Even though much of September hasn’t felt like it, winter will be here before we know it. That means the basketballs will be bouncing, nets will be swishing and fans will be lining the bleachers in anticipation of another fantastic basketball season on the horizon that always ends with the IHSAA State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
We have lots of moving parts, as always, here at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, and we continue to appreciate our partners and members alike. We cannot tell our rich history or passion of Indiana high school basketball without the help and support we get every year from former players, officials, coaches and the avid fan. We appreciate that so much, and we love telling the stories that surround our great game.
Henry Community Health continues to be a great partner, and we are thankful for its support of the Hall of Fame Classic and for serving as admission sponsor. We are continuing to offer free field trips into the museum for any school group, team or outside group that would like to tour our wonderful museum. If your school or organization cannot come to us, we will come to you. Please contact our office if this is something that interests you for either an in-person tour or a mobile field trip to your school or organization.
Speaking of Henry Community Health, our Hall of Fame Classic this December (which is before Christmas this year) once again brings a star-studded lineup:
2026 HENRY COMMUNITY HEALTH HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
Girls Tournament: Monday, Dec. 21
Pendleton Heights vs. McCutcheon, 11:00 a.m. EST
Franklin Central vs. Northridge, to follow
Consolation game, 6:00 p.m. (EST)
Championship game, to follow
Boys Tournament, Tuesday, Dec. 22
Oak Hill vs. Terre Haute North, 11:00 a.m. (EST)
Homestead vs. New Albany, to follow
Consolation game, 6:00 p.m. (EST)
Championship game, to follow
Thanks to the leadership of the IBCA, one task we have both taken to heart is increasing the partnership between our organizations. The Hall of Fame would like to thank the IBCA for everything that it does for us, and hopefully the partnership will continue to grow and flourish. We are playing for the same team … and in this game together.
As an IBCA member, we are asking for your support by becoming an annual member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame for 2027. The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is the finest high school Hall of Fame in the world. This is possible because of the support of people who have lived Indiana high school basketball, including coaches such as you. Your involvement is important to us, as current high school coaches will be needed to step into future Hall of Fame leadership roles as the guardians of the history of Indiana high school basketball.
Indiana was the first state to have a facility dedicated strictly to high school basketball. We continually receive praise from our visitors from Indiana and beyond while drawing comparisons to – or praise greater than – the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in Massachusetts.
As with all facilities, the cost of operating, maintaining and now replacing parts of our building continue to rise. We have been fortunate that our facility in New Castle is in good condition. But with age, there comes added costs. Thanks to the generous support of our 2026 membership campaign, we recently have been able to upgrade our exhibits, add new, exciting graphics and work on extending our physical footprint.
We cannot thank you all enough for the support you have shown our organization, and we hope we are able to showcase that in what we are able to do. We want to make our members proud, and attempt to find new ways to do that all the time. THANK YOU again for all your loyal support for our mission of “honoring, preserving and promoting the heritage of Indiana High School Basketball.”
Basketball has played an important role in the lives of many Hoosiers. Your annual membership makes you part of the team that sustains our museum as the finest high school basketball museum in the world. As part of our website, you may make online membership contributions or donations. Please join by completing our online membership form at
Membership | Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame with your tax-deductible gift. Be sure to check the benefits listed when viewing the website.
Our gift shop also is available through the website. Please see these items and plenty of Indiana basketball history at www.hoopshall.com.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the Hall.
– Matt Martin, executive director
