Past Related Articles
Subscribe to our NewsletterAnswer to the Quiz
When Clint Parker and Marty Young combined for 1065 points in the 2003/2004 season, they broke a 13 year old record for scoring duos that had been set during the 1990/1991 season. Todd Isaacs (563) and Marc Hutcheson (434) combined for 997 points on the season.
Other high scoring duos include: Larry Garloch (559) and John Reid (390) for 949 in 1968/69, Chandler Lambring (450) and Eric Parker 482 for 932 in 2004/05, Clint Parker (482) and Marty Young (413) in 2002/03, David Benter (526) and Marc Hutcheson (334) for 860 in 1991/92, Jeremy Foster (464) and Mark Strange (383) for 847 in 1993/94, Isaacs (398) and David Waskom (412) for 810 in 1989/90, and Jeff Morning (472) and Troy Stuckwisch (337) for 809 in 1985/86.
Much of the above information can be found in the "Year by Year" section on the left-hand side of the page.
Class Basketball, 50's style
There has been speculation as to what Milan's basketball classification would have been when applied to today's four class system. Fountain Central grad ('82) and current IHSBHS secretary, Gary McGrady, has researched all 751 tournament participants from the 1954 IHSAA basketball tournament and determined just where all teams would stand. In 1954 Milan had an enrollment of 161 which would have put them in class 3A at that time. Other schools which might be considered surprising would be Carmel, which in 1954 had a paltry enrollment of 224 and Pike Township, with only 206. Both schools are now considered among the largest in the state.
As for Jackson County schools, below is the school with the enrollment and 1954 classification (if it existed):
Tampico.........68.....1A
Freetown........74.....2A
Vallonia........80.....2A
Cortland........93.....2A
Medora..........96.....2A
Clearspring....137.....3A
Crothersville..161.....3A
Brownstown.....203.....3A
Seymour........696.....4A
Others schools of note:
Wadena (Benton County)- 23 - the smallest
Tunnelton (Lawrence Co)- 67
Heltonville (Lawrence) - 100
Hanover (Jefferson) - 119
Pekin (Washington) - 151
Austin (Scott) - 183
Orleans (Orange) - 200
Oolitic (Lawrence) - 274
Mitchell (Lawrence) - 354
Scottsburg (Scott) - 385
North Vernon (Jennings) - 406
Salem (Washington) - 508
Bedford (Lawrence) - 552
Columbus (Bartholomew) - 1542
New Albany (Floyd) - 1791
The largest school in the state in 1954 was Indianapolis Tech, with an incredible enrollment of 4463. The next larger schools were Anderson (2541), Indianapolis Shortridge (2332), Kokomo (2007) and Evansville Bosse (1866).
Games of a different era
The photo above shows three team schedules from the 1930's for the Brownstown Bears. A close look at each of these reveals a few things and shows some major differences that have taken place in the last 70-75 years.
First, note the beginning of the season is about one month sooner. No high school football games to contend with in the fall with most of the teams around the area so they started the season earlier. Also, note some of the teams listed. For instance, on the 1931-32 schedule, there are five schools (Shawswick, Freetown, Oolitic, Cortland, Butlerville) that no longer have their own high schools. French Lick is now home to Springs Valley, and North Vernon is now a consolidated school, Jennings County. Note, too, that the Bears scheduled Crothersville, Edinburg, Madison, Cortland, and Oolitic twice. Salem wasn't on the schedule and neither was Scottsburg. It would have made more sense to travel to either of those two places than to play Edinburg twice or travel to New Albany.
The 1935-36 schedule is more intriguing to me. The Bears traveled to Greenwood and West Baden, and played Center Grove and Odon at home along with the Masonic Home. I would assume this was the Masonic Home in Franklin.
I'd like for someone to shed a little light on one thing for me. On the 1932-33 schedule there is listed a "Blind Tourney". I would assume that it was a tourney involving other teams and no one knew who they played until they got there. However, I'm not sure if that's how it operated or not. Brownstown played in a few of these tourneys during the 30's. I was wondering if anyone knew for sure.
(Schedule cards are courtesy of Mr.Joe Robertson and Mr.Carl Shake - Thanks!)
James "Harry" Spurgeon - Mentor and Friend
I was saddened today to learn of the passing of former Coach, Teacher, Principal and Mentor to many - Harry Spurgeon. Mr. Spurgeon was a "Giant" among his peers and friends in the Brownstown Community. He was a mentor to so many people, including my father. While my dad served in the Army during WWII, Harry kept him informed and updated on the happenings back home through an endless chain of letters. Most of what was written was with regards to my dad's friends and classmates and the local basketball scene, since Harry served as the athletic director at Brownstown, and coached 7 years from 1942/43 to 1948/49 where his teams went 83-74 and won sectional titles in 1944 and 1945.
Mr.Spurgeon was also instrumental in helping my father get into college after he returned from the service, first at the University of Nebraska, and then later at Indiana Central College in Indianapolis from where Harry had graduated in 1935 and played basketball for four years. In fact, he recently had been inducted into the University of Indianapolis Hall-of-Fame as a member of the 1934 basketball team that was the Number 1 rated college team in the state that year.
Mr.Spurgeon was the principal at Brownstown Elementary School from 1960 to 1979 where I remember his dominating presence, especially during lunch time. He would walk among the tables, talking and joking with students, and "encouraging" them to eat their vegetables and fruit that they had been served. That encouragement might also include a powerful hand resting upon your shoulder and a menacing look which could get even more so the longer you delayed the inevitable. You knew it was for your own good, even though you didn't want to admit it. Of course, as I look back, I also realize that his bark was a heck of a lot worse than his bite, for as gruff and vocal as he could be, he was actually a very gentle and caring person. In later years, he was always asking about my family.
Brownstown lost a great man with the passing of Mr.Spurgeon. It might be many years before we see another of his stature and character among us. I want to wish my condolences to his family and friends and let them know how much I really enjoyed all my talks with him, and the influence he's had on my life and the lives of many in our community.
James Harry Spurgeon, 92, of Brownstown died at 3:05 a.m. Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at Covered Bridge Health Campus in Seymour.
Mr. Spurgeon was an educator in the Brownstown School system for 43 years, retiring in 1979 after serving as principal of Brownstown Elementary School from 1960 to 1979. He taught at Clearspring High School in 1936 and 1937 and also coached basketball. For eight years, he taught mathematics at Brownstown High School where he was also athletic director and coached sectional and conference championship basketball teams.
From 1955 to 1960, he coached the Marion Kay AAU basketball team, which went to the national championship finals. On Feb. 15, 2005, Mr. Spurgeon was inducted into the University of Indianapolis Hall of Fame as part of the 1933-34 basketball team that was ranked No. 1 in the state. At that time, the school was known as Indiana Central College.
Mr. Spurgeon was a 1931 graduate of Freetown High School and in 1935 earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana Central College where he played basketball for four years. He earned a master’s degree from Butler University in Indianapolis in 1949.
He was an active member of Brownstown United Methodist Church, formerly serving as a Sunday school teacher and Sunday school superintendent.
The funeral will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday at Brownstown United Methodist Church with the Rev. Jack Shake officiating. Calling will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at Spurgeon Funeral Home in Brownstown and from 9 a.m. until service time Saturday at the church. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery in Brownstown.
Memorials may be made to Brownstown United Methodist Church or the Harry Spurgeon Scholarship Fund.
Born in Freetown Oct. 31, 1913, Mr. Spurgeon was the son of Charles and Grace Bower Spurgeon. He married June Denny Oct. 10, 1936, at Butlerville.
Survivors include his wife; sons, Charles (Janet) Spurgeon of Columbus and David (Pam) Spurgeon of Freetown; daughters, Ann (Bruce) Furr of Bloomington and Judy (Steve) McWilliams of Greenwood; grandchildren, Steve Furr, Lance Furr, Rex Furr, Greg Spurgeon, Derek McWilliams, Matt Spurgeon, Doug McWilliams, Carol Ann Gillard, Cheryl Louison, Stephanie McWilliams, Jill Klusman, Kim Hendren, Andrea Spurgeon, Lindsey Spurgeon and Lisa Reifinger; and 25 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by brothers, Ralph and Lloyd Spurgeon; sisters, Nina Bennett and Susan Spurgeon; and both parents.
