The movie “Hoosiers” made it famous, but Butler’s 2010 National title game run made it a tourist destination. I made my first visit to the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse four years ago when I covered the Final Four for the Washington Times. Tomorrow I return to cover my first ever game at the basketball mecca. Northwestern at Butler will be the first nationally broadcast game on Fox Sports this season.
It leads directly into coverage of the Big Ten Football Championship Game, held just a few miles down the road at Indianapolis’s Lucas Oil Stadium.
Therefore, time to re-run my Times piece from four years ago:
INDIANAPOLIS- It’s historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, the sixth oldest college basketball arena still is use. It’s stood here since 1928, about 6 miles north of downtown, an official U.S. historic landmark. The climactic final scene in the 1986 film “Hoosiers” was filmed here. “Hoosiers” was based on the real life 1954 Indiana state high school championship, the “Milan Miracle” in which the tiny enrollment Milan high defeated the larger powerhouse Muncie Central. (Butler honored the real life team at game in February of 2014)
In the film, Hickory High plays the role of Muncie and South Bend Central is the fictionalized version of Muncie.
When I arrived at Hinkle Fieldhouse there were about a hundred people exploring the gym.
“Hoosiers” has many iconic scenes, but first I recalled the moments where Coach Norman Dale (played by Gene Hackman) has his players measure the distance from the free throw line to the baseline and the height of the rim. Because most of his Hickory Husker players had never seen a building over 2 stories tall and he didn’t want them to be intimidated by the size of the “big city’s large gym.”
When I first walked into the Final Four media room, and saw just how HUGE the press conference room was at Lucas Oil Field, I was amazed by the size. I’ve never seen so many chairs and such a huge stage, for a press conference, and I’ve worked the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, NBA Playoffs, and some bowl games in my time. This work room was BIG! I’ve never seen so many media guides, stat sheets, and fast scripts- a whole hoops library.
Remembering the lessons of Norman Dale, there was no intimidation felt. No need to measure the distance from microphone to chair.
On Sunday, two reporters asked Butler Coach Brad Stevens if he copied Norman Dale and brought the measuring the tape out to the rim for his Butler Bulldogs team, because after all the leviathan Lucas Oil Field seats 80,000; which is about 10 times what the fieldhouse seats! Stevens’ did not play along, his answers were boring and nondescript.
Here’s more “Hoosiers” related Q and A from Final Four week (of the non-vanilla variety)
How many times have you each seen the movie Hoosiers and when was the last time?
GORDON HAYWARD: “I can’t really tell you how many times I’ve watched that movie. I think everyone growing up in Indiana watches that movie. It’s always on TV, I feel like. So whenever it’s on, love basketball, love watching that movie.”
SHELVIN MACK: “I never seen the movie. I’m sorry (laughter).”
RONALD NORED: “I definitely can remember the last time I watched Hoosiers. Our annual, you know, Brad Stevens’ Butler Basketball Camp, we have the movie room. For some reason, every week we go four weeks straight, four days, every day for every week, kids want to watch Hoosiers. It’s the most annoying thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I saw Hoosiers in July, was the last time and I saw it, you do the math, 16 times-ish.”
Nored had the most interesting answer.
What makes Hinkle so special is that it’s an exception. We never think about basketball arenas, or even football stadiums for that manner, in the same way we regard ballparks; as cathedrals of sport. As being distinctive and unique.
In baseball, most home stadiums have their own unique quirks and differing dimensions that give it character. Thousands of people in this country go on quests each summer to see every ballpark on their bucket list. No one does that for football or basketball. Because football stadiums are designed and built for utility- maximing the largest space possible with minimal cost.
Just about every NBA arena is pretty much the same, walk through the food court at your local mall and you’ve experienced every NBA arena concourse. There’s just no originality, charm or character.
Hinkle Fieldhouse is distinctive. It’s one-of-a-kind.
The bright sunlight shines in from the main west wall, the uneven overlapping tiers that fly in the face of modern, perfectly symmetrical layouts. And even though it’s located right on campus, there are regular everyday suburban houses right across the street.
The exterior is impressive too- subtle yet understated. One visit here and you can understand why it was the model for the Indiana Pacers’ new home Conseco Fieldhouse.
Hinkle Fieldhouse is the perfect setting for basketball.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2