1/20/2024 0 Comments Jasper high school basketballThe Hatchet House - Washington Marc Viquez / Stadium Journey It has two tiers of seating, holds 4,800 people and came with a $12 million price tag. The Jasper Wildcats’ current home was constructed in 20 after their previous gym’s roof collapsed in 2011, making it one of the newer venues on this list. Nice! Jasper High School Gymnasium - Jasper on TwitterĪs one of the biggest cities in southern Indiana, it figures that Jasper has one of the nicest gyms in the region. Also, fun tidbit, the gym is 69 years old. It’s a big ol’ sunken-floor gym that holds 6,092 people, just barely smaller than Huntingburg’s 2018 population of 6,124. Because of that, I can also personally attest that it’s a great place to watch a game. This one holds a bit nostalgic significance for me, as I attended regional games here Back In The Day when my Eastern Greene Thunderbirds were really good. West Regional Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium - Huntingburg Marc Viquez / Stadium Journey Even though it isn’t the biggest gym, it’s still one of the best in the state and definitely deserving of Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games in this tournament. Turns out that was a bit overblown, as in the last few years the Indiana High School Basketball Historical Society discovered through some research including on-site counts that it’s actually the third-largest with a real seating capacity of 7,829. New Castle Fieldhouse - New Castle Marc Viquez / Stadium Journeyįor a long time, New Castle Fieldhouse was claimed to be the largest high school arena in the country with a capacity of more than 9,000 people. There’s also a bit of recent history in the venue as well, as Marion has some famous alumni like Zach Randolph and James Blackmon Jr. That’s obviously a lot of banners, and Bill Green Arena is big enough to hold them all with a capacity of 7,560, making it the sixth-largest high school arena in the country. The last three of those figures are either tied for the highest all-time or are the highest outright. The Marion Giants have 70 sectional titles, 39 regional titles, 15 semi-state titles and eight state championships. Bill Green Arena - Marion Marc Viquez / Stadium Journeyīill Green Arena is home to one of the most historically successful basketball programs in the state. Opened in 1984, this gym has a capacity of 7,786, making it the fourth-largest high school basketball arena in the country. The IU East Red Wolves, an NAIA team, played their home games there years ago. The first of our first- and second-round venues, the Tiernan Center looks more like a small college arena than a high-school one and for a time it did host college hoops. East Regional Tiernan Center - Richmond Marc Viquez / Stadium Journey The sunken-floor style is a personal favorite, and though it isn’t overly large with a capacity of 2,700, it’s a fitting place to start this list. The gym does feature some Bird-related memorabilia which is cool, but it’s also a cool gym without that stuff. Yes, Springs Valley is the alma mater of Larry Bird. That endeavor has led me to the list below: First Four Springs Valley High School Gymnasium - French Lick on Twitter I’ve tried to mix in gyms from around the state that have historical significance or are just cool places to watch a game regardless of size. This, of course, isn’t just a list of the largest gyms in the state because that’d be a disservice to The Culture, in my opinion. I decided to take that thought and draw it out, actually going to the trouble to put together a list of potential venues to match the typical NCAA Tournament format of four regionals consisting of three arenas - two of which host the first and second rounds and one of which hosts the sweet sixteen and elite eight - as well as separate arenas to host the First Four and Final Four. That got some people thinking - what if you took the tournament and spread it around the state, hosting games in high school gyms? After all, Indiana is home to 11 of the 12 largest high school gyms in the country according to (checks notes) Wikipedia, so it’d certainly be doable. Of course, it’s a city with plenty of facilities that could be used, a city that is accustomed to hosting events of that caliber, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s also home to NCAA headquarters. Last month it was in the news that the NCAA was “in talks” to host its entire men’s basketball tournament in Indianapolis.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |