Basketball: it’s part of life in ways private and public

When my eyes get blurry from too much computer screen time, ditto for arthritic fingers dealing with pressing on keys, I wad up sheets of the ever-arriving solicitations to send money fast and loop them into the trash bin placed past my desk. This morning, a burst of sunshine lured me to the back yard to lightly shuffle up and pounce on the maple tree leaves. When I went inside to cool off, in my wake plumped a smallish squirrel, scampering and jumping into the pile I shored up. Of course, I watched the theatrics through the patio door until my doppelganger's playtime also ended, with its disappearance up into the evergreen.

At this point, coffee cup nearby, I turned to the opening pages of the newly arrived National Geographic Magazine. Page 19, in bold print: "We need Play, Seriously" by Sadie Dingfelder, identified as "a journalist specializing in animal behavior, neuroscience, and neurodiversity."

"New research suggests that modern adults are suffering from a surfeit of somberness," informs Dingfelder. "We've suppressed our natural play instinct, and that's causing all kinds of problems for ourselves, our children, and our planet."

Well, that buffed me up, as did the listing of six ideas to grow the fun on my own. "Playtime 101, for Adults" suggests that I need to step away from all the electrical plug-ins and go out into nature; or do more of what I already do, have fun in my inventive playtime.

That's what Dr. James Naimsmith did in 1891, when he 'invented basketball' as an indoor game with rules, including referee duties and the design for a ball, a playing field, uniforms, etc. He continued refining these basic elements over the next forty years of his life. If you go to https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Naismith, you learn that Naismith, a physical educator at the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, was tasked with devising a game "that could replace the boring and dangerous exercises used at the school during the winter."

According to the Britannica essay, "Naismith selected features of football (soccer), American (gridiron) football, field hockey, and other outdoor sports but (in theory) eliminated body contact between players," until this went by-the-by over time, and body impact is now an expected part of the game.

[you can visit The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, incorporated in 1959. ]

Long before the first official basketball game, Mesoamerican civilizations played what is known as 'the ball game'. This game had many variations across different regions and time periods, but the objective was largely the same: to get a ball through a circular hoop.

This game was tied to mythology and religion, with legends recounting tales of gods and ancient kings competing in the game. In some cases, the captain of the losing team was subject to becoming a religious sacrifice.

According to the November 2, 2021 post on "The Los Angeles Loyolan" at Loyola Marymount University by Ellie Kinney, assistant sports editor [https://www.laloyolan.com/sports/popular-sports-with-indigenous-american-roots/article_83025b20-93c2-5e07-bf6a-8453a969b4d6.html#:~:text=The%20modern%20game%20of%20basketball,at%20the%20University%20of%20Kansas]

"The modern game of basketball also has roots in Indigenous history. James Naismith, a Canadian-American physical educator, invented basketball in 1891 and founded the basketball program at the University of Kansas. They frequently played against the nearby Haskell Indian Nations University, a public tribal university.

"While playing against the University of Kansas, Haskell invented zone defense — a strategy that has become common at every level of the game.

"Today, people on Native American reservations play a unique style of basketball called rezball, which goes at a much faster pace than the traditional game. Rezball has become a defining feature of reservation living and a way for Native Americans to maintain tribal identities."

Also, according to another Britannica essay, Carl Diem, the German sports administrator for the 1920 Berlin Olympic Games introduced the theory between play as a pleasure pursuit and play to win. This newly developed academic discipline encapsulating the study of sports psychology explored two different tracks—"how psychology could be used to improve athletic performance, as well as how exercise could be utilized to improve mental well-being and lower stress levels."

Hmm—the terminology no longer was 'play', as per my mother to shoo me from being underfoot. I was told to go outside and find something interesting around my front, back, and side yards. She was inviting me, past toddlerhood but not yet school age, to be inventive on my own—to play, using all of my inner resources.

She was not aware, I suppose, that academic rigor had turned free-spirited playtime into rules and regulations "to improve mental well-being and lower stress levels."

I think my mother would have scoffed at being told she should exercise to lower the stress level I was causing. For her, playtime came when the chores were done, and the elders gathered to sing, chat, push the table and chairs against the wall and dance to someone playing the harmonica or a string instrument. They did not form into adversarial teams.

