What made the early days of Indiana high school basketball standout?

One sport has long been considered synonymous with Indiana.

It brings families and communities together. It sparks bonds that shine in small towns where it is the centerpiece and everything else revolves around it.

In 49 states, call it basketball. But this is Indiana. So, what better way to kickstart the 250th anniversary of the United States of America than to understand the origins of a sport that holds great significance in the Hoosier State.

As the country industrialized from its agricultural roots, spectator sports grew in popularity. The opportunity was there to introduce basketball as a competitive sport. A sport not in need of many players to occupy the winter months? That was perfect for Indiana.

By 1911, the Indiana High School Athletic Association introduced basketball in a regulated form.

The rest, as they say, was history.

The origin story of Indiana high school basketball

Basketball is a sport that has long brought unity to communities across the state. And perhaps nothing depicts that relationship better than the 1986 movie Hoosiers.

Some of the biggest high school gyms, a few holding over 8,000 people, reside in Indiana. Ron Newlin, author of Legacy and Legend: The History and Mythology of Basketball in Indiana and former director of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, said the reason the large gyms were built was to accommodate for the growing public interest surrounding the IHSAA state tournament.

“For years, kids were playing basketball against each other during the regular season and there was no state tournament,” Newlin said. “After a couple years of resistance, (the IHSAA) decided to embrace the idea of having a state tournament. Having a gym big enough to host was what really kicked it in.”

Initially, most of the state champions were all within close proximity of each other in small towns near Central Indiana. And schools that had bigger gyms were given the advantage of having byes in the postseason because they were tournament hosts.

The rest of Indiana found it difficult to compete with this. But over time, schools caught up.

In 1943, Bosse became the first Evansville team to win a state title, led by Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame coach Herm Keller.

And while the goal at the end of the season is to be the last team standing, perhaps even more invaluable is the forming of relationships that come with this great game. Ones that will last far beyond a kid’s four years of high school basketball.

No medal can beat it. This game is bigger than what happens on the court.

Bosse’s mark in history

Much of Indiana’s basketball history revolves around the action up north, but allow Evansville to enter the conversation — and Bosse to be the program to lead it.

Current Bulldogs coach Shane Burkhart is approaching his 19th season leading the group. He has experienced triumphs at sectionals, regionals and semi-state.

Inside Bosse Gym, you get a sense of what the program has been about, even on a quiet offseason day in May. It becomes clear the program has winning history when you assess the names who have put on a Bulldogs jersey.

Bryna Jerrel, Jalen Pendleton, JaQuan Lyle, Kiyron Powell, Mekhi Lairy. High-level talent, multiple Trester Award winners and a plethora of names beyond those five.

At nearly 300 career wins, Burkhart is the all-time winningest coach in Bosse history. It is quite the resume.

At least in the Evansville area, this is the bar that has been set.

“I’ve been blessed with a lot of really good players and coaches,” Burkhart said. “I had four assistant coaches (this year) who were former players. Wanting to come back just means that the culture that we’ve built together really means something to them as well. It’s not just words that we say during their four years.”

Bosse’s success extends beyond Burkhart’s tenure. The program won two state championships in the 1940s and its third in 1962. Pair that with a successful stretch in the 1980s, and the Bulldogs have a history of winning.

But being from Marion, winners of an IHSAA record eight state championships, there was a cultural difference for Burkhart to realize at Bosse. He wanted the program to be diverse in a meaningful way for the area.

“That’s not taking away from anything Bosse has done in the past, it’s about trying to update it to where we are now,” Burkhart said.

The Marion Giants

Marion’s basketball history is as rich as any other in the state. The small town north of Indianapolis thrived during the single-class era of Indiana high school basketball. Burkhart, who grew up during the Purple Reign era where Marion won three-straight state titles in the 1980s, calls it the mecca.

“I was at the game, sitting at the top of the rafters with 9,000 people in the stands,” Burkhart said. “You don’t hear anything about anyone else because it’s Marion, this is supposed to be the top.”

