My travels took me to the largest high school gym in the world (New Castle High School), the gym that would have been mine had our family remained in Indiana (Bellmont HS), and historic Muncie Central High School Fieldhouse.
No exploration of Indiana basketball culture can be fully complete without attending a high school game or two or five as was the case during my weeklong stay as part of Event No. 14 of my Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project.
I’d wager the hoops hysteria in this state is underpinned by its longterm affinity for the high school game.
Until 1998 Indiana conducted a single-class state basketball tournament. That is, no matter the size of the school, every one that fielded a high school team went into one bracket. In the early days, before school districts consolidated, that meant a bracket that featured upwards of 800 schools (I’d like to meet the person completed a perfect bracket in those days!). It invariably meant that neighboring schools were all grouped in the same Sectionals (what the Indiana High School Athletic Association [IHSAA] calls its tournament opening rounds) which meant jam-packed gyms and local communities that closed down during tournament time.
Those images seen in 1986’s movie Hoosiers when an entire town would caravan to the next game were, I’m told by those who lived it, spot on.
Today, the tournament is a more manageable 400-450 high schools split among four classifications based primarily upon enrollment (4A-1A). While I was unable to experience that kind of Sectional feeling, it was still informative to see tournament basketball in my native state for the first time in close to 50 years.
Tuesday – IHSAA 3A Sectional Quarterfinals at Bellmont HS, Decatur
Decatur’s Bellmont High School’s main entrance. This logo adorns a lamppost outside the entrance.
As noted previously, Bellmont would have been my high school had our family not relocated to suburban Detroit in 1978. While I’m sure I attended several games in BHS’s gym – known to this day as “The Teepee” – there’s only one that remains lodged in my core memories. It was an early-season non-conference game during the 1976-77 season and visiting Wayne High School from Fort Wayne paid a visit with star player, Roosevelt Barnes. Barnes – who wound up playing in the NCAA Final Four a few years later with the Purdue Boilermakers and, ultimately, four seasons with my new hometown Detroit Lions – and his Generals packed The Teepee. I recall a raucus crowd witnessing a close game or a while, but Wayne eventually pulled away for the victory.
There was no such environment during my most-recent visit.
My dad and I attended the opening game between Norwell (11-11) and Mississinewa (9-13) and my uncle Ken joined for the Bellmont (5-17) versus Marion (11-11) nightcap. The 3,200-seat gym was – maybe – a quarter filled at any one time and the environment, save for some vocal Norwell fans who’d just witnessed their girls win the 3A State Championship the Saturday prior, was tepid.
It clearly didn’t help that Marion and Mississinewa needed to travel close to an hour to get to Bellmont or that every team was at or below .500 at tip off.
Clockwise from top, the letters BHS are in the balcony of “The Teepee;” BHS graduate Kip Jones was an Indiana All-Star his senior year in 1985; the Norwell cheerleaders had plenty of McBride’s to unfurl as starters; Bellmont is more known as a wrestling and volleyball school; fan’s stand for the “Star-Spangled Banner” prior to the second game.
Still, it was wonderful to be back in my would-be home gym, to check out the trophy case (I’d forgotten about Kip Jones [Class of 1985 like me!] and his McDonald’s All-America status), and sample the popcorn (best batch of my week in the state).
The games were less-than scintillating, though Mississinewa roared back to tie its game before falling 51-41. Marion – nicknamed The Giants – came up big against the overmanned hosts, 75-56. Marion went onto to claaim this Sectional with a 92-88 overtime victory over New Haven.
- Of Note: Norwell’s starting lineup featured the three McBride brothers (Adam, Joshua, and Nicholas) all the sons of Coach Michael McBride. … The two best players on the floor during the early game were both freshmen, Joshua McBride and Mississinewa’s Rayveon Fetz. Bellmont’s starting point guard, Daniel Selking (son of Coach Payton Selking) was also a freshman. … The public address announcer sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before both games. … Marion’s head coach is James Blackmon Sr. who played collegiately for the University of Kentucky (1983-87) and was Indiana Mr. Basketball runner-up his senior year at Marion HS to Steve Alford of New Castle Chrysler HS.
Friday – IHSAA 3A Sectional Semifinals at New Castle HS
If there was one Sectional I was looking forward to it was the one at New Castle. Not because there was going to be a fantastic matchup, but because I’d heard so much about New Castle Fieldhouse.
Self-described as the “World’s Largest and Finest High School Fieldhouse” its seating capacity of 8,424 make it the largest such place in the United States (if not the world;-). In fact, of the top 10 largest capacities, eight are found in Indiana. (Find the entire list here.)
From the parking lot it sure doesn’t look like anything special, but upon entry visitors find a track ringing the top and then 24 rows of wooden benches descending to the basketball court. It reminded me of the University of Michigan Stadium (pre-renovations) when folks would walk by the unassuming structure in Ann Arbor and question how 101,000-plus could cram in there on gameday. The answer, much like at New Castle, is the subterranean construction.
Clockwise from upper left, the 1932 Boys’ Basketball State Championship trophy; Steve Alford was the 1983 Indiana Mr. Basketball; New Castle HS inductees to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame; the original center court is displayed; the view from our seat; volleyball state championship trophies above basketball sectional championship trophies; the current logo along the baseline; a reminder you’re in the largest and finest high school fieldhouse; some of the banners hang in the rafters; Kent Benson was 1973 Indiana Mr. Basketball.
Beyond the largese of the venue, there’s also a fair amount of history. As noted above, Steve Alford prepped here before matriculating to Indiana University. A decade before Alford there was another future Hoosier, Kent Benson, who earned Mr. Basketball honors while prepping in New Castle.
