Podcast – The Story of the Indiana State Basketball Championship

The Story of the Indiana State Basketball Championship
In this episode the author talks briefly about the history of the Indiana high school state basketball championship tournament.
From the Book
A Short History of Basketball – Indiana Edition

Transcript:

The History of the Indiana High School State Basketball Championship.
Greetings, in this episode I will talk briefly about the history of the Indiana high school state basketball championship tournament.

Each year in March the event known as Hoosier Hysteria begins and several hundred Indiana high school basketball teams begin their quest to become the best basketball team the state has to offer. This is a short history of this beloved Indiana institution.

Before getting started, I would encourage you to subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. I also entreat you to visit my website, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. This episode is based on my book, A Short History of Basketball – Indiana Edition.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association began sponsoring a boys state basketball championship in 1911 and is the oldest high school championship series in the United States. The era of one high school champion for the state ended in 1996 with the IHSAA introduced a class basketball system with four classes. Since 1997 four state champions are crowned each year, one from each class.
During the first two years, 1911 and 1913, the IHSAA used an invitational format. The Association invited what they deemed to be the best team from each of the state’s 13 Congressional districts. The Indianapolis district did not allow any teams from the city to participate, so 12 teams traveled to Assembly Hall in Bloomington to compete. Of course, disputes arose that they had not chosen the best teams from across the state, so in 1913 the Association opened the tournament up to all high school teams in the state. The format worked well that year, however the next year the sport’s increasing popularity led to 77 teams showing up at Bloomington. Confusion reigned as the brackets were improperly constructed, which led to more charges of unfairness in the tournament. The next year, 1915, the IHSAA instituted the sectional system, which allowed play over several days and at more local venues. The sectionals reduced the finalist teams to 14 that qualified for the state finals. The sectional system has expanded over the years. Currently 64 statewide sectionals reduce the field to 16 regional brackets. The 16 winners qualify for the 4 semi state contests. Finalists from this round provide the 4 teams that compete in the state finals in Indianapolis. Each class has its own champion, thus there are 4 champions in the state.

The episode is based upon my book, A Short History of Basketball – Indiana Edition, available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book includes a wealth of information about the history of the game of basketball and its beginnings in Indiana. The book includes a listing of the high school championships, both boys and girls, the history of the Indiana/Kentucky All Star Series and the lists of Mr. and Ms. Basketball in Indiana. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it.
You can find my books locally at the Walnut Street Variety Shop in Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.