Wabash Valley High School Basketball Tournament

Wabash Valley profiles : a series of tributes to hometown people and events that have shaped our history

Description:	One typed page including photograph; brief description of the Wabash Valley Basketball Tournament. ABASH VALLEY WP R O F I L E SA series of tributes to hometown people and events that have shaped our history.Wabash Valley High School Basketball Tournamentetween 1916 and 1972, the Wabash Valley Basketball Tournament was among Americas premier high school sporting events. The inaugural Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic at Terre Haute South this month seeks to resurrect its noble tradition. From very humble beginnings, the Wabash Valley Tournament blossomed into the nations largest non-state scholastic athletic competition. During its 57-year existence, 188 different schools participated, 157 from Indiana and 31 from Illinois. Between 1936 and 1961, Tribune sports editor Bob Nesbit presents the 1947 there were more than 100 entries Wabash Valley championship trophy to the Garfield team. each year. In 1947, 124 teams participated, the all-time high. After 1922 -- the first year 32 or more teams took part -- the tourney was a two-week event. Preliminary games were played at various sites during the first week and the finals during the second week. Terre Haute hosted the tournament finals 51 times. Seven of the first eight tourneys were held at the Knights of Columbus Auditorium at Eighth and Ohio streets. The 1920 tournament was played at Clinton Coliseum. From 1924 through 1928, the finals were conducted at the Wiley High School gym. Beginning in 1929, the final game was played the Indiana State gymnasium on N. Seventh St. for 34 years and was shifted to the new Indiana State Arena in 1963. The finals were played at Switz City from 1968 to 1970, West Vigo in 1971 and Sullivan in 1972. The Wabash Valley Basketball Tournament is recalled for its outstanding games, players, coaches and upsets. During much of its history, three Terre Haute high schools -- Gerstmeyer, Wiley and Garfield -- were the largest schools in the field. However, when Rockville won the tourney in 1917, it was bigger than runner-up Garfield. Garfield won the title four times (1945, 1947, 1948 and 1958); Gerstmeyer (1952, 1953 and 1954) and Wiley (1929, 1930 and 1942) won it three times each; and State High -- which played in 54 of the 57 tournaments -- won in 1920. The only other Vigo County school to take home the coveted Wabash Valley Association trophy was Glenn in 1950 and 1951; however, the Pirates 1951 title was vacated when it was discovered that one athlete was over the age limit. Flat Rock (Ill.), led by future Indiana State star Joe Short, won the tourney in 1940 with an enrollment of just 82 students, defeating Garfield in the title game. Freelandville had less than 100 students when it won the 1922 crown. Future college All-Americans Norm Cottom, Clyde Lovellette and Terry Dischinger played in the Wabash Valley finals. Lovellette and Dischinger, Olympic gold medal winners and NBA stars, played on championship teams. The 2000 Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic offers 20 exciting games of non-class basketball, including a consolation bracket, in eight sessions over four days commencing Wednesday, Dec. 27. Tourney passes are available for $10 at any of the 12 participating schools: Terre Haute South, Terre Haute North, West Vigo, South Vermillion, Rockville, Turkey Run, Cloverdale, Sullivan, Bloomfield, Hamilton Southeastern, Marshall (Ill.) and Red Hill (Ill.)BTERRE HAUTE(812) 238-6000NATIONAL BANKAlways Close to HomeDate published: December 6, 2000Filename: WV B-ball Tournament profile
Created By:	McCormick, Mike
Publisher:	Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Source:	http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/vchs/id/653
Collection:	Vigo County Historical Society
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Undetermined
Subjects:	Basketball Basketball players Tournaments Sports

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