Cradle of Basketball
Crawfordsville, United States
<br><br> <b>[ Side “A” ]</b><br><br> In 1892 the game of basketball was brought to Crawfordsville from its birthplace in Massachusetts by Rev. Nicholas McCay, General Secretary of the Crawfordsville YMCA that was located on this site in what would become known as the Terminal Building. Teams from Crawfordsville and Montgomery County schools and Wabash College first played the game here. Over the years, the game of basketball evolved into “Hoosier Hysteria” culminating every year with the Indiana High School Basketball State Tournament Finals and the NCAA National Finals.<br><br> <b>[ Side “B” ]</b><br><br> Crawfordsville won the first IHSAA State Basketball Championship in 1911. Wingate won the State Championship in 1913 and 1914. The first eight IHSAA State Basketball Championships were won by schools located within 30 miles of Crawfordsville making this region the “Cradle of Basketball” in Indiana and contributing significantly to the development of the game nationally. Wabash College was instrumental in promoting basketball on the college level.