Top Scoring Freshman Player
The all-time leading freshman scorer for Brownstown Central since 1962 is John Reid in 1966-67. John scored 231 points (in 22 games) on 96 field goals and 39 free throws. John's high game as a freshman was 21 points against Springs Valley. He also scored 20 against Brown County and had 10 other games in which he scored in double-digits. Clint Waskom scored 191 points and pulled down 88 boards as a freshman, David Waskom scored 141 points in 1986-87, Pat McClintock scored 107 points with 61 boards, and Mark Strange scored 40 points.
In my research I've found that not many freshmen have ever played many varsity minutes, let alone be a starter. Others who did play some as freshmen are: Mark Sommers and Gary Terkhorn (1970), Jeff Morning and Troy Stuckwisch (1983), Clay Weir (1987), Jason Watson (1991), Matt Rochner (1993), Brandon Martin (1999), Chandler Lambring, Jared Stahl, and Mason Watson (2002), and Eric Parker (2003).
Of all the players listed above, I believe the only ones who were starters on a regular basis as freshmen were Reid, David Waskom, Clint Waskom and Brandon Martin. I might add that brothers David and Clint Waskom were put into tough situations as starters on some pretty bad teams. Both struggled through their freshmen years, sometimes as the "go-to" guy, but both survived those pressures to have some very good careers. Their combined career total of 2,426 points ranks them just slightly behind the Parker brothers, Clint and Eric, who totalled 2,454 in their careers.
Consolidation Movement destroyed Community
Reprinted from HickoryHusker.com
PINNELL, Ind. -- Some historians have called Indiana 's 1959 School Reorganization Act the most significant piece of legislation in the 20th Century. It may have changed education for the better- even though that, too, is debatable, but it altered small towns and high school basketball even more.
Schools that taught students in all 12 grades became rare. Pupils in elementary grades no longer knew or saw each school day the high school players they idolized. Boys in the fourth grade no longer could dream of playing on the junior high and later the high school team, knowing their chances of making the teams were not always good. Their sense of pride in a team was lost and they no longer were an intimate part of something bigger than themselves.
I was a farm news writer at Purdue University when J. B. Kohlmeyer, an agricultural economist, helped guide the school consolidation plan toward the General Assembly. As a reporter for The Indianapolis News, later, I covered a dozen or so hearings in which the school unions were debated. Much of the criticism came because fans knew they would close township schools whose teams had been the objects of their devotion.
It was a disturbing time for Hoosiers torn between the need to upgrade education and the possible end of neighborhood and small town schools.
They knew all too well that without schools and athletic teams their communities would lose a sense of community that bound them as did generals stores, grain elevators and post offices. School events and basketball games were important to them as it was their neighbors whether they were parents of students or senior citizens without grandchildren.
Their fears would become realities.
It was that way for Epsom after the high school, home of the Epsom Salts, closed. As Henry Wager, a native of the area, told us for our book, Backloads Indiana , "Once the school closed, the town went to nothing." He had seen the school closed, followed by the grocery, and pointed up a street to a vacated building where an old broken bench and rusting clothes dryer sat under the porch roof. Only a stone marker remained at the school's site, a monument to a time that had passed, likely never to return.
Across the state, schools and gyms have been razed or left to become tool sheds for farmers, apartments, ghostly emptiness without purposes. Sure, a few have been maintained by township trustees or community groups. A few are owned by individuals who cared enough to preserve the heritages of their towns and schools.
High school players met new friends from other communities and no longer spent all their time within a narrow circle of their homes.
Some schools that had been community landmarks and meeting places closed. Others, such as at Monroe City , were maintained by community groups. Some gymnasiums were turned over to the township trustee, who kept them as recreation centers. Other schools were razed or left unmentioned to become eyesores.
What once was Pinnell High School now sits unused amid the rich Boone County farm land after bringing pride to the towns of New Brunswick and Milledgeville back in 1962 when it won the Zionsville sectional after defeating Wells, Lebanon and Whitestown.
Now 45 years beyond statewide reorganization that created mega-schools, Hoosiers are told small may have been better after all. Some educators using funds from a Gates Foundation grant have concluded it may be well to break up huge high schools into smaller units.
A consensus appears to suggest that the bigger the school the greater the violence and the lower academic achievement. Educators with whom we talked agreed an enrollment of 800 to 1,000 students is ideal for a four-year high.
Consolidations have led to more religious-based high schools and an increase in the number of home-educated students.
Any move back toward smaller schools, however, cannot correct the damage reorganization has done to small towns, many of which are mere shells of their past. The vibrancy of youth and the spirit of adults faded. The game is no longer the same nor are the towns where general stores have closed, unable to compete against the super Wal-Marts in larger towns. The spirit that united the young and old, rich and poor, no longer remains. And chances are many fans no longer feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves
A high school, once within walking distance, is now miles away. Only the echoes of the past rebound from the walls of the gyms that remain.
* * *
Excerpted in part from Wendell Trogdon's book, "Who Killed Hoosier Hysteria." He may be contacted at 317-831-2815 or at wend@iquest.net
A Bad Night In Clearspring
CLEARSPRING, Ind. -- The exact year, likely the 1948-49 season, forgotten in the pages of time. The details, however, remain vivid.
Home from college for the weekend, a few of us drove from Heltonville to near by Clearspring to see the Hometown Warriors meet a team from Indianapolis called Crispus Attucks.
It was a time when the Attucks Tigers were basketball nomads, making long trips to small schools like Clearspring, Freetown , Rossville, Vallonia, Pine Village and Windfall because most Indianapolis teams declined to schedule the all-black team.
The Tigers didn't look impressive when they took the floor. They had no fancy warm-up suits, just pants and jerseys that looked like underwear vests, faded green with small yellow numbers that were hard to read. The players did go through some fancy pregame passing routines that no one in rural areas used.
The game stayed close throughout the first half before Clearspring eased ahead, 20-17. Any close call made by the officials went to the home team. After years on the road, Fitzhugh Lyons, the Attucks coach, had learned to expect no favors or much consideration.
The officiating didn't improve in the second half when Attucks tied the score in the second half at 20-20, 30-30, 34-34, 36-36, and 40-40. Clearspring finally pulled ahead to win 45-43. (Figures from newspaper coverage of the game).
The referees' calls were not only questionable, they were awful. Coach Lyons walked off the floor to a brick wall and pounded his fists against it in frustration. He had experienced bad calls before, but he hadn't grown accustomed to the unfairness.
One of us checked the scorebook. Attucks had made two more field goals, but Clearspring had an 11-5 edge in made free throws.
The personal fouls, some doubtful, some bad, made the difference.
Coach Lyons calmed down, shook hands with a school official and said, "Thanks for having us."
"The pleasure was ours," Lyons was told. He didn't smile at the irony of that comment as he followed his players out to the parking lot where they boarded privately-owned cars for the 70-mile drive home.
Ray Crowe replaced Lyons as Attucks coach and led the Tigers to the Final Four of the state tournament in 1951. The big city schools no longer could ignore the team they had shunned for so many years.
(When I recalled the game years later in a "Those Were the Days" column for "The Indianapolis News," I received a thank you letter from Coach Lyons' widow. She recalled similar Attucks games, poor officiating, the hardships that came with driving long distances over narrow roads on snowy nights, and the lack of places that were available for the team to stop for meals en route back to Indianapolis.
Teams from Crispus Attucks of Indianapolis won three titles between championships by South Bend Central and Fort Wayne South. Players from Bob Jewell, Hallie Bryant, Willie Gardner, Oscar Robertson and Willie Merriweather became household words in homes across the state and welcomed at schools across Indiana .
*** *** ***
From Wendell Trogdon's book, "Who Killed Hoosier Hysteria?, which is available by sending $15.00 (plus 6 percent sales tax) to Backroads Press, P.O. Box 651, Mooresville IN 46158.
Quiz Time!
Consolidation of school districts that began in the early 50's and continued into the 70's is said to have been the biggest reason for the decline of many small communities throughout the state. Consolidation, it was argued, would strip the identities away from the smaller towns. Though Milan is generally thought of when discussing small town programs, there were very many good small school programs in this area, including Freetown, Oolitic, Needmore, and Shawswick (3 20-win seasons and 2 sectional titles in the 50's)to name a few.
