Hoosier Hysteria: Two Local Teams Face Off at the Historic Hoosier Gym

Two of our local high schools will take the 3.5 hour trip east to Knightstown, Indiana to play a basketball game at one of the most famous basketball gyms in the world.

Lincoln Way Central will take on Lincoln Way East in the same gym that the 1986 blockbuster Hoosiers was filmed at. The Knights and Griffins will meet on December 7th, 2024. The girls will play first, followed by the boys game.

Our sister station, 1340 WJOL, made the announcement this morning during an interview with Lincoln-Way East athletic director Mark Vander Kooi.

I had a chance to visit the Hoosier Gym in 2022, and being a lifelong basketball fan, it was magical!

A small but dedicated team of community members maintain the gym to ensure it looks just like it did when the movie was filmed. Anyone is invited to stop in and shoot around or visit the basement locker room on days where there are not games scheduled. It survives on donations and sales from their gift shop.

The gym hosts about 65 games per year, welcoming teams from around the country to soak in the nostalgia.

The gym was originally built for the school in town in 1921. It served in that capacity until a new school was built with it’s own on-premise gym. The “Hoosier Gym” evaded demolition multiple times before and after it was used in the movie. Thankfully, it has been restored and maintained to give basketball fans their own destination just like baseball fans have the Field of Dreams.

As far as the game goes, the gym only holds about 500 people and the gym is only 3/4ths the size of a regulation high school court, so I would imagine only family of players and students will be able to attend. However, the game will be broadcast on our sister station 1340 WJOL!

Last but not least, here’s a video I made forcing my kids to reenact scenes from the movie!