Now, I am reading a report that posits, "The adult-play deficit is becoming a public health crisis." Dingfelder shows how we have lost that innate connection between us two-leggeds and our counterpart four-leggeds, winged swimmers, crawlers, et al. Dingfelder draws our attention to the best kinds of inventions that have come about because people played with found stuff all around us—such as clay soil that defied planting but could be shaped and reeds that could be tied together for floating goods along a creek or hollowed out to blow through to communicate along greater distances than the human voice carries, etc etc.

[see: https://physicalguru.com/academic/sports-psychology/history-of-sports-psychology/

How fortuitous to have this essay in hand the day after I visited the Indiana History Center exhibit, "Going Pro: Basketball Origins in Indiana." Arriving at the parking lot off Michigan Road [aka Martin Luther King, Jr. Road] at New York Street, I noticed vans from an adult care center and from a high school. This sparked my expectation to observe something special about two sets of people interacting with the exhibit.

The adults were lingering at the wall panels, as was I, checking out the early professional teams, starting with the Fort Wayne Hoosiers, founded as part of the American Basketball League with a national focus, including the first with radio broadcasting. I recognized Branch McCracken as a major force.

On the regional circuit, the Indianapolis Kautskys changed their name to Jets after Frank Kautsky sold the team in 1947. An example of a player contract had me bleary-eyed with the legalese posited.

I recalled that John Wooden played professionally with Indianapolis Kautskys around 1937-1939 before he went on to gain national fame as head coach of the UCLA Bruins from 1948 through 1975, with 10 NCAA championships. Wooden Drive in an enclave north of 79th Street just west of Hoover Road in Indianapolis. I've yet to verify if it is named for this John Wooden—I know Wooden Drive in Martinsville is named for him.

"Wooden's Legacy," by Jeffrey Rouse, is on the west corner of Georgia and Meridian Streets in Indianapolis. John Wooden, in a crouching position in the act of coaching, is surrounded by five basketball players represented as sets of legs, each in a style that depicts an era from Wooden's career. On and around the base are words and quotes that define Wooden's coaching philosophy, including his "Pyramid of Success": "peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you're capable."

Things like this pop into a viewer's head, even if they're not specifically mentioned.

Films of the professional Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons show plays that continue to be part of the strategy that rises up from the moment a guard spots an entry for a forward to press toward the net. Faking and sizing up go all the way back to Naismith's concept of what would make play exciting for onlookers and players.

In 1910, Indianapolis-based Em-Roes sporting goods business started a professional basketball team. There's a panel about the New York City-based Renaissance team that barnstormed across Indiana in the 1920s. By that time just about every town had a high school court to welcome a visiting exhibition opportunity. The Coliseum rose up at the Indiana State Fairgrounds around that time and hosted visiting matches along with high school games.

The panel about Dave Dejernett especially caught my attention. I did not know about this 1930 story when Dejernett "became the first Black player to win a state basketball tournament on an integrated team in the U.S.—as the Washington Hatchets beat the Muncie Central Bearcats 32-21 in the Indiana State Finals at Butler Fieldhouse…After attending…Indiana Central College (now University of Indianapolis), he put together an all-star semi-pro team with players from his high school and college. He then went on to play professionally for legendary all-Black teams the New York Renaissance and the HarlemGlobetrotters."

I learned, too, that in 1937, the Bedford, Indiana Red Heads formed and led the way for more professional female team play. Indiana high schools now bring up male and female basketball teams alongside cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and track and field.

Then I came to the March 1971 panel when Indianapolis welcomed its first professional sports team as part of the newly formed American Basketball Association. Over the past half century the Pacers have had their ups and downs and now are in their upswing. They're the sponsors of this exhibit, which feels like an extension of the 2023 Indiana State Fair theme of basketball as Indiana's premier sporting event since 1891.

I had to look up the specifics for Reggie Miller: "Known for his clutch shooting ability Reggie Miller was one of the best all-around shooters in NBA history," was enshrined in 2012 in the Basketball Hall of Fame [https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/reggie-miller/#:~:text=Upon%20graduation%20he%20was%20drafted,pointers%20made%20in%20a%20career] "The sleek 6-7, 190 lb shooting guard would dominate the final seconds of a close game with his finesse known as "Miller Time". While at UCLA, he ranked fourth in scoring as a junior with 25.9ppg and was second on the all-time scoring list. Upon graduation, he was drafted with the 11th pick in the draft and played 18 seasons, all for the Indiana Pacers, and shattered many NBA records along the way. A five-time NBA All-Star and 1994 FIBA champion, Miller scored over 25,000 points in his career. Miller is second with 2,560 three-pointers made in a career. Miller won a Gold medal while playing for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team." His sister Cheryl was enshrined in 1995.

