Memories of Indiana high school hoops icon will last

I’d imagine the fire marshal had to turn people away, because that night in March of 1998, the Anderson Wigwam was filled to the brim of its 8,996-seat capacity.

The rich aroma of buttered popcorn filled the arena as scores of ardent fans clad in red and green – mostly there for their hometown Anderson Indians – packed the stadium.

The Friday night showdown with the state’s No. 1 team, Indianapolis’ Pike High, would determine which team would advance to the Bloomington semi-state of the Indiana high school hoops tournament.

That game – in the first year of Indiana’s atrociously conceived system of class basketball – was as close as you’ll get, at the risk of sounding bitter, to what Indiana high school basketball used to be.

Today the days of Milan beating Muncie Central (the basis of the single-best sports flick ever made, Hoosiers) or a Hoosier Dome filled to Final Four capacity for Bedford North Lawrence’s Damon Bailey’s run at a state title are long gone. 

To make matters worse, the Wigwam – a piece, or more precisely, a cornerstone of Hoosier hoops lore – stands this week on the verge of extinction.

The city of Anderson has been living through its own economic downturn for the better part of two decades thanks to a collapsing auto industry. In its heyday, Anderson was a town the size of Bloomington, booming on factory production.

Slowly, the city deteriorated and the population shriveled as the factories left, leaving a third high school useless and the world’s second-largest high school gymnasium standing out as a beacon of all that was once good with the city and Hoosier high school hoops.

And boy, has that gym – home of the Indians – seen its share of moments in Indiana hoops lore.

It was built in 1961 and saw countless battles between former powers in Indiana hoops like Marion, Muncie Central and New Castle with players like Steve Alford, Bonzi Wells and Kent Benson all taking shots as the despised visitors.

I might have only been 10 years old on that night in 1998, but it’s tough to forget an atmosphere like my parents and I experienced. 

Vividly, I remember being astounded to find out that this place, a high school gym, sold reserved season ticket seats. My parents sat some 20 rows up while my ticket had me sitting on the courtside bleacher – the only tickets we could get – for the matchup that would determine who would advance to the next level in the state tournament.

It was the best, most raucous basketball atmosphere I’ve ever experienced.
Pike somehow won the game 68–65 and went on to take the state title.

Sadly, nights like that at the Wigwam don’t seem to happen anymore, and on my last visit to Anderson during a regular season game in 2005, a few hundred people showed up for a Friday night contest – exposing how far both Anderson and Indiana high school basketball have fallen from their once-great pasts. 

Such attendance woes, decreasing school corporation dollars and increasing upkeep costs of the facility have put it in the red to the tune of millions of dollars, and the local school board will weigh this week whether or not to shutter the Wigwam.

When faced with firing teachers or closing a building that isn’t heavily used for education, the decision shouldn’t be hard to make, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to swallow. Anderson simply needs more money for students.

The Wigwam is a relic of Hoosier hoops, and its pending demise digs deep. That doesn’t mean, though, that its incredible memories have to fade with it.