The Macomb-Western Holiday Basketball Tournament begins tomorrow. Quick research shows it began in 1946. For as long as I’ve been aware, it’s been a three day tourney, beginning soon after Christmas, with a lot of very good Class A teams playing in Western Hall on the campus of Western Illinois University. It’s a well-run tournament.
As the photographer for the Macomb Daily Journal, I covered four of them. Throw in one more when I shot for The Pike Press (Pittsfield, IL), and one as an independent shooter.
While working a the Macomb paper (1983-1986), there were several teams within the circulation area. A lot of time was spent in Western Hall, covering those teams, which was fine by me because of my love of photographing sports. The atmosphere was good, the energy high, right after Christmas. With Pittsfield often playing in the tourney, it gave me the chance to see a lot of friends who made the drive from Pittsfield to Macomb to watch the games. Western Hall was well-lighted and a good place to work.
The Macomb High School Bombers were the local team, and they were usually part of the tourney. During my tenure at the paper, one of the star players was Matt Margenthaler. He was very good, and it may have been in his genes. His dad Jack Margenthaler, was the head coach of the Western Illinois University Leathernecks basketball team at this time. Both father and son approached the game with intensity.
I’m not sure what year this photo was made, but I can tell you the circumstances around it.
Normally, my “go to spot” to photograph basketball is sitting on the court, along the baseline of the court, on the right side of the basket. I prefer the right side because more players are right-handed than left-handed. Working from the right side leaves less chance that a player will block their own face with their arm if they going up for a shot.
With a three day tournament, covering 2-3 games per day, I don’t want every photograph looking the same. I scout for other positions to work from to keep the angle different and fresh. For a Macomb Vs. Brown County game, I decided to plop my butt down along the sideline, still on the playing surface near the mid-court line, across the floor from the benches. Space was tight but “doable,” I was inches from live territory.
These were also the “early days” of my career. I had one camera body, three lenses, and NO motor drive. Making a photo was a two step process. Press the shutter for one photo, move the camera from your face to glance down and cock the shutter lever to the next frame, then make the next picture. No keeping the camera to your eye, no burst of photos from the automatic film advancement a motor drive provides.
At some point during this game there was a scramble for a loose ball, and it nearly happened in my lap! Margenthaler and a player from the Brown County (Mt. Sterling, IL) Hornets were involved. I was using a 105mm 2.5 lens on at the time and made this shot. ONE frame. It’s close to full frame, meaning not much cropping. They were that close. It’s not perfect, in that there is “dead space” at the top right. But the intensity and concentration on Matt’s face, combined with the entanglement of the leg and arm (looks like there may even be some motion blur), made this one a “keeper” back then.
Macomb High School’s Matt Margenthaler scrambles for a loose ball in the Macomb-Western Holiday Basketball Tournament. (Circa 1983-1986)