Pacers home games were played at Market Square Arena when Reggie Miller was on the team. It was imploded in 2001 after a new fieldhouse was built. This structure has been renamed so many times I have given up on what it is currently called and simply refer to the downtown fieldhouse. As I was waiting for my turn at the interactive kiosks, I thought about naming rights and team ownership and why this would make for an intriguing exhibit.

When I crossed over to the second part of this Indiana History Centre exhibit featuring Chuck Taylor, who made his enduring basketball mark in footgear rather than as a player, I was in the company of families engaged in designing new shoe models. No one even dared to call them sneakers, not even basketball shoes. They were Chuck Taylors or All-Stars. That got me thinking: does anyone know why, in 1969, John Wooden stopped outfitting his UCLA team players with 'All Stars' footgear? I recall it was in the aftermath of Chuck Taylor's death. I am aware that Chuck Taylor became part of the USA counter-culture with Elvis, Snoop Dog, Rihanna, and Joey Ramone, wearing Chuck Taylor basketball footwear on and off stage. Fashion happens.

Of course, I stopped at the History Market to make my way through some forty titles based on basketball. I did not spy copies of James Naismith's highly readable autobiography. But I had a copy of the newly published "Legacy and Legend: The History and Mythology of Basketball in Indiana" by J. Ronald Newlin.

Newlin was a 28-year-old museum professional in 1987 when he was tapped as executive director of the original Indianapolis-based Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. That's a sports Cinderella story I've heard in various retellings as part of the Indiana craft beer scene. When a company wanted the site where the modest Hall of Fame had been housed since its 1962 founding, Newlin devised a unique approach for funding. What if communities were invited to bid for the new hall of fame to be sited in its environs? Within what seemed like a blink, the citizens of New Castle jumped on the opportunity to engage everyone connected with Indiana's pride in basketball since 1892 when the Crawfordsville, Indiana YMCA embraced the game under the leadership of Dr. Nicholas McCay and its rapid spread that included Shortridge High School under Ralph Jones. People responded.

When you log on to hoopshall.com, you are greeted with a simple statement: "In other states, it's just basketball, BUT THIS IS INDIANA."

And then you are whooshed into a swirl of activity.

Well, Newlin hooked me into this same kind of salesmanship as I read his book cover to cover; sleep can wait.

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame was organized in 1962. The museum was in Indianapolis from 1970 to 1986; the present-day facility in New Castle opened in 1990.

The best overview of the New Castle site was printed in The Los Angeles Times on June 25, 1989, by Times Staff writer Charles Hillinger:

"Ron Newlin stood on a rise in this rolling hill country, 35 miles east of Indianapolis, gazing in wonder at the nearly completed building, then shot a roll of film, getting progress photos of the construction project."

Find the full story here: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-25-sp-6477-story.html.

There's another outsider view, printed in The Oklahoman on March 24, 2007. Berry Tramel pulled off Interstate 70 "en route from Indianapolis to Dayton, Ohio." Twenty years after the LA Times report, the thriving economic community in New Castle had taken some hits, particularly when the Chrysler plant moved out and people moved out too. "New Castle Field House no longer has attendance hitting over 10,000," cites Tramel. But this accidental tourist still left with a bit of wonderment, and an invitation: "The ball used to win that 1932 state title sits in the New Castle trophy case, in a hallway just off the largest high school gym in the world. You can't find that on a freeway."

Find the full story here: https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/columns/berry-tramel/2007/03/24/off-the-freeway-sits-basketballs-gym-of-dreams/61799732007/

Then, go to https://www.visitindiana.com/blog/post/basketball-in-indiana/

To learn about seven top places to experience the Indiana passion for basketball: Hinkle Fieldhouse, home of the Butler Bulldogs in Indianapolis since 1928; Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at Indiana University in Bloomington; Mackey Arena at Purdue University in West Lafayette; Milan '54 Basketball Museum; Pump's Last Shot in Broad Ripple; 33 Brick Street in French Lick; and of course the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Then extend your Indiana Basketball Experience with more opportunities here: https://www.visitindiana.com/basketball/

Newlin's book is simultaneously linear and circular, starting with indoor play and growing into the side of the barn bushel basket and then pole and net at the top of driveways in the sprawl of subdivisions. Indy Parks added indoor and outdoor playing areas. Lauck Manufacturing Co., Inc., established in Indianapolis in 1882 by John Lauck, a century later adding subsidiary American Eagle Goals, branched into new product development, including "basketball hoops for the game's variety of play locations, on barns and along driveways, at school gyms and mega field houses." Their July 31, 2018, post at https://aegoals.com/why-is-indiana-so-passionate-about-basketball/, offers one of the best overviews of 'Hoosier hysteria'.

