into the fray

"It seems to be a law of nature that those who will not risk cannot win."  Words of wisdom from John Wooden?  Bobby Knight?  No, but the sentiments of this line have been repeated in countless locker rooms before hundreds of Hoosier high school hardwood contests. It was first spoken by John Paul Jones, the father of the American Navy, in 1778 and seems likely that it was restated to the Riverside Argonauts before Tuesday night's game against Christel House Academy - the first game of their first season of IHSAA tournament eligibility.  And, in the shadow of John Paul Jones' greatest victory at sea, the Argonauts scored their first win, 70-48.  Riverside High School (a second campus of Herron High), now in its third year of existence, is housed in the old Hesler Naval Armory in downtown Indianapolis.  The Armory was built by the WPA in 1936 and was the former home of the Naval Operations Support Center, the Marine Corps Reserve and the US Naval Sea Cadet Indianapolis Division. At one time the four story building housed a navigation bridge, battle telephones, ship's ladders, a rifle range and a swimming pool.  The gymnasium is still decorated with four 12'x15' murals depicting famous naval battles (including JP Jones') and it seemed fitting that the young Argonauts (no seniors yet) played with a disciplined, uptempo style under the watchful eye of history.