Here's the question: What consolidation in Indiana took in the most former high schools? (They might not have all joined in the same year, but the final consolidation represented the most former high schools.)
ANSWER TO QUIZ
Huntington North High School represents a consolidation of 14 former high-schools. These include: Andrews, Banquo, Bippus, Clear Creek, Huntingon, Huntington Township, Jefferson Township, Lancaster Center, Markle, Monument City, Roanoke, Rock Creek, Union Township, and Warren.
As far as local schools, Jennings County represents 10 former schools (Butlerville, Hayden, Lovett, Marion Township, North Vernon, Paris Crossing, San Jacinto, Scipio, Vernon, and Zenas); Bedford North-Lawrence includes nine schools (Bedford, Fayetteville, Heltonville, Marshall Township, Oolitic, Shawswick, Springville, Tunnelton, and Williams). (Note: Marshall Township was also known as Needmore).
Love For The Game
Tournament time brings back memories for KSU letterman
(above) MEMBERS of the 1939-40 Kansas State basketball team, including Brownstown resident Joe Robertson, finished an injury-riddled season with a 5-13 record and finished fourth in the Big Six conference, the predecessor to the modern Big XII.
By Chad Fleetwood - The Banner
When the Kansas State University Wildcats take the floor to face off with the University of Southern California in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 7 p.m. tonight, one local man will surely be watching. Joe Robertson played varsity basketball for Kansas State University for three years, graduating in 1940.
In the fall of 1939, Robertson was one of four returning lettermen for the Wildcats. Robertson is often asked if his team was any good, to which his response is positive but qualified. “When we were healthy, I think we may have been as good as anyone,” Robertson said. “By Christmas we had won three non-conference games and had also beaten Colorado State, Nebraska, and Missouri in the conference. We lost by one point to famous coach Phog Allen’s Kansas University Jayhawks. Of course we were cheated,” Robertson continued. Allen’s Jayhawk squad went on the finals that year, falling to Branch McCracken’s Hurryin’ Hoosiers from Indiana University in the championship game.
Robertson made a free throw in the closing seconds of the team’s season opener to secure a win over heavily favored Baker College. In the next game versus Doane College, Robertson led the Wildcats with 10 points in a 46-28 victory. Robertson’s nine second- half points helped secure K-State’s win over Colorado State in the team’s first road game of the season. Joe was again instrumental in another upset, scoring 12 points to help lift his team over Creighton, marking the first time K-State had ever beaten the Bluejays. After helping the Wildcats notch Big Six conference wins over Nebraska and Iowa State, Robertson’s season was essentially ended during a road game with Oklahoma. Joe suffered a broken ankle within the first five minutes of the contest but finished the game with a taped-up ankle.
Robertson played for legendary coach Jack Gardner, who ironically played his collegiate ball at USC. Gardner was instrumental in developing the fast-break style of offense that is the cornerstone of modern college basketball. He demanded that his players be in peak physical condition, focusing on nutrition and proper rest as keys to keeping his team in the kind of shape his up-tempo offensive and pressure defensive philosophies required. Gardner became head coach at K-State at the age of 29, the youngest head coach in Division 1 basketball, making him the Bob Knight of his era. Aptly nicknamed “Jack the Builder,” Gardner laid the foundation for future success at Kansas State. In ten seasons with the program he notched three conference championships, two Final Four appearances, and produced four All-Americans.
Robertson had great respect and friendship for Gardner. In a letter sent in 1950 to members of the 1939-40 Wildcat squad, Gardner expressed his closeness to his first team at K-State. “For some reason I really feel closer to that 1939-40 team, than any I have had at Kansas State. Maybe it’s because our ages are more nearly the same, or because we sort of started out together here,” Gardener stated. Joe recently received a letter from current K-State head coach Frank Martin. Part of the letter was an invitation to Joe as a “Wildcat Legend” to attend the annual Wildcat Legends Reunion for basketball lettermen of the past. Included with the invitation was a list of names of former players and the last year they played for K-State. Robertson’s date of 1940 is the oldest on the 2007 list, making him the basketball program’s oldest living letterman. The game of basketball may have changed through the years, when Joe played there was no three-point shot, but when retracing the steps of how the game got to where it is today Robertson’s footprint is right there among the legends of the game.
Hoosier Hysteria historian
Herb Schwomeyer was the perfect person to write the book on Indiana's high school basketball tournament -- he was there for most of them. Schwomeyer attended his first Indiana high school basketball State Finals in 1932. He didn't miss one until 2005 when he broke his arm. Said Schwomeyer: "It's been fun, until class basketball." - Alan Petersime / The Star
By Phillip B. Wilson (Indianapolis Star)
A Look past the black-and-white picture with President Ford as well as faded images of legendary Butler coach Tony Hinkle, and what stands out in two framed collages on Herb Schwomeyer's living room wall is a ticket.
The $1.25 stub is from March 17, 1934, at the "New Butler Field House," site of the Indiana high school boys basketball State Finals.
"Logansport beat the team that should have won, Tech," said Schwomeyer, who was in 10th grade then.
Two years earlier, Schwomeyer had attended his first State Finals. He didn't miss one for the next 73 years until he broke his arm in 2005.
When not involved with a 41-year academic career -- all but three at Butler, most as dean of men -- and a rich home life with a wife and two daughters, Schwomeyer consumed himself with basketball. He played at Manual High School and Butler, assisted Hinkle as a coach, was a referee and also assisted with State Finals telecasts. While working on his doctorate at Indiana University, he pledged to compile a history of Indiana high school boys basketball.
"They said I would never complete it," he said. "So I did."
Eight days from his 90th birthday, the man who compiled nine editions of "Hoosier Hysteria" as well as a "Hoosier Hersteria" for girls -- featuring comprehensive statistical data from every state tournament -- will be honored today by about 200 family members and friends in a 2 p.m. open house at Butler's Robertson Hall.
"It's been fun," Schwomeyer said this past week with a smile and reflective pause before his eyebrows creased and he added, "until class basketball."
Schwomeyer's daughters, Sandy Lamb and Judy Sladky, organized the open house. His wife of 48 years, Freda, died in 1987.
"I'm so glad we can do this for him while he's still alive, active and getting around," Lamb said.
Even now, as he resides in an assisted living home in Greenwood, fans phone the Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer when they want to know something.
"They call from taverns or from wherever they are having an argument," he said.
A stroke, pacemaker, diabetes and advanced age haven't erased facts learned from visiting every high school in the state nine times. (Yes, he says, nine times each.)
When discussing Tech's folly in 1934, he notes how that team was one of the first to join a "Could of, should of" list of vanquished finalists. And where's the list? He taps the side of his head.
"He knows all the pie bakers as well as the schools," said Tom Carnegie, 88, longtime Indy 500 announcer who also worked with Schwomeyer at the State Finals. "He told me about a cherry pie place in Morgantown about a week ago.
"He still knows what's going on. How he does it, I have no idea."
Bobby Plump, who hit Milan's famed title-winning shot in 1954, recalled how Hinkle used to address Schwomeyer as "Swo."
"I had him as a teacher (at Butler) and loved him," said Plump, 71. "He taught the way he talks to you. It wasn't like a lecture. He made it all-inclusive."
When Schwomeyer wants to watch an old game, he pops in that 1954 finale on VHS.
"I don't like the DVDs," he said. "I'm old-fashioned."
He's just as succinct when summing up more than 9,000 public speeches in six decades.
"Whatever they want to hear in 20 minutes," he said. "Don't go over that, though."
It's never been about 20 minutes of fame.
"Indiana basketball has just always been a real pleasure for me," he said.
When the Frost is on the Punkin (Hoosier style)
INDIANA -- When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock... With apologies to James Whitcomb Riley, autumn means far more to Hoosiers than just harvest time and football games. Good Hoosier friends, that most special time of year has now arrived. Indiana high school basketball season is with us again - Our gals start practice this week!
Good Hoosier folks get the feeling that soon neighborhood gyms will rock.