Burkhart’s earliest memories of Marion basketball came when he was 10 watching Nikkie Mallory and Jay Teagle star for the 1985 state championship winning team.

He remembers the emotions each game brought to the community, how loud the energy inside the arena was. Marion’s gym remains one of the biggest in the country with a capacity over 7,500.

Indiana is home to 10 of the 12 largest high school gyms in the country. Marion’s Bill Green Arena, named after the Giants’ legendary coach, is among those.

“It’d be 35 degrees outside, but you could not wear heavy clothes inside the gym because you did nothing but sweat,” Burkhart said. “It was so hot because there were so many people.”

Marion’s eight state championships are tied for the most all time. The Giants have had eras of dominance that go as far back as the 1920s.

Burkhart described the urge he had to want to run around with the other kids while he was at the gym, Instead, his dad kept him by his side watching Marion go to work. Maybe not as fun for a kid, but still an element of excitement given the product on the court.

“When (Marion) would get to semi-state, you would make your reservation a year in advance because you knew you were coming back,” Burkhart said. “It was a cockiness, but we were also that good.”

Burkhart was a three-sport athlete in high school (baseball, football and soccer). His involvement with competitive basketball began in coaching. His career eventually found its way to Evansville in 2008 – pushing the limits with Bosse ever since.

The cultural difference

In the city of Marion, basketball was everything. Marion was the only thing.

It is just like Hickory in Hoosiers. That is not the case in Evansville.

Burkhart knew he could not bring all of his Marion experiences along; this was a different opportunity requiring a different approach. But he certainly wanted to maximize the opportunity, establishing a foundation to be proud of for years to come.

Burkhart wanted more than good scorers, rebounders and playmakers. He wanted more than title wins at sectionals, regionals and semi-state.

Above all else, Burkhart wanted to make sure his kids left Bosse in position to be successful men. That was always the goal. Basketball came second.

“I wanted to make sure our kids were ready for college, ready to be successful,” Burkhart said. “A lot of high school athletes don’t realize how hard (adulthood) is.”

Growth of the game

Across the history of Indiana high school basketball, there has been conversation about balancing its tradition with its evolution. The sport has undoubtedly taken a step forward since 1910.

Following the 1996-97 season, the IHSAA transitioned from its single-class state tournament format to a multi-class system where multiple winners would be crowned at season’s end. It was a decision met with backlash.

Newlin said it has caused high school basketball to not hold the same significance it once did — an opinion shared by several people.

And In May, the IHSAA Board of Directors voted against a proposal for a 35-second shot clock. Among other factors, the board analyzed the number of possessions that exceeded 35 seconds and the possible limitations it would place on coaches.

In an interview with WISH-TV, IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig shared what led to the decision, leaning on tradition in his response.

The balance of tradition and evolution will surely be a continued conversation, as it has for years. Burkhart has his dissatisfaction with the decision making.

He wants Indiana to live up to its allure.

“In some ways, it’s becoming better basketball in other places because we refuse to get caught up to where we need to be,” Burkhart said. “If it’s going to be ‘just basketball in 49 other states,’ then we better get caught up with the times.”

Still, Burkhart is more than happy with where he is at. While he continues his aim of winning his first state title with Bosse, Burkhart remains proud of his experience.

And amid the cultural differences, in terms of status, he sees Marion in the same vein as Bosse in Evansville.

“Selfishly, I don’t want anyone else to win state in the area,” Burkhart said. “We are the mecca of Evansville basketball. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of people that say that’s a crazy statement, but I believe it to be true.”

NOTE: This story is part of a special “America 250” project on the history of Indiana high school basketball by journalists within USA Today Co. at the South Bend Tribune, Journal & Courier (Lafayette), The Star Press (Muncie), The Herald-Times (Bloomington) and The Courier & Press (Evansville). All stories will run on those respective sites between July 6-17, with select stories in printed copies of the paper as well.

Markos Tsegaye is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. He can be reached at mtsegaye@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @10_Markos_