ever had,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”

Shipley does not expect that his former teammate will have difficulty adapting to the college level. He knows firsthand just how profound of an impact Middleton can have on players.

The two roomed together on the first extended road trip of the 1987-1988 season and Shipley, a Centralia native, said it was a real eye opener for him to be around someone so mature and cultured as Middleton, who came to Carbondale from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Shipley said Middleton can relate well to kids and is a player’s coach who should be able to get a lot out of his team.

“I think he’ll coach like he played,” Shipley said. “‘Let’s go and have fun playing the game. If we’re gonna get beat, let’s get beat with our guns blazing.'”

Middleton was a sharpshooter for the Salukis during a bleak period when SIU had few big-time players. The Dawgs went 14-14 during his freshman season before Herrin took over the program, which went on to post a dismal 32-53 record during the next three seasons.

Herrin attributed most of those wins during the early stage of his tenure in Carbondale to Middleton and his great scoring ability.

“We would have really struggled to win any games if it wasn’t for Steve Middleton,” Herrin said. “There were some trying times. Steve knew what we were trying to do.

“He was one of the guys that laid the groundwork. He was the backbone of the program.”

While Middleton was able to shine, the fact that his team was struggling did have an impact on him. One person who helped him through the low points during his time at SIU was Herman Williams.

Williams was an assistant coach during Middleton’s playing days who helped the New Yorker grow accustomed to Southern Illinois. Williams and his wife Yvonne developed a special bond with Middleton and helped him to become a man.

“One thing Steve had – he always told me the truth,” Williams said. “And as long as you have that, you can see eye to eye with someone.

“He was a kid that you could look up to. He came to me with any problem he had, and sometimes I shared problems with him.”

The friendships Middleton built with his teammates and coaches are what he remembers most from his years in Carbondale. One such relationship continues to grow – the one with his wife Regina, whom he met at SIU.

The couple has two daughters – LaNesha, 8, and Kierra, 3 months. Middleton is content in his new position at Eastern Kentucky but hopes someday to become a head coach at the college level.

Wherever he ends up, Middleton will never forget where he came from or the time he spent in Carbondale.

“I always enjoyed my time there,” he said. “It was a special time, and it holds a special place in my heart.”

Reporter Todd Merchant can be reached at [email protected]