election day

There is nothing more Hoosier than basketball & nothing more American than voting, so what better place to be on election day than Fayette County's old Harrisburg gym.  Home to the Hornets until 1959 and then the Fayette Central Chiefs until consolidation into Connersville in 1967, the little gym has seen some pretty good round ball through the years.  Although never winning a Sectional title the Hornets of 1953 posted a record of 20-3, while the renamed Chiefs were 16-8 in 1960, including a victory over larger neighbor Brookville in the second round of Sectional play.  On this Tuesday, the elementary students of Fayette Central (who now occupy the school & gym) made room for the most American of traditions - voting in a free election.  And after his vote, David Simpkins took a break from farming (at the urging of his wife Marla, a poll worker) to return and tell me a little more about the old gym.  David, a '63 graduate of FC, spent more than 30 years supplementing his farming income by working as a janitor at the school.  When asked about the linoleum court, David told me that the school had never had hard wood, always some form of tile and the one row of seats in the balcony - gone now, were a great place to watch a Friday night game.  Election day, no matter the outcome, is a special time in America and what better place to sort out differences between rivals than an Indiana gym. © Chris Smith    

a basketball sky

mecca

Down in the valley.  © Chris Smith

wooden's house

Martinsville.  Glenn Curtis.  John Wooden.  How much Indiana basketball history can one place hold?  © Chris Smith

 

and the winner is...

With more than 250 gyms in our rearview mirror you could say that we've seen a lot of old & new, decaying and refurbished maple & oak.  And center circle logos - well, from simple to elaborate, we've photographed them all. Bees, yellow jackers, bears, horses, aztecs, eagles, sparkplugs and every letter of the alphabet.  But not until we walked into the former home of the Ladoga Canners can I honestly say that I'd seen the most "menacing."  Facing down a team of angry "canners" - enough said.  © Chris Smith

good days, part 3

Leavenworth, Ferdinand, Forest Park, Evansville Central, Sullivan, Pleasantville, Linton and White River Valley (Switz City). Two days on the road last October.  Like finding gold dust in a mountain stream.  © Chris Smith

back home

Recollected diary, final entry South Bend/Mishawaka/Elkhart -

- it's been a trip filled with old coaches, old players, great gyms and even better stories.  Our trip to the far north central part of the state has been a long time coming, but well worth the wait.  © Chris Smith  

day 3

Recollected diary -

- day 3 & our "tour guide" Greg Humnicky has us on the move.  First up, Clay High School and Coach Tom DeBaets, winners of the '94 state title.  That championship season is lovingly displayed in a large, lobby case that rivals the best we've seen.  No wonder Greg is so proud of his place in Clay history.

- on to the old Washington-Clay High School gym where we meet up with teammates from the '60s, Glen Neely & Bill Liggett.  Lots of stories all around.

- a quick stop at the former SB LaSalle High School, home of 1978 Mr. Basketball David Magley.  Magley would go on to play at Kansas and eventually be drafted by the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers.  Even though the school is no longer a high school they've had the good sense to maintain their gym.

-  an even quicker stop at the old South Bend Central, second step on the coaching trail of John Wooden.  Without a gym, Wooden would have success at Central, but never reach the heights that he did as a player at Martinsville or later, a Hall of Fame coach at UCLA.

- from 2006-2009 there may not have been a better girl's basketball team in the state than South Bend Washington (4A runner-up for three years & the 2007 State Champs) and there may not have been a better player in the country than Skylar Diggins.  Skylar would go on to star for Notre Dame and now plays for the WNBA  Dallas Wings.

- after a short stop to photograph memorabilia at Greg's house we say our goodbyes and head to Elkhart North Side for a chance to see the 8th largest gym in the US (it was #1 when it was built in 1954).  A well cared for old arena that seems to have as much future as it did a past. But I'm most impressed that there is enough room in each balcony for practice courts.  © Chris Smith