Basketball Tradition(?)
While this article is a little painful for a southern Indiana boy who grew up loving basketball, I think Pat Forde has hit the nail right on the head.
Indiana basketball as a whole is not what it used to be even 10 years ago. I think he hits the nail on the head when he puts some of the blame on the inane move to class basketball. The tradition had been slipping before then, and that happens when you keep coaches around too long (*cough* Indiana, *cough, cough* Purdue *cough), but the move to class basketball sure took the wind out of the sails out of what once was called Hoosier Hysteria.
Sampson has his work cut out for him, but I think he can help right the ship. It’s not just up to him, though. It would be nice for IU to set the standard, though.
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Forde’s wrong
I strongly disagree with Forde’s contention about the state of Hoosier Hoops and lay out my argument (with evidence) on my blog at http://www.brianbaute.com/archives/2006/03/indiana-basketball-in-lousy-shape.php. I’ve got some credibility on the subject as I graduated from a small school in southern Indiana that just won its first state title. Let me know what you think.
Re: Forde’s wrong
I usually follow my alma mater fairly closely when it comes to high school basketball. Granted, it’s a little bit difficult while living in Tennessee.
That being said, I still came back home to Indiana (from Tennessee) to watch Harrison play in the semistate games in 1995. It was that big of a deal. The whole city was behind them – and that’s saying a lot, since Harrison didn’t always get a lot of community support.
I was living in Indianapolis when Harrison went to the ’02 semistate, and didn’t even know they went until I looked at the IHSAA site just a few moments ago. There just wasn’t enough interest. No one from the area was excited enough to tell me that Harrison was in the semistate. Is it all class basketball’s fault? No. Class basketball certainly did not help the situation.
You can’t say that it was just the “little” school that did not win sectional titles. Harrison was a school pushing 1500 in attendance, and had some stellar basketball teams, especially in the late 80s-early 90s (with Calbert Cheaney and Walter McCarty). In spite of all of those extremely talented teams, they had a grand total of two – count them, two – Sectional titles. And that was after Evansville Central was moved into a different Sectional. Since class basketball, Harrison has won five Sectional titles. For those of us who remember the thrill of finally winning a Sectional, something has definitely been lost.
Why not just give everyone a State Champion trophy for winning their own class? That way everyone has an opportunity to win their Sectional, Regional, Semistate and State championships. Where does the attempt to give everyone a shot end? You might think those of us who argue for a single-class tournament are romanticizing the past – and maybe we are to some degree. Something is missing, though. I agree with you that there are other things competing with basketball that haven’t always been competition (TV, video games, etc.), but having more winners instead of one winner is not the answer. I realize we are coming from different perspectives, but I still have to disagree with you and remain a hopeless romantic who will continue to pray that the IHSAA will see the err of its ways and end the experiment that is class basketball.
Re: Forde’s wrong
I just re-read my last paragraph and the first sentence doesn’t make much sense. Here’s what I was getting at…
Why not just make a class for every school? That way everyone can be a winner all the time.
Another thing I forgot to add is the lack of name recognition that has come about because of class basketball. Greg Oden was more well known outside of the state of Indiana than within the state. When I lived in Indy, I knew of him because I lived in the Lawrence North school district and was a youth minister at a church primarily made up of Lawrence North students. I would talk with my brother and other family members – who live outside of Indy, and they really hadn’t heard of him until last year (maybe). This was a guy who, as a sophomore in high school, was predicted to be the #1 pick in the NBA draft after graduation – and very few in the state knew about him! Growing up, I knew about Damon Bailey (yes, I know there was a hype machine around him, but it was encouraged all the more by a single tournament), Glenn Robinson, and Eric Montross when they were in high school, and I believe it was because there was one tournament to pay attention to. Now that there are four, the superstars are less likely to become household names.
All of this being said, I want to commend the Jets on their accomplishment. Single class or multi-class, a state championship is still something the community can celebrate. I may think class basketball was not the best idea in the world, but I know a state championship is a big deal. Congratulations to your Jets!
Brian’s post has been moved to this location: http://www.brianbaute.com/?p=699
The overall basketball IQ of american ballplayers is down in Indiana and everywhere else. I think the downturn started with the “Dream Team.” Check out “Dream Team … American Nightmare?— on my blog. It’s a national phenomenom!