shawe memorial

"The place is like a cracker box."  So went our introduction to the gym at Shawe Memorial in Madison.  Built in 1952, Shawe is famous for being a troublesome environment for visiting teams.  "The visitors all sit in one corner, next to the Shawe student section and during the game, the students stand up.  You can't see a thing."  Class basketball has been good to the Hilltoppers - they have won five 1A Sectional titles in the last 10 years.  And apologies to visiting teams - we hope that "cracker boxes" like Shawe remain a part of the Hoosier basketball landscape for years to come. CGS/MEK.

deputy

Located in western Jefferson County, Deputy was the last high school to join the Madison Consolidated School system. Home to the Panther's basketball team, the school now serves as an elementary.  Judy Kinnett Smith, Spence Schnaitter's secretary, was a cheerleader for Deputy High School and told us that one of her mother's last requests was to keep the Deputy Alumni Association going - something she has done.  Judy's brother, Michael, was a star player for Deputy even though his right arm had been severely injured in a childhood accident.  "He taught himself to shoot left-handed," Judy told us.  After serving in Vietnam he came home, but was tragically killed in a car accident.  To memorialize his time at Deputy & left-handed shooting technique, his mother had his likeness set in stone.  CGS/MEK.

 

dupont

"Education - The Light Of Progress."  Words to live by, or if you were a basketball player at Dupont High School, words to play under.  Built in 1938, Dupont was home to the Red Devils, and later the Hornets.  Consolidated into Madison in the 1960's, Dupont served as an elementary school until it closed in 2012.  Although it's future is uncertain, there is one thing we know - General John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate raiders slept in front of what became Dupont on a warm July night in 1863. CGS/MEK.

bobby plump country

Pierceville - two miles west of Milan and 60 years after the championship season.  CGS.

pee wee

"We trust that our efforts to compile a correct and comprehensive Chronicle of Madison High School's good and bad basketball seasons over a span of sixty-one years will be appreciated and accepted as just a work of a couple of 'Hoosier Hardwood Historians' and small town boys."  So began "Madison - Chronicle of the Cubs" published in 1966, written by Frank Bird (class of 1925) and Harold "Pee Wee" Lakeman (class of 1959).  In 1957-58 and 1958-59 Pee Wee was a member of the Cub's teams that made back to back appearances in the Semi-State and is currently at work on the second volume of Madison's basketball history.  He also maintains a large collection of Madison basketball memorabilia and his biggest concern - what will become of the trophies & photos when he is gone.  "I visited the Basketball Hall of Fame (in New Castle), and most of what they have is in storage, in boxes.  I don't want my things to end up like that."  CGS/MEK.

detour

On the way to visit Harold "Pee Wee" Lakeman we missed his drive but stumbled on this scene.  "You can find an old gym out in the country but you can't find my house." The basket, the barn, the light - I think Pee Wee will forgive us. CGS.

madison consolidated

It's believed that organized high school basketball made it's first appearance in Madison in 1904 (the first Indiana State Championship game was not held until the 1910-11 season).  Consolidation in the '60's brought together Deputy, Dupont, Central, North Madison, Broadway & Madison and through the years the Madison schools (boys & girls) have tallied 50 Sectional crowns, 16 Regional titles, four appearances in the State Finals and the 1950 State Championship. They've produced one Mr. Basketball (Dee Monroe), a successful coach who went on to coach at Purdue (Ray Eddy) and a long list of players who starred in college.  This year, both teams have high expectations. Cubs senior Landon Perry has twice been named to the IBCA Top 100 list and is coming off an all conference year, while Lady Cub Olivia Crozier, a highly recruited junior, hopes to build on the many 2012 honors she received and help her squad get back to the Semi-State (as they did in 2011).  CGS.