the most exciting showcase in the midwest

Welcome to Emmerich Manual High School - the home of the  Van Arsdale twins, Co-Mr. Basketballs of 1961; and on this 23rd day of December, the "Most Exciting Showcase in the Midwest."  From 9 AM until 9 PM, teams from all over Indiana, Illinois & Missouri took to the historic floor and played what can only be described as 'tournament' tempo basketball.  Rock Creek Academy & Indy Scecina, Northwest Law (MO) & Bowman Academy, Manual & Chicago Evergreen, Traders Point Christian & Lighthouse CPA, Taylor & Corydon Central, Gary 21st Century & Indy Herron - on and on, game after game.  I was only there for 5 hours - I can't imagine how Manual AD Aaron Sembly felt around midnight.  One thing I do know - high school basketball is alive and well on the southside of Indianapolis.  CGS.

the road to the promised land

Michael & I have driven a lot of miles, captured a lot of images and visited quite a few gyms.  We didn't do this by ourselves.  Research is invaluable to this project - without it we wouldn't know where a gym is located or who the athletic director is; wouldn't know a school's tourney history or the name of their mascot. All of this came to mind yesterday when I stopped at the Arlington General Store and met Nikki Pickering.  Never mind that she owns a great little business - I learned that she played ball at Shenandoah; that her sister, who is the current girl's assistant coach, was a state champion there (2003) and that the old Arlington Gym is now a vacant lot, abandoned by a would-be developer. I wouldn't have gone to Middletown without her direction and would have missed a little street ball, a classic gas station and another wonderful piece of Hoosier roundball history.  So, if you want to strike out on the trail, pack your camera bag, download the IHSAA School Directory, grab a worn copy of Kyle Neddenriep's Historic Hoosier Gyms & Dale Lawrence's Hoosier Hysteria Road Book, logon to Google Earth & John Harrell's basketball site.  And, most important - don't be afraid to knock on a stranger's door. CGS.

the pressure cooker

You just can't go wrong if the gym you are going to photograph is called the "Pressure Cooker" - something good is bound to happen.  And in Scottsburg, the week before Christmas, we watched two struggling boy's teams play good basketball and treat their fans to an overtime thriller (with the Warriors eventually falling to Corydon Central 73-72). Through the years there have been a number of memorable teams to call this gym home (the boys have won 22 Sectionals & 5 Regionals, while the girls have nailed down 15 Sectional, 10 Regional, 3 Semi-State titles and 1 State championship) and this year's Warriorettes, coached by Hall of Famer Donna Cheatham, are rolling along (10-4) and hope that the 2015-16 season will add one more purple & gold banner to their already abundant collection.  CGS.