Idle hands kept heartland keyboards a-clickn' with predictions,
Pining away the summer months dreamin' smells of popcorn a-fixen'.
There's something kinda' harty-like about the atmusfere,
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here.
It gets the blood a pumpin' and a mind a-ready to pace,
For every Indiana soul is ready for the upcoming hardwood race.
But any good Hoosier'll tell ya, AAU is just a hair short-a treason.
It's that real season that means the most under ev'ry gym light's gleam,
True sideline teachers training Hoosierland's best to be part of a team.
When that wind begins to turn and the temperature dips just a bit,
Hoosier minds start to wander, folks get to talkin' and pipes get a-lit.
Indiana cafes, barbershops and water'n holes in tiny little hamlets,
Start harkenen back to by gone days of glory teams and near miss damn-its.
Stories of exploits and near misses 3-2-1 in-and-outs.
Help'n all us Hoosier souls paint that valuable background picture,
Givin' folks a sense of past and makin' this season much richer.
Then the balls'll start a-bouncing, like they do each annu'll fall,
The sound'll fall soft on Hoosier ears like a fav'rble chargin' call.
E'vn with the changes that have shaken our great game,
You know what's coming, and boy is sure seems the same.
Distant crowd noise, gym windows glow, ticket'n hand pressed hot.
And with your corn a-pop'n and dear friends sittin' near,
Any feller'll be tempted to drop a Hoosier tear.
I don't know how to tell it-but ef such a thing could be,
If God himself would come a-calling and want to visit me.
No host could ask for more - a game, a ticket, a gym, and a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
Patoka-Mackey game in 1958 still puzzling
(reprinted from the Indianapolis Star)
Patoka had eight players dress in a 1958 game against Mackey. None were on floor at the end.
By Kyle Neddenriep
kyle.neddenriep@indystar.com
MACKEY and PATOKA, Ind. -- In more than a century of high school basketball in the state of Indiana, there have been enough memorable games to fill dozens of books.
But for fans of the truly bizarre, it doesn't get much better than the scene that unfolded in the tiny basement gym at Mackey High School on Jan. 31, 1958.
More than 50 years later, the former players of the long-since consolidated Mackey Aces and Patoka Wrens of Gibson County in southwest Indiana are still asked about that game, including the most commonly posed question: "What the heck happened that night?"
The answers are worn with time. Even the 200 people crammed into the four rows of bleachers and balcony overhead at the Mackey gym probably would have had a difficult time describing what they saw as they filed out into the cold winter air after Patoka fouled out all eight of its players.
"It was like a dream -- or maybe a nightmare," former Patoka forward Ray Stuckey said. "I've never seen anything like it and I still don't understand it."
Scene set
Mackey was a very good team in 1957-58, led by Ronnie McGillem, a quick 5-9 guard who averaged more than 20 points a game. Larry Georges was only 5-11, but a tough, rugged rebounder. At 6-1, Donnie Memmer was a rail-thin center with a good shooting touch. Larry Besing and Dewain Kramer also started, with Dale Bethe playing a key role off the bench.
Jim Skelton, a 24-year-old Mackey native, was in his first year as coach.
In March, the Aces came within an eyelash of winning a sectional, the dream of all small schools. After beating rival Francisco in overtime, Mackey took Princeton down to the wire before losing 46-42. A much larger school, Princeton would go on to win the regional and one game at the Evansville Semi-state.
"We missed seven free throws in the last quarter against Princeton," Skelton remembered. "We had a pretty good team, we just didn't have a whole lot of size."
Patoka, meanwhile, was three years removed from its only sectional championship winning team of 1955. Everett Wilson took over as coach for Herman Sollman in the fall of '55 and had a good team again in 1957-58, although Patoka -- despite its substandard field -- was better known for its baseball teams.
"We had a terrible place to play -- it was mostly hard sand -- but we won 117 games and lost 11 while I was there," said Wilson, who also coached baseball at the school until 1963.
Patoka loaded the bus Jan. 31, 1958, for the 22-mile trip to Mackey with a representative (it finished 12-8) but short-handed team. The Wrens would find out just how short-handed once the game started.
Short bench
Two of Patoka's younger, little-used players didn't make the game that Friday night because of illness, leaving the Wrens with eight players.
"I remember (Wilson) was mad because word didn't get to him that they weren't coming," said Stuckey, a retired farmer who lives less than a mile east of Patoka.
From the outset, Mackey's McGillem was more than Patoka could handle. In trying to stop him -- McGillem finished with 29 points -- the Wrens began racking up the fouls.
"They were calling it pretty close," said Larry Hedge, then a junior starter for Patoka. "And it just got out of hand."
What happened next -- and how it came to be -- depends on whom you believe.
Mackey extended its lead to 16 points in the third quarter when frustrated Patoka players began to foul out. When Hedge fouled out late in the third quarter, the Wrens were left with five players.
"I think they were (fouling) on purpose," said Mackey's Kramer, then a sophomore starter and now a dentist in Fairfield, Ill. "We were getting way ahead and they just kept fouling us."
Not so, say the former Wrens. To this day, Wilson believes it was "homer" referees that cost Patoka.
"Back in those days, there was a lot of stuff like that," Wilson said. "Not to the extreme of that night, but it happened a lot."
The referees were Warren Griese, Evansville, and Paul Meyer, Vincennes. Griese died eight years ago and Meyer, 82, said recently that he doesn't remember the game.
The fouls continued to mount for Patoka in the fourth quarter. A fourth player fouled out, leaving the Wrens with just four on the floor. Then three. Then two. Only Stuckey and senior guard Mike Gilpatrick remained on the court with a few minutes left.
Skelton -- who coincidentally had encountered a similar situation earlier in the season in a 110-26 win over Hazelton -- pulled one of his players off the floor every time a Patoka player fouled out.
"The strangest thing was that this had also happened in the Hazelton game," Kramer said. "With about 15 seconds left against Hazelton, they were left with one player. I was the only one out there for our team. I couldn't throw the ball in so the ref just motioned me to dribble it in and I dribbled for a few seconds (against Hazelton's John Hyneman) until the clock ran out."
This time, the clock didn't have a chance to run out. Gilpatrick fouled out with less than a minute left, leaving only Stuckey in the game. His coach remembers the conversation that followed.
"He didn't want to be the last one out there," Wilson said. "He didn't want to go back out on the floor. I said, 'You're going out there, bud, whether you like it or not.' "
Although stories at the time reported that it came down to a one-on-one game between Stuckey and Mackey's Georges, Stuckey said another Mackey player -- which would have been Bethe -- stayed in the game.
It didn't matter. Georges made his first foul shot and missed the second. In the scrum for the rebound, Stuckey fouled Georges.
"He got out of there in a hurry," Wilson said with a laugh. "That's probably the only honest foul we had all night."
With several seconds still on the clock and all eight Patoka players disqualified, the referees called the game. Mackey won 70-56.
Looking back
Sitting in his dining room almost 52 years later, Stuckey, 68, is surprised people still like to talk about the game.
"The stories get bigger and bigger over the years; that's how it always goes," he said. "There was talk about it around school the next few days, but I'm surprised people remember it. It was like we were in the Twilight Zone that night. It was such a strange game and I guess that's why people remember it and ask about it."
Though no one knew it at the time, it wouldn't be long before neither Patoka or Mackey had a school of its own. Patoka was consolidated with Hazelton into White River in 1963 and two years later that school was swallowed up by Princeton. In 1967, Mackey, Oakland City and Francisco were consolidated to form Wood Memorial.
"The town really died after that," Stuckey said of Patoka. "It's like it's no town at all."
Huntingburg’s Memorial Gym a hidden gem
Opened in 1951, Southridge’s gym has become a basketball cathedral
HUNTINGBURG — It doesn’t dominate the southern Indiana skyline. There’s no signature architectural design.
Turn your head for a split second as you sail down Ind. 231, and you’ll miss it.
But in spite of its inauspicious outward appearance, the Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium is a basketball landmark.
Enter the fire-engine red doors, walk up a slight incline and a non-descript building opens into a vintage hoops cathedral.
“It’s almost like a religion,” said Gene Morgan, who was a sophomore on the Huntingburg JV team when the doors opened in 1951. “Memorial Gym is not just a basketball palace, it’s a sacred place.”
