The addition of Eldridge, who shot 43 percent from the field and
79.1 percent from the line while averaging 5.6 assists a game for Fort
Wayne Wayne High School, will allow Foster to share the shooting guard
spot with Austin. Eldridge will be Roberts' backup.
Wayne coach Will Doehrman's best player sustained a broken left
foot in preseason drills and was unable to play at 100 percent until mid-
January. Alan scored 20.7 points per game and 4.5 rebounds.
"We kind of let Alan do what he thought he could until he got
back into shape," coach Doehrman said. "The last month and a half we
saw the true Alan. At the end of the season, he just played super."
Eldridge has been selected to play on the Indiana All-Star team
that will face rival Kentucky All Stars in Indianapolis on June 17 and
again in Lexington on June 24. Last year, Indiana and Kentucky split
their two games.
** Coca-Cola Reebok All Star Game 4-8-95 Fort Wayne, Indiana
Eldridge said the game wasn't like regular games, but it was a good
time to get to know some of the players he would be facing in the future.
Referring to fellow Purdue recruit Cardinal, he said,"I'm learning a little
bit more about him all the time. I now know more of what he likes to do
on the court and off, since we are roomates."
Eldridge tallied 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals playing 18
minutes. The point guard admitted being bothered by tendonitis in his
right knee from an injury suffered his junior year. But Eldridge was able to
display his point guard skills, leading the team with 3 assists. During the
West's first offensive series, Eldridge threw a perfect alley-opp pass to
Indiana recruit Louis Moore for a dunk.
** Spiece/AAU Run & Slam All-Star Classic May 5-7 West Lafayette
Eldridge performed well on the Spiece 1 team with Cardinal on Friday,
a team dominated by inside play. He still managed to get 10 points and a
few assists (stat on assists not available). He is quick and athletic, and
although it was an AAU game, he seemed to know his role. He seems to be
comfortable with running the offense, as opposed to scoring 20 points and
being the go-to-guy in high school.
** Indiana Boys All-Star Picnic June 15 Williamsport, Indiana
Playing against a team consisting of past Indiana All-Stars, the
95 Indiana All-Star team had a good showing. Eldridge ended with 3 points
and three turnovers in 11 minutes of play. Former Purdue players Matt
Waddell and Mel McCants each scored 22 points, leading the Hoosier
Basketball Stars to a 102-97 victory over the 95 Indiana Boys All-Stars.
The game was played Wednesday night in front of 1,800 at the Williamsport
Gymnasium.
6-16-95...The play of Alan Eldridge and the other Indiana point
guards will be crucial to the success of the Indiana Boys All-Stars as
they play Kentucky tomorrow evening in Market Square Arena. While the
current Indiana team is not the most talented when compared to past
teams, it is turning out to be the most unselfish. In all-star games,
that often is the difference between winning and losing. A plus for
this years team is that both Eldridge and fellow point guard Chad
Peckinpaugh have basketball coaches for fathers. Eldridge's father, A.C.,
has made several Fort Wayne Semistate appearances with Northrop.
"I'm supposed to get the ball up the floor as quickly as I can and
take control of the ball,'' Eldridge said. "I need to get it to the people
we want to take the shots and just try to get our team going defensively."
It was reported that Eldridge is playing with a foot injury that
will be surgically repaired in early July.
** Indiana All-Stars vs. Kentucky All-Stars June 17 Indianapolis, IN
Indiana finally wore down the Kentucky All-Stars and posted a
102-95 overtime victory in front of 12,542 fans in Market Square Arena.
Alan Eldridge started at point guard for Indiana and played 22 minutes,
finishing with eight points (see box score below). Eldridge said that the
game's free-throw shooting contest -- the teams attempted a combined 95 and
made 61 -- created a strange flow. "It was a little bit tough, because you
always like to keep running,'' Eldridge said. "You want to get into the flow
of the game and get your energy moving and your legs warmed up so you can
play good defense.''
But Eldridge was more than satisfied with the victory and liked his
play much better than Wednesday night, when he made only 1 of 7 shots during
an exhibition game loss at Williamsport. Eldridge was 2 of 3 from 3-point
range against Kentucky, and the rest of the team was 1 of 17. "I think I
played a lot better,'' Eldridge said. "At Williamsport, I couldn't get into
the flow of the game to save my life, and it hurt me. It affected my defense
and my shooting and everything else. Eventually, that takes a toll on you.
Tonight, I got into the flow a little better and ran the floor a little
bit better. I think I played a lot more consistent and stable.''
Eldridge worked well running the offense. Indiana ran a controlled
half court offense to counter the run-and-gun style that favored the Kentucky
team. He was very patient and worked well with Indiana Mr. Basketball and
top scorer Damon Frierson (34 points). Within Eldridge's first minutes on
the floor he had two 3-pointers and two blocks, playing excellent defense...
aside from a foul on a Kentucky 3-point attempt. One of the highlights of
the game, with :52 left in overtime, Kentucky guard and leading scorer Joe
Harney (29 points) was streaking solo down the court for what would be an
easy lay-up. Eldridge pursued and caught him right at the basket and
rejected the ball into the crowd, nearly jumping over him. Although
Eldridge was called for the brush foul, it was one of the highlights from
a more or less lack-luster game. For a moment in the second half, a
slight limp made it obvious that he was playing injured.
The teams will play again at 7 p.m. on June 24 in Lexington, Ky.
** Indiana Boys All-Stars Exhibition June 23, 1995 Ben Davis HS, Indy
Wednesday night at the home of state champion Ben Davis, the Indiana
All-Star boy's team lost for the second time to the Hoosier Men Stars 100-91.
Eldridge had three points, four rebounds, and one assist in 14 minutes of
play. The Indiana All-Star boys team led 48-44 at halftime, but former
Indiana player Matt Nover had 23 second-half points, helping the Hoosier
Basketball Stars pull away during the final 4:57. Former Purdue players
Matt Waddell (12 points), Mel McCants (11) and Ryan Berning (5) combined
for 28 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists. The Indiana All-Stars will
will go for a sweep of Kentucky at 7:00pm Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky.
Date FG FGA FT FTA 3PM 3PA RB AS ST BK PTS
------------------------------------------------------
4-08-95 1 6 2 2 0 1 5 3 2 4
5-05-95 3 5 1 4 1 4 10 Won 85-47
5-06-95 2 0 2 10 Won 99-49
5-06-95 3 0 0 6 Won 69-61
6-15-95 0 5 1 2 3 Lost 102-97
6-17-95 0 1 2 2 2 3 5 3 3 8 Won 102-95
6-23-95 1 4 1 3 Lost 100-91
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