[see: https://lauckmfg.com/about-us/ ]

Basketball is a major Hoosier industry that includes vying for college scholarships and naming rights. Why is basketball a perfect match for the Hoosier way of life? Newlin asks us to consider how the state formed itself with migrations northward from the Ohio River. He also asks us to consider the not-so-open part of the game. Entire parts of our collective population were not invited onto playing courts of the magnificent arenas so-called upstanding citizens were supporting. Birch Bayh traveled from Terre Haute to Washington, DC. Newlin opens Chapter Nine with a pointed admission: "During the same year when boys' basketball in Indiana experienced its silver age, girls' and women's basketball began a long, slow journey toward equity. …Bayh, the son of a noted basketball referee, was the co-author of the legislation known as Title IX. [I thought about this —chapter 9, Title IX—a coincidence or another Newlin insightful placement that was coming to me forward from his author's note.]

"Title IX was an extension of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and as such had far broader implications than just sports…" cites Newlin. Within this chapter's succinct 13-page story is a two-page spread with this caption: "Lin Dunn built Purdue into a national power and then coached the Indiana Fever to the state's first world basketball championship." I am looking at an image of Indiana evolving its sense of humanity.

When East-coaster Tamika Catchings was picked by Fever in 2001, Reggie Miller was still anchoring the Pacers team. In 1987, coming from California, Reggie was not particularly welcomed by the then-Pacers fans. Attitude had an uplift over that 14-year interlude. Newlin doesn't dwell on this point, but I caught his drift—Hoosiers can change when you supply wins. But I think I spied about a half-dozen Reggie titles and Tamika's autobiography at the History Market.

On page 158, Newlin summarizes the road from building up hometown high school play to supporting professional teams. "For generations, there had been an element of Indiana basketball fandom that had resented and resisted professional basketball, and that element often reflected some racist notions."

Nostalgia was rising as high school and college wins were slipping. It' easy to point at 'them' and not look into ourselves. Hoosiers like to think of themselves as welcoming—but too often, it's welcoming that diminishes rather than uplifts. It was an open door for D. C. Stephenson and the KKK, and that segment of support continues, reaching into basketball as another aspect of 'the Hoosier way.'

The 1970s proved hard for Indiana basketball, but Newlin shows the possibility of 'resurrection' when staying the course is the best way forward. "Legacy and Legend" closes as it starts, with the showcase on high school and college basketball. March Madness will rise in 2024 despite "the 2020 global coronavirus that wiped out the sports world's calendar." .

When I left the Indiana History Center, I made a note to check on what was upcoming.

December 30, at 7:00 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Pacers are facing the Knicks in the final game of 2023.

The Indiana Fever announced the 25th regular season will tip off on the road at the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, May 14, at 8 p.m. The 2024 home schedule at Gainbridge Fieldhouse will begin May 16 against the New York Liberty at 7 p.m. https://fever.wnba.com/schedule/#?season=2024&seasontype=02

And more popped up:

Fantasy Basketball at fb-ninja.com told me, "We love fantasy basketball! We love the competition data analysis, and we love sharing the wealth of our experience and knowledge with the fantasy basketball community!" This online experience grew up in the 1990s and is listed along with 53 other "top Indiana sports companies and companies as of 2021. See the post by Mark Smith at https://beststartup.us/54-top-indiana-sports-companies-and-startups-of-2021/

And then there's a serious side, with 247Composite Rating, touted as "the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect ranking…" Who among the high school basketball players is the best prospect for a college scholarship? See the top 15 rankings here: https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Basketball/RecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=highschool&State=IN.

