Hoosier hysteria

Hoosier Hysteria is the state of excitement surrounding the state high school basketball tournament in Indiana. In part, the excitement stemmed from the inclusion of all Indiana high schools in the same tournament, where a small town's David might knock off a large city's Goliath. The most famous example occurred in 1954, when Milan (enrollment 161) defeated Muncie Central (enrollment over 1,600) to win the State title. The plot of the now famous movie, Hoosiers, was based on the story of the 1954 Milan team and seems to typify the hysteria related to basketball in the state of Indiana.

Indiana's passion for basketball was observed and written about by basketball's inventor, James Naismith. In 1925, Naismith visited an Indiana basketball state finals game along with 15,000 screaming fans and later wrote, that while it was invented in Massachusetts, "basketball really had its origin in Indiana, which remains the center of the sport." Hoosiers have a traditional love for basketball similar to the love for football in Texas, and Minnesotans' love for hockey. It truly is one of the State's most cherished traditions.

High School Hysteria

One-Class Tradition

Historically, each of the several hundred small towns of Indiana had its own small school system. Before consolidation of many of these rural school districts in the last half of the twentieth century (Milan itself is now a consolidated school whose enrollment is twice what it was in 1954), Indiana high schools had fewer students than those of most other States; basketball was a natural game for these schools since it only required five starters and a few reserves. Even one or two great basketball players could make a high school team a powerhouse, and nearly every Indiana town dreamt of such glory.

However, after Milan, no school with an enrollment of less than 500 won another boys' State title under the all-comers format. As school consolidation became more common and as more rural residents migrated to cities making large high schools grow even larger, smaller high schools had only a mismatch to look forward to come tournament time, as success concentrated in Indiana's large urban and suburban schools. Finally, starting with the 1997-1998 season, Indiana established a controversial four-class system for its basketball championship,although many other sports remain single-class. The State's move to this new system has, to some extent, diminished the phenomenon and public opinion is split on the merits of "class basketball."

Aside from the "Milan Miracle," the story of Crispus Attucks High School ranks as one of the greatest in Indiana high school basketball tradition. In 1955, the school's basketball team, led by future professional star and Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, gained fame by winning the Indiana state championship, becoming the first all-black school in the nation to win a state title. Robertson led Crispus Attucks to another championship in 1956, as it was the first Indiana high school team to complete a season undefeated. Both stories, Milan and Crispus Attucks, are memorialized for their accomplishments and tradition at the Indiana State Museum as well as at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle, Indiana.

High School Gymnasiums

Perhaps one of the more telling signs of the passion and commitment to basketball at the high school level is the number and size of large basketball gymnasiums in the state. With considerable cost and effort, Indiana boasts nine of the ten largest high school gyms in the country[1], and a purported eighteen of the top twenty. Seventeen venues in Indiana today boast a capacity of over 6,000.[2]

Largest High School Gyms in the United States
	State	City	Venue	Capacity
1	Indiana	New Castle	New Castle Fieldhouse	9314
2	Indiana	Anderson	Anderson Wigwam	8996
3	Indiana	East Chicago	East Chicago Central Gym	8296
4	Indiana	Seymour	Seymour High School Gym	8110
5	Indiana	Richmond	The Tiernen Center	8100
6	Indiana	Elkhart	North Side Gymnasium	8000
7	Indiana	Marion	Bill Green Athletic Arena	7560
8	Texas	Dallas	Alfred J. Loos Fieldhouse	7500
9	Indiana	Elkhart	"The Wolves' Den" Gym	7373
10	Indiana	Gary	Gary West Side High School Gym	7304

College Hysteria

Hoosier Hysteria may have its roots firmly planted in the high school tradition, but the college tradition brings its own depth to Indiana's passion. In NCAA Division I basketball, Indiana Colleges and Universities have a storied past. Big Ten rivals Indiana University and Purdue University are the most notable, with national and conference championships to boast. Yet, even smaller schools such as Butler University, the University of Evansville, Indiana State University, Ball State University, Valparaiso University, and the University of Notre Dame add to the mix. In recent years, even University of Indianapolis, the conglomerate IUPUI, and the Division II University of Southern Indiana have added their own part to the legend of Indiana basketball. It is sometimes said that the terms "Final Four" and "March Madness" have grown out of the tradition of Hoosier Hysteria.

