"Cradle of basketball" to be honored for high school hoops this spring

http://journalreview.com/articles/2010/12/11/viewpoints/03court.txt
The home of the first-ever high school basketball game and Indiana's first high school state champion to be honored in Crawfordsville, Ind. this April.

 

Crawfordsville hasn't done jack shit in basketball since then.

 

Do they still play in that sweet old gym?

 

Well, they were state runner ups...50 years ago. But, yeah...they haven't done much since then.

Not sure how long C'ville has played at the current gym, but it's pretty new.

 

The original rules of basketball, two pages typed by Dr. Naismith's secretary, were sold at auction earlier this week for $4.3 million.


http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=344947

James Naismith -- who was born in Almonte, Ont., and studied at McGill University -- wrote the 13 rules while a physical education instructor at the Christian association.

"Basketball is a pure invention," said Selby Kiffer, senior specialist in American history documents at Sotheby's, where the rules were being sold by the Naismith International Basketball Foundation.

 

It's not the "cradle of basketball." It's Indiana's cradle of basketball. Big difference.

 

Isn't that the same thing?

 

Of course it is. Gene Hackman invented basketball.

 

Um, it IS the cradle of basketball. I'm not sure if the Crawfordsville Y was the first outside of Springfield to introduce basketball, but it was the first where it spread through the community like wildfire.

Sadly, no one thought to preserve the Crawfordsville Y. I think it's a bank parking lot now. I don't believe there's even a marker.

 

It is a bank parking lot and they are putting a marker up, finally, this spring. Hence why I posted the story. I think this is going to be a big deal, at least in Indiana, and to hardcore prep basketball geeks.
And yeah, it IS the area that got high school basketball going in the U.S., unless you can tell me who won a state title in 1910.

 

Bob,

I'd think the "cradle of basketball" would be the place it was invented or the place where it was revolutionized (Lawrence, Kansas). But that's just me.

 

Indiana is where basketball cried, burped and spit up, so it's apt.