He wasnâ??t just the stuff of Hoosier high school basketball legends. He was a legend â??? and still is today. The story of Damon Baileyâ??s unparalleled high school career â?¦
In the book A Season on the Brink, John Feinstein wrote that Damon Bailey, the pride of Heltonville, was only an eighth-grader when Bobby Knight scouted him. Knight went back and told his IU team that the kid could already outplay most of them.
Baileyâ??s high school career proved Knightâ??s keen eye for talent.
In his freshman and sophomore years, Bailey led Bedford North Lawrence to the semistate tournaments. During his sophomore year alone, he averaged 31 points per game, with a single-game high of 51.
Then came the 1990 finals in the Hoosier Dome, where a record 41,000 fans watched Bailey solidify his reputation as the Prince of Indiana high school basketball. Bedford faced Concord in the big game. Concord, the runner-up the previous year, apparently forgot to read the glowing press reports about Bailey. Jamar Johnson blocked six of Damonâ??s shots, and Jim Hahnâ??s team pushed Bedford to its own brink.
Bailey responded coolly by racking up Bedfordâ??s last 11 points, including game-clinching free throws with 24 seconds left, for a 63-60 victory. At the final buzzer, Bailey ran into the stands and hugged his parents.
Damon Bailey was Mr. Basketball that year. He finished his career with 3,134 points, making him Indianaâ??s all-time scoring leader.
Anyone who watched Bailey play remembers something besides the numbers, though. He made it look easy! On the court, he moved with a liquid smoothness, even on fast breaks. No motion was wasted, no decision was hurried. It was the same kind of grace he showed in handling the pressure of being the most famous high school basketball player on the planet.
After stints with IU, the Pacers, and the CBA, Bailey reflected on his remarkable career. â??High school basketball is pure,â? he said. â??It is the highest level of what basketball is meant to be.â?
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