BB: Indiana’s All-Century team is full of stars

More than 50 years ago, two young men who someday would rank among Indiana’s greatest basketball legends crossed paths at Butler Fieldhouse.

On one side was senior Bobby Plump of the small-town Milan Indians. On the other stood sophomore sensation Oscar Robertson of powerhouse Indianapolis Attucks. It was 1954, and a trip to the state semifinals awaited the winner.

Attucks led early, but Milan pulled ahead and played keep-away in the second half to win 65-52. As Plump recalls, he scored 28 points. Robertson, who became one of the NBA’s all-time greats, scored 22.

“I keep telling Oscar he has to respect me,” Plump said with a laugh during an interview with The Associated Press. “I don’t refer to the fact that I was a senior and he was a sophomore.”

Added Plump: “I think he was the best player I ever saw.”

Two games later, Plump hit the shot of his life in the closing seconds of the state final against another big-school power, Muncie Central. With time winding down, Plump drove from near the midcourt circle, then cut to his right and pulled up from about 15 feet. 

The shot was good, Milan won 32-30, and a David-vs.-Goliath story that has survived generations emerged.

The story, and that final shot, inspired the 1986 movie, “Hoosiers.” Smooth-shooting Jimmy Chitwood from the film? That’s Plump.

“Everybody in Indiana was familiar with what happened in 1954 because they kind of lived through that thing, or they heard tales passed down,” said Plump, now 73. “It used to be I’d meet people and they’d say, ’I saw that game.’ Now people say, ’My grandfather told me about that game.’ ”

As for Robertson, the loss to Milan marked the last time he lost a state tournament game. The next year, he starred as Attucks became the first all-black team in the nation to win a state championship. He followed it up by leading Attucks to the first unbeaten state championship season in state history in 1956.

Plump and Robertson, perhaps more than any other two players in state history, inspired Indiana boys – black and white, city and country – to dream of playing in the state tournament. In honor of the recently concluded 100th state tournament, The Associated Press compiled an Indiana All-Century team. 

The 26 players – the Van Arsdale twins have been included as a single entry – were chosen with input from a panel of experts who have been involved with basketball in the state for at least 20 years.

Larry Bird, an All-Century pick who averaged 30.6 points and 20.6 rebounds per game as a senior at Springs Valley in 1974, said the memories of pursuing a state title live long after the dribbling stops.

“If you go around the state, most guys played basketball on some level,” Bird said. “When I see a lot of my friends who played in high school but didn’t get to play in college, that’s all they talk about. 

“They remember the coaches, they remember the cheerleaders, they remember the scores of games, and that’s their life.”

Gene Keady, who recruited the state for 25 years as Purdue’s head coach, offered a list of all-time greats. Later in the conversation, he realized he had skipped a few.

“You start forgetting many of these guys,” he said. “That’s easy to do in Indiana. It’s amazing how many players come out of Indiana, per capita. 

“The state has the best players in the history of the game.”

The state held onto pre-class basketball until 1997, something that traditionalists say made the state tournament unique.

“I think it was special,” Keady said. “Everybody in the world knew about Indiana’s one-class basketball system.”

Former Pacers coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard, who played high school basketball at Terre Haute Gerstmeyer but was better known for his success at Indiana University, said towns often were identified by their high school basketball teams.

“When I was in high school, there were 714 teams in the state tournament,” the 77-year-old Leonard said. “That’s before a lot of consolidation. And there’s a lot of schools that had 20 kids in the graduating class, and everybody played.”

Leonard remembers listening to state tournament games on the radio in the 1940s, and what the atmosphere was like in Terre Haute and the surrounding towns as state approached.

“All those little towns, those gyms were packed on Friday night,” Leonard said. “When it got to state tournament time, they closed the barber shops, the drug stores and everything else, and everybody headed to the basketball game.”

The special moments, like Milan’s victory, stand out. Keady mentioned Luke Zeller’s buzzer-beater just inside half court that gave Washington an overtime win over Plymouth in the 2005 Class 3A final.

Warsaw coach Doug Ogle recalled watching Bailey play in front of 40,000 at the Hoosier Dome in 1990.

“I remember being way, way up, not being able to see very well, but you just felt it was kind of neat to be there as part of it,” Ogle said.

Now, eight teams on that final Saturday pursue the same dream that Hoosiers have been chasing for 100 years. That isn’t lost on Ogle, whose Tigers fell to North Central (Indianapolis) in the 4A title tilt.

“If you love Indiana high school basketball, how can it not add to the excitement – being part of the 100th boys basketball tournament?” Ogle said. “It’s important. I think it’s going to be meaningful to all four champions on Saturday because I think people are going to remember the 100th. 

