Indiana's game : the rise and decline of high school basketball in Indiana : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Although the game of basketball was invented in Massachusetts in 1891, many consider Indiana as its place of development. Since being introduced to the state in 1893, basketball and Indiana was a near-perfect match. For various reasons analyzed in this thesis, basketball became a key fixture in Hoosier society. Many towns and communities across the state began identifying themselves by their local high school basketball team, and as time went by in the middle part of the 20th century a sort of Hoosier Hysteria' took hold of the state. Indiana became basketball-crazed, as massive high school gymnasiums were built and hoards of fans traveled to watch their local team play. But these glory days' have come and passed. This paper investigates reasons why Indiana high school basketball has declined in popularity among the state's population. Not only does this thesis show how Indiana became known for its high school basketball in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, but it also begins to explain why high school basketball is becoming less important for Hoosier citizens. The last aim of this paper is to look towards the future of Indiana high school basketball. Using the story of the 2006-2007 Muncie Central Bearcats, for which I served as an assistant coach, this paper examines prospects for a return to glory for high school basketball in Indiana.