Indiana Hoosiers

The most decorated of Indiana colleges, the Indiana Hoosiers have decades of championships to their credit:

Five NCAA National Championships (1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987)
- Currently the third most all-time
Twenty Big Ten Championships (including four-in-a-row, from 1973 to 1976)
- Currently the second most all-time
Indiana completed the last perfect season in college basketball, going 32-0 in the 1975-76 season

Purdue Boilermakers

With their only National Championship pre-dating the NCAA Championship, the Purdue Boilermakers remain to be one of the most successful teams in the Big Ten to date:

National Championship in 1932 (sponsored by the Helms Athletic Foundation, seven years before the NCAA sponsored a basketball championship)
Two NIT Championships (1974, 1981)
Twenty-One Big Ten Championships (including a "Three-Pete" - a play on their mascot - from 1994 to 1996)
- Currently the most all-time
The women Boilermakers have one National Championship (1999), seven Big Ten Championships, and have won six of the thirteen women's Big Ten Tournaments.

Ball State Cardinals

The Ball State Cardinals have grown as a program, boasting several conference championships:

Seven Mid-American Conference Season Championships
Seven Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament Championships

Indiana State Sycamores

The Indiana State finished runner-up in the 1979 NCAA championship game. The Sycamores were led by the legendary Larry Bird. They lost to Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans.

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish

The 1936 Men's Irish Basketball team won the Helms' Foundation National Championship.
The Women Irish won their first National Championship (over Purdue) in 2001

Evansville Purple Aces

The Evansville Aces have won five national championships in the NCAA College Division (now known as Division II): 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965 (29-0 record), and 1971. This ranks second all-time.
After joining the NCAA's Division I in 1977, Evansville was a charter member of the Midwest Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League. The Aces won or shared the MCC regular season titles in 1982, 1987, 1989, 1992, and 1993. They also won the conference tournament titles in 1982, 1992, and 1993.
The Aces are now a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, and won the 1999 regular season title.
Legendary Aces coach Arad McCutchan was the first NCAA College Division coach selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame [3].

USI Screaming Eagles

The USI Screaming Eagles won the 1995 Division II National Championship and were runners-up in 1994 and 2004.

National Hysteria

Big Ten Tournament

At the conclusion of the regular Big Ten season, a tournament commences and Indianapolis has played host for the men's tournament on three occasions to date. Indianapolis has hosted all but one of the women's tournaments since beginning in 1995. Beginning in 2008, the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament will take up permanent residence at Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Final Four

Indianapolis, Indiana, often referred to as the "Amateur Sports Capital of the World" has hosted a number of collegiate basketball events. Aside from the multitude of regional games held during the NCAA tournament, Indianapolis has hosted five men's NCAA Final Fours (1980, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2006) and one women's (2005). Indianapolis is scheduled to host the men's 2010 Final Four as well as the women's in 2011. Previous events were held in the Conseco Fieldhouse or the RCA Dome, but given the new stadium being built for the Indianapolis Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium will host future events. When the NCAA Headquarters relocated to Indianapolis, it was stated that Indianapolis would then host the men's Final Four once every five years.

World Championships

In 2002, Indianapolis hosted the World Basketball Championships, an event that takes place on even years opposite the Olympic Games. In the fifty-plus year history of the event, Indianapolis is the only city in the United States to have hosted the event.

Homegrown Hysteria

Here follows a list of notable Indiana natives who have achieved success in basketball:

File:Wooden program.jpg

John Wooden

Here follows a list of those who gained basketball fame in Indiana's tradition:

External links