The 6,092-seat gym — larger than the entire population of Huntingburg at the time it was built — has no sky boxes or luxury suites, just a steady ringof bleachers descending to the floor that fans have filled for regular-season, sectional, regional and semistate basketball games over the last 59 years.
This weekend, the Class 2A Southridge Regional returns to the bowl structure, featuring top-ranked and unbeaten Brownstown Central (25-0) — the only other unbeaten team in the state is Bloomington South. The Braves’ run to the 2009 2A state championship game also passed through Huntingburg, beginning with a 38-35 victory over Bloomfield in the regional semifinal a year ago.
As Brownstown takes aim at history, it is the sense of a long and illustrious history that makes Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium special.
“It’s corny, but it is kind of a Hinkle Fieldhouse,” said Brett Bardwell, the athletic director at Southridge High School — the product of Holland and Huntinburg’s consolidation. “It’s got an amazing tradition. When you walk in, it’s got a feel that’s hard to put into words.
”It’s a great old barn.”
According to the Huntingburg Press, that barn cost $350,000 to build and was the third-largest “goal house” in the state at the time, trailing only Muncie Central and Kokomo.
“A lot of people scoffed at the idea that we built such a large gym,” Morgan said. “But it’s proved a valuable tool.”
A tool that hosted many great games and players, many of which are immortalized in pictures and plaques on the walls.
“Scott Rolen (Jasper), Don Buse (Indiana Pacers), Gene Tormohlen (
For Bardwell, who is in his 11th year as AD at his alma mater, one player stands out.
“I saw Larry Bird play there when I was a little kid, and I’ll never forget it,” he said.
But even such a hallowed hall lasts only so long. And earlier this decade, it became apparent that Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium’s basketball tradition could become only a memory.
“Being a 50-year-old building, it was getting to that point where we had to do something,” Bardwell said. “If we were going to keep it another 50 years, something had to be done.”
Morgan helped spearhead a fund-raising effort that began with a silent auction that featured Milan great Bobby Plump as the guest speaker. Sports memorabilia was auctioned off, including autographed baseballs from Pete Rose, as well as signed basketballs from Bird and Bob Knight.
The community rallied behind the cause, resulting in a $300,000 renovation project that included a new floor, a new PA system, new windows, upgraded lockerrooms and restrooms, handrails for the stairs and a power wash for the outside of the gym.
“You can build new facilities and new gyms, but you cannot create 50-60 years of tradition,” Bardwell said. “That’s something our community wants to hang onto.”
And tradition is the right word when it comes to Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium.
“It’s a gem,” Morgan said. “G-e-m.”
Huntingburg history
Area teams figure prominently in the history of Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium. Mitchell was the guest of honor for the building’s dedication game on Nov. 13, 1951, a 44-36 loss for the Blue Jackets.
Bloomfield won a regional title there in 1965 as did Bedford in 1969. More recently, Paoli won regional titles in 1998-99.
On the negative side of the ledger, Eastern lost in the semistate at Huntingburg in 2001 and also dropped regional games there in 2005 and 2006.
Bloomington High School was also once a member of the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference alongside Huntingburg and would have played in the gym from its debut through 1963.
Greatest Indiana High School Teams
1. Crispus Attucks 1955-56 (31-0)
2. Lawrence North 2005-06 (29-0)
3. Crispus Attucks 1954-55 (30-1)
4. Indianapolis Washington 1968-69 (31-0)
5. East Chicago Washington 1970-71 (29-0) The Senators were ranked No. 1 nationally by the National Sports News Service, the producers of the first national rankings. Washington featured future NBA standout Junior Bridgeman, future UCLA guard Pete Trgovich and future major league pitcher Tim Stoddard.
6. Marion 1984-85 (29-0)
7. East Chicago Roosevelt 1969-70 (28-0) Sandwiched in between two legendary single-class state title clubs, the Rough Riders are arguably the most overlooked team of all-time in Indiana. The Rough Riders were led by arguably the state's most underappreciated individual talent, the late Jim Bradley.
8. Muncie Central 1959-60 (28-1)
9. Marion 1986-87 (29-1)
The Nostalgia of High School Basketball
It’s been more than a decade since all of the boys high school basketball teams in Indiana fought for the honor of being crowned the state’s only champion, but there’s talk now of returning to a single-class high school basketball tournament.
The Indiana High School Athletics Association has agreed to reopen the debate under pressure from the legislature and they’re turning directly to fans for input.
Next to the Indianapolis 500, high school basketball is one of the best-known Hoosier traditions outside of Indiana. When the IHSAA holds public meetings meets in April to discuss the issue, they’ll be talking about more than a procedural change. They’ll be debating the future of an Indiana institution.
But nostalgia may run higher than support when it comes to “Hoosier Hysteria.”
On a recent Friday night the smell of fresh popcorn and sweat pours out of the Brown County High School gymnasium. On the floor, the home team gradually gives away points. In the end, they lose 41–47 to Edgewood. This is the junior varsity game. The main event starts in about an hour.
Ron Allen’s grandson will soon be out there. 60 years ago, it was Allen himself hurrying up and down the court four games a week for one of the biggest basketball programs in the state — New Castle. When Allen played,10,000 people crowded games at the New Castle Fieldhouse four nights a week.
The state championship still draws that kind of attendance, but in those days, schools even regular season games to sell out. Sellouts today are much less common — the New Castle Fieldhouse hasn’t sold out for any basketball game since 1996.
It would be natural to assume Allen is waiting expectantly for the return of “Hoosier Hysteria”. A return to the old single-class system that many says made Indiana basketball great.
“At first I didn’t think I’d like the class, but I think it’s okay,” Allen says.
That hardly sounds like a ringing endorsement of single-class basketball. Everyone with whom StateImpact spoke at the game shared that sentiment.
At the root of this discussion are deceptively complex questions: Should small schools have the opportunity to compete with Indiana’s powerhouse teams or is it unfair to the little guys who just don’t have the resources to compete?
In 1997, the IHSAA did away with the century-old tournament citing complaints from coaches and athletic directors that the format wasn’t fair.
Back in Brown County, the varsity game has started and Coach Roger Fleetwood, is pacing up and down the court. He doesn’t yell or harass the referee. Instead he guides the players with a quiet word on the sideline or in the huddle during time outs.
“They were wonderful days,” Fleetwood says. “Wonderful days in Indiana, but it will never be the same.”
The push to return to a single-class system seems to be motivated more by feelings of nostalgia than anything else. IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox says the group is willing to return to the old system, but ultimately it’s up to the fans to decide.
“We did it for a hundred years,” Cox says. “We can continue to do it.”
Indiana names All-Century boys' team
March 26, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS — More than 50 years ago, two young men who someday would rank among Indiana’s greatest basketball legends crossed paths at Butler Fieldhouse.
On one side was senior Bobby Plump of the Milan Indians. On the other stood sophomore sensation Oscar Robertson of powerhouse Indianapolis Attucks. It was 1954 and a trip to the state finals awaited the winner.
Attucks led early, but Milan pulled ahead and played keepaway in the second half to win, 65-52. As Plump recalls, he scored 28 points. Robertson, who became one of the NBA’s all-time greats, scored 22.
“I keep telling Oscar he has to respect me,” Plump said with a laugh. “I don’t refer to the fact that I was a senior and he was a sophomore.”
Added Plump: “I think he was the best player I ever saw.”
Two games later, Plump hit the shot of his life in the closing seconds of the state final against Muncie Central. With time winding down, Plump drove from near the mid-court circle, then cut to his right and pulled up from about 15 feet. The shot was good, Milan won 32-30, and a David-vs.-Goliath story that has survived generations emerged.
The story, and that final shot, inspired the 1986 movie, “Hoosiers.”
“Everybody in Indiana was familiar with what happened in 1954 because they kind of lived through that thing, or they heard tales passed down,” said Plump, 73. “It used to be I’d meet people and they’d say, ‘I saw that game.’ Now people say ‘My grandfather told me about that game.’≔
As for Robertson, the loss to Milan marked the only time he lost a state tournament game. The next year, he led Attucks to the title, making it the first all-black team in win a state championship. He followed it up by leading Attucks to the first unbeaten state championship season in state history in 1956.
