Welcome from the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
A lot has been going on at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame since the last IBCA issue was released. The 2022 Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic has come and gone, featuring two days of great games and champions being crowned – Noblesville (girls), and Ben Davis (boys). Congratulations to all eight teams for two days of great sportsmanship and competitive basketball. Thank you to all those who attended, volunteered their time or supported this year’s Classic. We cannot do this without each of you!
In the girls’ tournament, Noblesville edged Bedford North Lawrence 69-67 in a two-overtime thriller and East Central beat Mishawaka Marian 55-42 for third place. In the opening games, Bedford North Lawrence defeated Mishawaka Marian 59-28 and Noblesville topped East Central 62-37.
Not to be outdone, the boys’ tournament saw a great day of basketball as well. Ben Davis knocked off NorthWood 60-42 in the championship game, while Penn defeated North Daviess 61-46 for third place. In the first round, NorthWood defeated North Daviess 58-53, while Ben Davis beat Penn 65-53.
The museum has undergone a renovation to our ramp and many other sites around the facility. We welcome everyone to come see our updated State Champion pennants, new State Champion team display and all our new wall descriptors that highlight and explain many of our artifacts and displays.
2023 inductees
The 2023 Class of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame for men was inducted on March 22; the 2023 Class of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame for women will be inducted on April 29. In total, these classes include 18 men’s inductees and 10 women’s inductees for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame museum. Those individuals include:
- Men: James Blackmon Jr., Richard Butt, Henry Chapman, John DeVoe, Henry Ebershoff, Brian Evans, Oscar Evans, Darrin Fitzgerald, Dennis Goins, Ken Gunning, Jack Hogan, Kirk Manns, Eric Montross, Drake Morris, Jim Oler, Phil Snodgress, Brad Stevens and Mike Lightfoot (Silver Medal).
- Women: Bruce Dockery, Katie Douglas, Jennifer (Marlow) Drudge, Diane Hoereth Metz, Ruth (Riley) Hunter, Sheila (McMillen) Keller, Kasia McClendon Campbell, Lisa Shepherd-Stidham, Charmonique Stallworth and Denise Gritton McClanahan (Silver Medal).
2023 classic tournaments
The 2023 Hall of Fame Classic tournament event will be another two days full of star-studded basketball in December at the historic New Castle Fieldhouse. The schedule and teams are:
December 29, 2023 – Girls’ Tournament
- Columbia City vs. Indian Creek, 11:00 a.m.
- Lake Central vs. Jennings County, to follow
- Consolation Game, 6:00 p.m.
- Championship Game, to follow
December 30, 2023 – Boys’ Tournament
- Kokomo vs. Indianapolis Attucks, 11:00 a.m.
- Brownstown Central vs. Brownsburg, to follow
- Consolation Game, 6:00 p.m.
- Championship Game, to follow
Participating with the hall
We are appreciative of the participation of IBCA-member coaches in joining our Hall of Fame membership drive. IBCA-member active coaches and active IHSAA officials are offered a membership for $25 per year, a 75 percent discount off the normal cost. Your support helps us run our operations and share the history and memories of Indiana high school basketball. Your Hall of Fame membership also gives you information and access to the many events that we hold each year.
Upcoming Hall of Fame events include three golf tournaments. Traditionally, those events are the Southern Indiana Golf Outing presented by Shepherd Insurance at Country Oaks in Montgomery, our Northern Golf Outing presented by Sharon Verysp at Chippendale Golf Course near Kokomo, and our Citizens State Bank Hall of Fame Golf Classic at Pebble Brook Golf Club in Noblesville. Look for dates and other details for these three golf events to be announced sometime soon, and all information will be posted on our website at www.hoopshall.com.
We have continued to grow our efforts through social media to honor, preserve and promote the heritage of Indiana high school basketball – follow us on Facebook (@INHoopsHall), Twitter (@HoopsHall) or Instagram (@inhoopshall) for news about the Hall of Fame and for a touch of Indiana basketball history.
Noah Dahlquist has been doing a tremendous job with our social media posts, putting together our magazine and working on our banquet programs. Noah was hired earlier this year as our Publications Coordinator, and we are extremely excited to have him on our team.
Of course, we always encourage visitors to our New Castle museum. No matter the season, there always is something new to see at the Hall of Fame. We are gearing up for our expansion project that hopefully will break ground later this summer. We will be adding roughly 6,600 square feet of new space to our museum, and we are excited about our opportunities for our guests. If you would like to help donate to that cause, please reach out to Development Director Trip Lukemeyer at trip@hoopshall.com.
We appreciate the support from the IBCA and the relationship between our organizations. Contact our offices at (765) 529-1891, e-mail me at matt@hoopshall.com or, better yet, visit our 14,000-square-foot facility in New Castle with any ideas or questions or to simply enjoy some time at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
– Matt Martin, executive director, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
