Sunday, September 15, 2019

Indianapolis, Indiana: Hinkle Fieldhouse

There aren't many "barns" left in college basketball these days, so we have to cherish the ones we have.

Hinkle Fieldhouse, on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, is such a place.

It's been open for business for more than 90 years, with its first game in 1928. The place used to hold 15,000, but that number has been cut down to 10,000 or so through remodeling.

Take a look at the windows at the far end. There are windows at the other end as well. The court used to run the other way, but was moved because the players complained about the sun in their eyes at certain times of the day.

This place became immortalized through the 1954 Milan High School basketball team's effort. The team from the tiny town reached the state finals, which were played on this very court. Milan won it all on a last second shot, an incredible achievement.

But here's the fun part. Not only was the game played here, but the movie "Hoosiers," which told the story about that team, used this fieldhouse for the climatic game scenes. Therefore, anyone who has seen the movie more than once wants to see the host gym in person.

This gym was rather intimidating to the Milan squad when it showed up before the game. This scene from "Hoosiers" gets the idea across nicely.



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