Plump and Robertson, perhaps more than any other two players in state history, inspired Indiana boys — black and white, city and country — to dream of playing in the state tournament. In honor of the 100th state tournament, which will conclude Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse, the Associated Press compiled an Indiana All-Century team.
Larry Bird, an all-century pick who averaged 30.6 points and 20.6 rebounds per game as a senior at Springs Valley in 1974, said the memories of pursuing a state title live long after the dribbling stops.
“If you go around the state, most guys played basketball on some level,” he said. “When I see a lot of my friends who played in high school but didn’t get to play in college, that’s all they talk about. They remember the coaches, they remember the cheerleaders, they remember the scores of games, and that’s their life.”
The members of the team, in alphabetical order, are: Steve Alford, New Castle; Damon Bailey, Bedford North Lawrence; Kent Benson, New Castle; Larry Bird, Springs Valley; Hallie Bryant, Indianapolis Attucks; Mike Conley, Lawrence North; Bill Garrett, Shelbyville; Terry Dischinger, Terre Haute Garfield;
Gene Keady, who recruited the state for 25 years as Purdue’s head coach, offered a list of all-time greats. Later in the conversation, he realized he had skipped a few.
“You start forgetting many of these guys,” he said. “That’s easy to do in Indiana. It’s amazing how many players come out of Indiana, per capita. The state has the best players in the history of the game.”
Former Pacers coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard, who played high school basketball at Terre Haute Gerstmeyer but was better known for his success at Indiana University, said towns often were identified by their high school basketball teams.
“When I was in high school, there were 714 teams in the state tournament,” Leonard, 77, said. “That’s before a lot of consolidation. And there’s a lot of schools that had 20 kids in the graduating class, and everybody played.
“All those little towns, those gyms were packed on Friday night. When it got to state tournament time, they closed the barber shops, the drug stores and everything else, and everybody headed to the basketball game.
INDIANA ALL-CENTURY TEAM
Steve Alford, New Castle
Damon Bailey, Bedford NL
Kent Benson, New Castle
Larry Bird, Springs Valley
Hallie Bryant, Indpls. Attucks
Mike Conley, Lawrence North
Terry Dischinger, T.H. Garfield
Bill Garrett, Shelbyville
Eric Gordon, North Central (Indpls.)
Billy Keller, Indpls. Washington
Clyde Lovellette, T.H. Garfield
George McGinnis, Indpls. Washington
Rick Mount, Lebanon
Greg Oden, Lawrence North
Bobby Plump, Milan
Zach Randolph, Marion
Jimmy Rayl, Kokomo
Oscar Robertson, Indpls. Attucks
Glenn Robinson, Gary Roosevelt
Scott Skiles, Plymouth
Homer Stonebraker, Wingate
Deshaun Thomas, F.W. Luers
Dick Van Arsdale, Indpls. Manual
Tom Van Arsdale, Indpls. Manual
John Wooden, Martinsville
Middle School Tryouts and other Matters of Life and Death
A great article copied from Hickory Husker. Great read for anyone who has ever experienced try-outs for basketball (or any other sport), for parents and for coaches. Basketball can be a cruel sport in school because kids and coaches sometimes get caught up in the "numbers game", yet it's an amazing sport to play that can continue on well past your school years.
How much of life is competition? It seems like so much of it is. Just off the top of my head I can think of competing for grades, sports, girls, and friends. It can stress me out sometimes, but I guess I am caught up in it and I can't get out of it.
 |
 |
During tryouts I am a bundle of nerves. I know I can be good sometimes, but I also know that I can truly stink at times. Which one will the coach see? And if I do stink, do I stink less than the other kid? You see, if I stink less than another kid, I'll still make the team.
There is even competition in what we wear at tryouts. The cool, rich kids have the expensive shoes, already knowing that they are going to make it. There are the kids who have pretty descent shoes, but not the real expensive ones. There are the kids with the pathetic cheap shoes on. You almost want to cry for those kids. Then there are the kids with shoes that were once really good; they are just very old and dirty.
My parents would not buy me an expensive pair of shoes until I actually made the team, so I was trying to play in some pretty pathetic shoes. I remember the selling point of my gay shoes….suction cups. That's right, the bottom of my basketball shoe had craters in them. They said they were suction cups, but they were actually just craters. I didn't want anyone to see the bottom of my shoes. I was so embarrassed. But on occasion, someone saw the bottom and said, "What are those?"
"Ah…suction cups."
"Do they work?"
"Oh yeah…I really stick to the floor well. I could probably walk up the wall if I wanted to." Then I run away before anyone asks me to.
During tryouts I am always trying to be smarter than the other kid. If the coach taught something, I try to do exactly what he said in the next drill. I am trying to show him that I may be bad, but I am learning. I am not looking for the glamour spot on the team. I just want a spot on the team. On the other hand there is my good friend, Mark Redford. He is going to make the team, but he is very nervous. As we sat in the bleachers, waiting for our turn to do something, I had noticed that no one was doing what the coach just taught. Instead of waiting until I got called on the court to demonstrate it correctly, I told Mark to remember it. He was so thankful as he ran in to play. Within a minute, the coach blew his whistle and proclaimed to all the kids that Mark was listening to the lesson and he loved it. Oh, but that could have been me.
I stole a peek at the coaches' clipboard the other day. I saw by my name three and a half stars...but what does that mean? Is that good? I tried to see what other people had, some had five or more stars, but most had only one. I think I'm in a pretty good position. I told some friends of mine what I saw and they were dying to know how many stars they had by their name. I didn't want to tell them the truth, as some were in the one to two star area. I just said I couldn't remember. Then again, what if the stars mean something insignificant?
Day after day goes by and I worry that I will get cut. I think I am playing well, but the coach doesn't act like he likes me. I am not a real popular guy in school. The coach is best friends with Bobby Mitchell. He's going to make it for sure and I don't think he's really that good. But if the coach needs a ball, he asks Bobby to get it for him. If he needs a volunteer, he calls for Bobby. That is a very good sign if you are a kid trying out for the team.
The cuts are just a few days away. Competition...is driving me insane.
They announced the cuts in basketball today. The coach called us around and announced the names of the people he was going to keep. With great agony, I stood there and listened to name after name until he reached the end. I was not on the list.
Devastated? I wanted to die. I don't know how I got to the locker room and changed clothes without crying. No one said a word to me. They knew better. When I reached the car, my mom didn't have to say anything. I cried all the way home. When I got home I went to my room and all night long I felt like dying. I never came off the bed.
That was one of the longest nights in my life. I had always wanted to be a basketball player. I shot in my driveway and the neighbor's driveway for thousands of hours. I joined little league and I played against everyone I could find. I thought I was at least a regular player, not bad and not great. But Coach Riley had decided that I stunk, and I just died, over and over again.
I remembered the time they built a highway right through my neighborhood, cutting me off from all the other kids who played basketball. I couldn't play against kids my own age, as all the kids on my side of the highway were about 4-8 years old. I used to invite all of them, maybe a dozen of them onto the basketball court. I let them use plastic bats, toys, anything they wanted to, and they could hit me and chase me around the court as I worked on dribbling to get away from them. One little kid road his tricycle after me! I couldn't hurt them, so I couldn't get a charging foul by running one of them over. It was a great idea. We laughed and the little kids loved it! When I decided to stop the little kids decided they were not going to stop and they attacked me with their toys, beating me pretty hard! I rolled on the ground and laughed, but had to eventually get up and run away! I had about a dozen little kids chasing me around the neighborhood with their toys. I guess I had created a monster.
There were other times where I used my dog to work on things. She loved the basketball and used to try to chase it while I was working on shooting and dribbling. When I had friends to play with, before the highway, I used to scold my dog for bothering me. Now I was trying to entice her into doing it again. She caught on and I had another practice partner.
I loved basketball so much that I played in the cold. Not just 40 degrees, I mean 20 degrees, 10 degrees. It didn't matter how cold it was. I used a rubber squeegee to push the snow off the black top drive way and wore a couple of sweatshirts to keep warm. (I could not shoot in a winter coat) I used one ball and had another sitting on the heat register in the house. When one ball froze and wouldn't bounce, I went and exchanged it for the other one. My hands were usually red and frozen, but I kept trying. The wind could blow so hard the ball went sailing no where near the hoop, but I just stood there and waited for the wind to die down. Then I shot again, and again.