“I just think it will stick in their minds a little bit more.”

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Indiana high school boys basketball state tournament, The Associated Press compiled an Indiana All-Century team with help from a panel of experts.

The team, listed in alphabetical order, by name, school and year graduated, with details from the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and Indiana High School Athletic Association:

Mr. Basketball in 1983, when he averaged 37.2 points per game; scored 2,116 career points; scored 57 points in a semistate game as senior.

Is the state’s all-time leader with 3,134 points.

1,496 points and 1,585 career rebounds, led Trojans to final four in 1971.

Averaged 30.6 points and 20.6 rebounds as a senior; scored 55 points against Corydon on Jan. 19, 1974.

Helped Attucks reach final four in 1951; was Mr. Basketball in 1953.

Was second to teammate Greg Oden in Mr. Basketball voting, and Oden said at the time the honor should have been shared; was the point guard who orchestrated one of the most dominant runs in state history.

All-around player was MVP of Indiana All-Star team.

Mr. Basketball; one of the first prominent black players in the state; former Harlem Globetrotter.

Averaged 29 points, shot 58 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range as a senior to earn Mr. Basketball honors; twice scored 50 points in a game as a senior; scored 2,178 points in his career, 15th in state history.

Mr. Basketball and led team to state title in 1965; starred at Purdue.

Led team to state runner-up finish in 1947, scored 25 points in the final; was mentioned by nearly every person interviewed despite playing before many of them were born.

Led team to unbeaten championship season in 1969; had 53 points and 31 rebounds in All-Star Game vs. Kentucky; was first player in state to score more than 1,000 points in a season, averaging 32.8 points as a senior; scored 2,070 career points.

Fifth in state history with 2,595 points, averaging 33.1 points as a senior; scored 57 points in a game as a junior; scored 47 in semistate semifinal against Logansport on March 12, 1966.

Won three straight Class 4A state championships and had a 103-7 overall record; won back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year awards, a feat duplicated only by LeBron James; finished his high school career with 1,873 points, 1,058 rebounds, and 341 blocked shots.

Made last-second shot in 1954 state final to lead tiny school to victory, was Mr. Basketball; his team inspired the 1986 movie “Hoosiers”; was unanimously chosen by panelists.

Earned USA Today and Parade First-Team All-American honors as a senior; named MVP of the 2000 McDonald’s All-American game; led Marion to the 2000 4A state championship.

Led team to state final; scored 114 points in final four games of tourney; had 1,632 career points, averaging 29.3 points his senior year.

Won state in 1955 and ’56; the latter was the first to win state with an unbeaten record and first all-black team to win a state title in the nation; Mr. Basketball, 1956; scored 62 points against Sacred Heart on Feb. 11, 1956; scored 1,825 career points.

Won 1991 state title against Brebeuf and star Alan Henderson; was Mr. Basketball.

Scored 1,788 career points; scored 39 points in state title win in 1982; averaged 29.3 points per game as a senior.

Led team to state titles in 1913 and 1914; scored all of his team’s points in one state tournament win in 1914; scored 18 points in 1914 state final; once scored 74 points in a game.

Third in state history with 3,018 points; won 2A state titles in 2008 and 2009; had 34 points and 15 rebounds in 2009 title win over Brownstown; will attend Ohio State.

Twins shared Mr. Basketball and Trester Awards in 1961; **** scored 26 points in 1961 state final.

Led team to state titles in 1920, 1921, and 1922; team had winning streaks of 29 and 48 games.

Best-known as UCLA’s coach during its heyday, Wooden first made a name as an Indiana high school player; played on Martinsville’s 1927 state championship team his junior year and was on runner-up teams in 1926 and 1928.

The panel of experts:

• Andy Amey, sports reporter for Terre Haute Tribune-Star

• Larry Bird, Indiana Pacers president was Hall of Fame player for Boston Celtics, played college ball at Indiana State, high school ball at Springs Valley

• Dan Bridges, sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder

• Garry Donna, editor of Hoosier Basketball Magazine, which is in its 40th year of publication

• Gordon Engelhardt, sports writer for Evansville Courier & Press

• Steve Herman, retired after 34 years of covering Indiana sports for The Associated Press

• Gene Keady, coached Purdue for 25 years and recruited many of the players on the list

• Bobby “Slick” Leonard, Pacers radio commentator who coached the Pacers to 529 wins and three ABA championships after winning a national championship at Indiana and playing high school ball at Terre Haute Gerstmeyer

• Rick Morwick, sports reporter for Franklin Daily Journal

• Bobby Plump, hit the big shot for Milan in the 1954 state championship game, starred at Butler