This diversity is a long walk from IU President Herman B Wells' reminiscences and reflections in his autobiography, "Being Lucky." Wells writes, "One afternoon along in the spring [of 1947] some of my Black friends from Indianapolis, most of whom were alumni, showed up in my office to say that if our basketball coach, Branch McCracken, would play Bill Garrett, they felt they could persuade him to come to Indiana University. Bill Garrett had a fabulous record as a high school player, and his team had just won the state tournament. I said, "That would be great. Let me see what we can do." IU thus became the first Big Ten school to leap over the silent compact. "Garrett's actions on and off the court set an example and paved the way for other black players in the Big Ten to follow. During Garrett's years at IU (1947–1951), he was the only African American playing on a Big Ten varsity basketball team (1948–51)."

That thrust me back to the top of this column and recalling days of interacting with all the events at the 2023 Indiana State Fair surrounding "BASKETBALL Celebrating the State that Grew the Game," and now reading about the State Fair plays 2024 theme: "The Art and Nature of Fun."

There's an opportunity for interaction throughout the History Center exhibit, the most eye-catching being a hands-on opportunity to create the color scheme for a Chuck Taylor All*Star shoe. Inventive participants happily shared their creations for me to applaud. Strangers to start with, we're new acquaintances. Such is the nature of a good exhibit.

Coming up:

Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, March 13-17, 2024

See IU schedule: https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever home games are played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 125 South Pennsylvania Street, 46202. Tickets and information: 317-917-2528

Harlem Globetrotters at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, January 14 at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at 125 South Pennsylvania Street 46204; box office: 317-917-2727

And then this notice arrived:

"Indy Eleven Soccer and managed care entity CareSource announced a premier partnership that aims to further support youth soccer development initiatives across the state of Indiana as well as promote the growing excitement surrounding the World's Game and upcoming Eleven Park development.

As part of this new partnership, Indy Eleven and CareSource will work together in facilitating the club's Youth Soccer Camps, with CareSource supporting on-site activations for campers. CareSource will also have the opportunity to engage with the entire Indy Eleven community and fan base as the presenting sponsor of a 2024 match.

"Indy Eleven and CareSource's commitment to the community and youth development make this a perfect partnership from all angles," said Indy Eleven President & CEO Greg Stremlaw. "We share a mutual passion for service and the values and ideals of CareSource will help us continue to offer programs to communities across the state to aid our mission of growing soccer at the grassroots level."

Indy Eleven currently facilitates youth camps throughout the year across Indiana and supports more than 17,000 children across the state and into Illinois as part of its Youth Soccer Program. The club's youth program, as well as its involvement in camps and clinics, is designed to increase accessibility to soccer in communities and encourage players, coaches, referees and parents to grow their passion for the sport by supporting recreational soccer programs at member clubs.

"CareSource's partnership with Indy Eleven embodies our commitment to fostering holistic community health," said Steve Smitherman, president of CareSource Indiana. "Indy Eleven's unwavering dedication to excellence both on and off the field aligns seamlessly with our mission to empower and uplift communities. Through their extensive youth development programs and outstanding achievements in professional soccer, Indy Eleven exemplifies our values– teamwork, dedication, and a commitment to making a positive impact. This collaboration represents our shared belief in the power of sports to drive positive change and promote well-being across Indiana."

For more information on Indy Eleven's youth programs and camps, click here.

Lindsey Olsen, Indy Eleven Director, Communications, [email protected]

Indy Eleven's 2024 regular season slate is available here: https://www.indyeleven.com/news/2023/12/18/indy-eleven-unveils-2024-regular-season-slate/

Since its launch in 2013, Indy Eleven's dedication to its club and community has been driven by empowering a culture of excellence through its players and staff, staying true to its aim of fielding teams that represent the State of Indiana proudly on and off the field. The men's professional soccer team currently plays in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship, a 24-team professional soccer league based across the United States. Indy Eleven also recently acquired a new top-tier women's professional team in the Super League and is home to the USL W League 2023 National Champions. In addition to USL Academy operations, Pro Academies now operate in both MLS Next and ECNL. Indy Eleven established a youth development program that has grown to over 17,000 children via affiliated youth clubs across Indiana and into Illinois. Learn more at indyeleven.com.

CareSource is a nonprofit, nationally recognized managed care organization with over 2.3 million members. Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, since its founding in 1989, CareSource administers one of the largest Medicaid-managed care plans in the U.S. The organization offers health insurance, including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicare products. As a mission-driven organization, CareSource is transforming health care with innovative programs that address the social determinants of health, health equity, prevention and access to care.