When it wasn't winter I played until it was late and I mean really late. My parents (later just my mom) didn't care. They could see me just two houses away. The neighbors kept their outside light on and allowed me to shoot until I wanted to go home. I am talking about playing basketball until midnight, or even later. No kidding. No one cared. I played and shot 100s of times a night. From the floodlight on the neighbor's house, the shadow I cast was about 20-30 feet tall. It was kind of majestic. Little kids around the neighborhood who were sent to bed by their parents, used to crawl to their windows and watch me shoot. They were supposed to be asleep, but they stared out of the window and watched me shoot instead. When I made a long one, they cheered, until their parents came running into their room to scold them for not being asleep. Later they could only watch, and make little noises if I made a long one.
I used to ride my bike about five miles to the old high school, the one no one used anymore. It had one of those ancient gym floors, with funny foul lines painted on it. It didn't compare to the new gym at the new high school, but that is what I wanted. You could not sneak into the new gym, but the old one was pretty easy.
I just walked around, trying every window, hoping to find a way into the building. Usually there was a window open. I pushed it open more and crawled through. I then snuck down to the little gym and started playing. Usually a custodian chased me out, but he didn't know about the window, and 10 minutes later I was right back in there shooting again. Sometimes he was really cranky and I got booted out for good, but he learned just to tolerate me and let me stay. Once, some other kids snuck in too and when the custodian came, he made them leave and I got to stay! He never told me his name, or why he did that, but I guess he figured out I had a great deal of desire. I should point out that sometimes the window was locked and I sat in the parking lot hoping for someone to come out. My plan was to go catch the door and get in. That worked sometimes, but many times I had to realize that I wasn't getting in that day, and I had a long, slow, sad, ride home.
Well, my life was killed in one day of cuts. The cuts were on Friday, and one of the things Coach Riley did was put all the kids who got cut on an intramural team. We were mixed with older kids and I was told by one of those older kids that our game was at 9:00 a.m. I always arrive early, so I was there at 8:30 a.m. My team was already playing, as the game started at 8:00 a.m. The older kids were lying to me so I would show up after the game and they could play more. We were down 92-45 with only a few minutes left. They put me in and I scored 6 points in about 2 minutes.
The game ended and I was walking off the court, quite dejected. I saw Coach Riley walking somewhat towards me. I didn't want to look at him, so I looked at the floor and kept walking. He called to me, and I had to look up.
"I would like you to be on the team again."
I thought I was going faint.
"The strangest thing happened yesterday. Two kids made the team and then quit right away. They said they only wanted to find out if they were in the top 20 players, and they had no plan of playing on the team. So I guess I need to ask the next two players to come back and join us. That is you and Greg. What do you say?" "Yes!"
"Okay, we'll see you on Monday, after school."
"Thank you."
"No problem. Oh, and by the way, nice job scoring 6 points in about a minute. Way to show those freshmen."
I floated on air, into the locker room, changing clothes, and riding home in the car. My life had been resurrected. I could breathe again. I smiled and I might have cried again, only they were different tears.
Want to Start an Argument?
Me, I've been watching high school ball at Brownstown for nearly 35 years, and except for a brief period while I was in college, I've seen more than 90% of our home games and quite a few away games. Since I wouldn't want to single out one player, I'll be diplomatic about the whole thing and break my choice(s) down by decades.
In the 60's, I'd have to start with Gale Sommers, Larry Garloch, and John Reid. After that, I'm not sure. I just remember a few others playing, but I was pretty young, and spent some of my time going to Medora and Clearspring games while I was in school. I'd have to mention Ronnie Ault, Doug Nuss, and Steve Sterling, and I'm sure there are others, but I didn't necessarily see them play.
In the 70s there were some good players, but not many good teams. One, to be exact, had a winning record. I'd probably take Dave Warren (who I still think was the best point guard we've had, except they didn't call them a point guard then). I'd also have to consider Larry Parker and Mike Weaver. Mike was strong, and might have been the best natural athlete I ever saw at BC. He could have excelled at any sport, and pretty much did. Larry was an intense, physical player and never backed down from a challenge, much the same as his two sons who currently play - Clint and Eric. He could shoot, defend, and had a quick first step. There were other good players, too. These would include Carey Lambring, Jim Brown, Doug Ault, Randy Fields, Terry Grider, and Jerry Disque, among others.
I believe that the 80s produced the strongest teams at Brownstown. Except for a few years, there were a number of great teams and great players. I think you'd have to start with current coach, Mark Lubker, and also the only Indiana All-Star we've had - Jeff Morning. But there were others along the way as well. David Waskom, Jeff Neal, Scott Kiewitt, Marty Lubker, Todd Sturgeon, Troy Stuckwisch, Woody Wood, Don Roberts, and Monty McCory among others. BC also had several players who were known for having that one outstanding senior year, late bloomers you might say. These included Mark McCory in 1980, Bryan Martin in 1981, and Rick Baughman in 1983. Baughman exploded on the scene late in the 1983 season, made the all-sectional team, and went on to have a spectacular career at Hanover College. In fact, many people have said that top-to-bottom, few teams anywhere the size of Brownstown had the talent the 1983 team did, a team that many felt should have been playing in Market Square Arena. Sadly, their dreams, like many other teams in history, were shattered early along the way in the tourney by Floyd Central - still a painful memory.
The 90s started out with some very good teams, as the 1989-90 team went 16-4 before losing to eventual state champion BNL in the sectional. The 1990-91 team won the Seymour Sectional before falling to Jeffersonville in the Regional. Todd Isaacs starred for that team, but had excellent help from David Benter and Mark Hutcheson, who would become stars in their own right as seniors in '92 and '93. The 90s also produced a few other outstanding players, namely Jeremy Foster and Mark Strange. Foster might have been the quickest and most explosive player the Braves have ever had. His performance against Bloomington North ranks as my personal favorite of those games I've seen. This would be ranked slightly ahead of Isaacs' game against Charlestown, Benter's 47 point game against Brown County, or the double-overtime loss in 1990 to BNL. Remember, Foster was going head-to-head against Duany Duany, who later went on to star for Wisconsin. As for Dave Benter, he just went on to be about the best player ever at Hanover College, and was even named player of the year while in college. Not bad!
Since the 90s, BC has still had its share of outstanding individuals. Despite some injuries, Clint Waskom and Brandon Martin were almost full four-year starters, while Clint Parker and Marty Young have recently ushered in a new era of excellence in Braves basketball. Whatever happens over the next few years I'm sure there will always be the argument over who's better. For now, I'll leave the decision up to you, but I plan to have more discussion about this later. (Perhaps I'll name my all-time team, too.)
Former Brownstown coach honored
Playing in a different era
Spurgeon member of 1934 Hall of Fame team
(above)Jackson County resident and former Brownstown boys basketball coach Harry Spurgeon (21) was inducted into the University of Indianapolis Hall of Fame recently as part of the 1933-34 basketball team that was ranked No. 1 in the state. At that time, the school was known as Indiana Central. University of Indianapolis Athletics.
By DAN BURCH
dburch@tribtown.com
He played in a time when there was a jump ball after every made basket. He played in a time when the gym was actually called “The Old Barn.” He played when the school was called a different name.
But he is still a Hall-of-Famer no matter when he played.
Harry Spurgeon, a longtime resident of Jackson County, was inducted into the University of Indianapolis Hall of Fame recently as a member of the 1933-34 men’s basketball team coached by Harry Good. That team went 16-1, beat Indiana State twice, Ball State and Butler and was ranked No. 1 in the state throughout the season. They also were nationally ranked for part of the season.
Spurgeon was a guard on that team.
“I usually guarded the other team’s best forward,” Spurgeon recalled last week.
The game was different in those days. A jump ball was held after every basket. There weren’t such defined positions as point guard or shooting guard.
On offense, his job was to feed the ball into Dave DeJernett (No. 24 in picture), whom the Greyhounds’ offense was built around. DeJernett, a big, tall center, went on to play for a couple of professional teams.