The Trojans won state championships in 1932 and 2006 and, similar to Bellmont, have become better known for their girls’ volleyball prowess of late (state championship in 2007 and 2017-2019).
My dad accompanied me to Henry County for these 3A Sectional Semifinals. The opener featured Delta (14-7) versus Yorktown (7-16) and the nightcap found host New Castle (8-14) against Connersville (10-14).
From left, Yorktown inbounds to start the second half of the first game; Connersville gathers for a pre-game huddle; the Connersville student section was ready for action; a view from floor level at the cavernous New Castle Fieldhouse.
The early game was close for much of the first half, but eventually the extended 1-2-2 zone Delta employed took its toll on the Tigers and it pulled away en route to a 49-39 win. The host Trojans ran the pick-and-roll to junior post player Alijah Turner – repeatedly – to perfection and ran way from Connersville, 61-41. Delta bested New Castle, 50-37, the next night to win this Sectional.
- Of Note: While there were probably 3,000 or more fans in the venue near the end of the opening game, it didn’t feel like it, however, because of the size of the fieldhouse. … Look for the New Castle Trojans to have a bounce back season in 2025-26. Their Sectional roster included just two seniors and only three juniors. The remaining nine players were either freshmen or sophomores. … Sadly, the popcorn was borderline unedible due to the amount of salt. Do not fret, I persevered. … Curiously, only one playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” at this Sectional.
Saturday – IHSAA 4A Sectional Championship at Muncie Central HS
It was encouraging to see a line to get into venerable Muncie Fieldhouse.
I had no preconceived expectations about what my cousin Brandon and his daughter, Calah, and I might witness at the Muncie Central 4A Sectional Championship.
In true me fashion, I’d selected this site for a few reasons, none of which entailed extensive research about the competing schools: First, it featured large schools which I’d hoped to see. Second, it was about an hour drive from where I was staying. Third, Muncie Central High School was the opponent of tiny Milan High School (enrollment of 161) back in 1954 when the Milan Miracle occurred and the Indians beat the Bearcats, 32-30, and served as inspiration for the movie, “Hoosiers.” Fourth, Muncie Central itself has won eight Indiana State Championships. Finally, the Muncie Fieldhouse – constructed in 1928 – is the fourth largest in the state (and country) with a capacity of 7,635.
What I was unaware of was: first, entering tournament play, two of the schools in the Sectional were ranked among the Top 5 in the state (No. 4 Greenfield-Central [23-3] and No. 3 Anderson [21-2]). Second, Greenfield-Central senior Braylon Mullins was a 5-star recruit who’s committed to 2-time defending NCAA Champion UConn and is the prohibitive favorite to win Indiana’s Mr. Basketball Award. Third, Mt. Vernon junior Luke Ertel had verbally committed to Purdue University. Fourth, the Muncie Fieldhouse was severely damaged by a tornado in 2017 and needed to be reconstructed. And, finally, the Muncie Central Alumni Association curates a Memorabilia Room that’s open to the public with oodles of historic artifacts from the school’s storied history.
What we got was one whale of an evening!
Just when it looked like I’d witness another high school rout (Greenfield-Central raced to a 14-point first-half lead), Mt. Vernon scrapped back and, thanks in no small part by a 4-point play by Jamaree Collins with under a minute left, and a clutch triple by Ertel in the closing seconds, the Marauders forced overtime.
And, then, another overtime.
And, ultimately, an 83-76 upset by Mt. Vernon (20-5) that denied the Cougars and its star of the school’s first Sectional Championship since 1998.
Mullins finished with a game-high 38 points and Ertel with 36. It was the sort of duel in steamy Muncie Fieldhouse that its walls had probably witnessed hundreds of times throughout its 97 years. That we were able to be there for it was, truly, special.
Clockwise from upper left, a piece of the State Championship net from 1928; a salute to the 1979 Bearcats’ State Champs; the most unique concession item from the eight games attended … a pickle; the Muncie community has been proud Central HS accomplishments; these two boys were crossing just about everything down the stretch; a view from the upper reachers of Muncie Fieldhouse; water damage from the tornado in 2017 made the old court unplayable but they’ve repurposed it along the concourse; one of the greats at Central was Ray McCallum (this was his high school jersey); Mt. Vernon cut down the nets following its win; the line to get in should have been a clue it might be a special night; the trophy cases are full of state championship hardware; and the banners hanging about the Fieldhouse tell the same story (including one from Muncie Southside HS in 2001).
- Of Note: Of the three high school venues visited this was, by far, the best environment I experienced. Certainly having some big-time players on the floor helped, but the fact it was for a championship, was stuffy inside, and had a crowd that was into the game from the opening tip helped make it special. … When I say I had no idea about the players, I really had no idea. In fact, when Brandon leaned over early in the second half and wondered aloud, “Where No. 24 (Mullins) was going to college” we left it to his daughter to do the sleuthing. When Calah informed us it was UConn and that he was a 5-star recruit we both looked at her cross-eyed. She showed us her phone and we began to believe. … The Memorabilia Room was enjoyable to walk through and the hostesses were wonderful. A bit more detail of what visitors were viewing would be helpful. … I was tempted by the pickle from the concession stand, but stuck with my usual, popcorn. It was solid, but not up to the Bellmont bar.
Previously
- Indiana’s Professional Game – Setting the Pace for a Week of Hoosier Hoops
- Indiana’s College Game – Giving Indiana Basketball the Old College Try