Thanks for reviving the thoughts on this. Goes to show they could identify talent very well, they just couldn't close the deal well enough.

I never would have seen both of those guys being NBA contributors when they were early on at ISU and TCU. They got notably better. Good for them.

Eff Bane talk....rehash bad/irrelevant hash....

THe league leader in Bane talk ....we are not even close.... 110 page megathread on the Kid from Richmond https://overthepylon.boards.net/thread/349/desmond-bane

Miami was in the mix for the same reason that Miami was in the mix for Matt Howard. They are 30 miles from home and the family could all see him play. Miami has been a good place for Eastern Indiana kids going back to the 70s. TO be sure, like JP, WillRyan was on him before the rest of the world even got a look. WOuld be interesting to find out why WIll is not getting on those players in his next job.

THat thread is sublimely ridiculous but it has taken on it's own life and has a personality that shows a good side of much needed humour in the fanbase.

Used to. HS hoops in Indiana has taken a hit with the IHSAA focus on hyping the Indy Metro match ups and the 3rd decade of class hoops. Marry that to the loss of manufacturing in the traditional Basketball Powerhouse cities and our game is suffering....not that we do not produce talent....we just are not getting crowds out in the numbers we did...especially post COVID. I do not think it will come back as the Indy focus puts schools with 4500 to 6000 students against each other with maybe 2K showing up at a game. Still turning out Kyle Guy, Gary Harris, Mike Conley type players but we do not see the folks turning out to see them. I do think if Ball was relevant there is still an astute basketball crowd that would show up and show out. My friends and hoopheads still show up to HS games and our Indiana High School FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/188104194872872 is very active. I just do not think in the coming years Friday night hoops is going to be the center of the next generations priorities. One of the reasons I am really enjoying seeing Joey uniting SouthEast Ohio around his HS. Special Stories like that are ones we used to enjoy with our homegrown hoop heros all over the place.

That went away with the last game being in 1997. Delta, 3 miles from the house, was in it vs Bloomington North in the old Hoosier Dome ....i think it was like 41K for the final game. BSU players Petey Jackson and Rob Robbins were on that team that lost that night. Tommy was 10 and got to see the last Single Class TOurney with guys he played for in grade school camps and leagues. It was a big deal and there are still raging debates about it. It ain't coming back so move on... I am glad you have those memories. Big time wrestling was quite the show....and Oscar never had to go too far for a real hoop. Crispus Attucks and the community on the west side of Indy was very structured and close knit.

Borna, am I right that they used to have consolation game at the regionals? Maybe at the state final 4 as well? NCAA tournaments used to have consolation games as well. Remember the year Notre Dame made the final 4 in 1978 and lost to Arkansas in a close consolation game. Kentucky and Goose Givens won it all, I believe.

Do you remember the insurance company. They sponsored a lot of Indiana high school/college basketball games on TV.