“Everything was built around him,” Spurgeon said.
At the time, Indianapolis was known as Indiana Central, and they played their home games in “The Old Barn.”
It was, as Spurgeon recalls, “a big ol’ barn.”
The induction ceremonies were held at the Greyhounds’ new facilities, Nicoson Hall.
“They have wonderful facilities there,” Spurgeon said. “They had their biggest crowd they have ever had for an induction ceremony.”
The ceremonies were held at halftime of the Indianapolis-Southern Indiana game. There were five athletes and two teams inducted.
Spurgeon and Bill Schaefer, both 91 years old, were the only two remaining players alive from the 1934 team.
“We were both in wheelchairs,” Spurgeon laughed.
But both were able to stand and receive their plaques.
“It was quite an honor for me,” Spurgeon said. “I enjoyed it especially since all my family was there.”
Spurgeon’s son Dave said there were more than 25 family members in attendance at the event.
After playing for Indiana Central, Spurgeon came to Jackson County as a coach. He spent two years as an assistant at Clearspring and then one year as the head coach. He then left for Brownstown in 1937 and took over as the head man in 1943.
He coached until 1949 and won back-to-back sectional titles in 1944 and 1945. He finished his Brownstown coaching career with a record of 81-74.
Spurgeon also taught for 43 years and was principal of Brownstown Elementary the last 17 years of his career.
Today, he spends his time still following basketball, as an avid Indiana Pacers fan and an NBA fan in general.
Nothing but 'Net:
Brownstown alumnus creates team Web site
By Adam R. Knapp
aknapp@therepublic.com
BROWNSTOWN — Jon Robison came by his love of history and basketball through genetics.
Growing up in Brownstown, he learned both from his father, Bob, a World War II veteran and high school basketball coach.
Eighteen months ago, he combined the two when he created a Web site about the Brownstown Central boys basketball team.
With his site, www.bchsbasketball.com, Robison delved into the school’s basketball history.
He researched and posted in-depth season and player statistics, and hopes to create a complete account of the Brownstown boys’ record.
The site has become more popular recently as Brownstown’s boys squad has enjoyed two strong runs in the Class 2A state tournament. But for Robison, the joy comes in the journey.
“I enjoy doing it,” Robison said. “To me, I like basketball, and it’s history like anything else. It’s something I’ve enjoyed playing with. I’ve been able to combine my two loves.”
Starting the site
Robison, a 1975 Brownstown graduate and former basketball player, loved staying involved with the team.
He got the idea for the Web site through a similar site about the Austin Eagles.
After visiting it, Robison and Brownstown assistant football coach Clay Fritz decided to do the same thing for the Braves.
Fritz set up a site for the Brownstown football squad, bchsfootball.com, while Robison worked on the basketball team.
They used leaguelineup.com to set up the site, and pay about $100 per year to maintain it.
“We both started them the same day,” Robison said. “I wasn’t real sure about how to do some of the stuff on there. Clay got into the football site more heavily, and he helped me with this.”
From there, Robison threw himself into the project.
His Web site includes stories and pictures from local newspapers on the current Braves teams, a forum for Web surfers and, of course, lots of historical information on Brownstown’s past.
“He’s just done a great job,” Brownstown athletic director Mark DeHart said. “He’s a basketball junkie and wanted to satisfy his thirst for basketball stats and records. We’re pretty excited about it.”
Compiling the stats and records turned out to be a large task for Robison.
Gathering information
He gathered some information from the high school athletic department. But the school didn’t keep old scorebooks, especially ones for the old Brownstown Bears teams that played before consolidation formed Brownstown Central.
“Everything we had, he’s got it right now,” DeHart said. “He’s so ambitious and excited about it.”
After gathering all the information the school could provide, Robison went to the local library.
He pored over volumes of old yearbooks to compile lists of game-by-game and season-by-season scores.
From there, he turned his attention to even more ambitious goals — compiling the boxscores from each game and calculating the school’s career points leaders.
For that Robison donated at least two hours every Saturday, two hours at home every night and sometimes most of his lunch break during the summer to digging through microfilm for boxscores and posting the information on his Web site.
“I became pretty handy with (the microfilm),” Robison said. “I’m pretty fast at it now. I’ve had a lot of people ask me, ‘Where did you get that stuff?’ I’ve just done a lot of research.”
Scoring changes
In his research, Robison has uncovered two intriguing scoring notes in his search to verify career leaders.
As Robison began his research, many fans asked him to find out the career scoring mark for Don Sovern. When the school consolidated into Brownstown Central in 1962, Sovern was a key scorer on the boys team.
Sovern played two years for the Brownstown Bears and one year for the Braves.
“Everybody told me he was a big-time scorer, but nobody knew how many points he’d scored,” Robison said.
Robison dug through hours of microfilm and found records of all but one of Sovern’s games. His career total without the missing game was 995 points.
“I said, ‘I’ve got to find this last game he had,’” Robison said.
Past 1,000
Finally, Robison found a copy of the game’s boxscore at the library in Seymour. Sovern scored 28 points in the contest, giving him 1,023 for his career.
On his Web site, Robison includes Sovern as one of Brownstown’s nine 1,000-point scorers.
“I don’t know if they want to officially recognize him, but I think they should,” Robison said.
Robison’s second discovery is more controversial.
In double-checking the career total for Brownstown all-time leading scorer Jon Reid, Robison found a discrepancy.
Officially, Reid is credited with 1,440 points, but according to Robison the boxscore totals add up to 1,394 points.
“That’s the best I can verify, is showing copies of the boxscores,” Robison said. “Are the boxscores right? I hope so. I go through all of them carefully and if I see something funny, I re-check it. So far, I’ve found only a few mistakes (in the papers).”
Labor of love
A stickler for details, Robison has worked hard to be as accurate as possible with his research.
He prints off copies of each boxscore for each game and places them in binders by decade. Currently, he only has season records for most of the early years, dating as far back as 1924.
After he’s finished his research on Brownstown Central, Robison said he plans to compile stats on the schools that consolidated with Brownstown.
He wants to add the histories of Tampico, Freetown, Clear Spring and Vallonia to his Web site.
Robison said his long-term goal is to write a book about the basketball history of the schools.
For Robison, all the hours and effort are worth it to create an accurate historical account of Brownstown basketball.
“It’s something I’ve always enjoyed,” Robison said.
The "new" commandments of shooting
Saw this recently on an advertisement for a clinic on shooting. Thought I'd share it with you:
The 16 SHOOTING COMMANDMENTS:
1) Proper shooting starts with proper technique. You can do drills for 8 hours each day, but you will not get a whole lot better unless you have proper technique.
2) The Release is responsible for 75% of the shot's overall effectiveness.
3) The index finger is the true key to a shot's success.
4) A good shot is one that's straight. A bad shot is one that misses to the side.
5) Follow your shot BUT do not run after it. The worst shooters run after their shot.
6) A player should NEVER think about making the shot or the ball going in.
7) Look at the center of the rim for full shooting effectiveness. If you look at the back at the rim, chances are you will hit the back of the rim.
8) When open, hold the ball loose. If you hold it with a loose grip, you will get more touch.
9) A player starts their shot where they catch it at. Because most passes are caught at the chest level, most shooters will start at their chest level including off the dribble as will.
10) Proper use of the guide hand is important for balance and overall effectiveness.
11) A shooter has no balance when shoulder width. The best shooters in the world are narrow shooters.
12) Square your shooting shoulder and hip when shooting. The best shooters in the world align their shooting shoulder because you are more straight this way and it is more comfortable.
13) Do not BEND the knees. Instead, FLEX the knees. Bending leads to stiffness and becoming slower.
14) The Hop shot is much quicker, more rhythmic and more balanced than the 1-2 step shot.
15) The difference between a poor shooter and a good one is THE RELEASE. The difference between a good shooter and a great one is THE SHOULDERS (how relaxed they are).
What's my line?
Above is a copy of the scorebook page when current head coach David Benter broke the school scoring record with 47 points against Brown County. Benter had to be encouraged to go for the mark by head coach Otha Smith and the rest of his teammates and ended up setting the mark from the FT line. A rather impressive line score...
