Last week, Governor Eric Holcomb delivered his annual State of the State Address.
It’s a time when the sitting governor gives us his take on where Indiana has been, where it is currently, and where it’s going. It’s like that map at the mall with the giant red dot and the words YOU ARE HERE next to it.
If we had a “governor of the state of basketball in Indiana” they would also be required to give such a status report on all things hoops within our borders.
If I were that person, my report would go like this:
“Coaches, players, administrators and fans, I report to you today on the state of basketball in the state where that sport is loved and worshiped more than in any other. That love is strong, and the bond between the game and those who follow and participate in it is tremendous.
At the professional level, our Pacers are a source of pride and distinction. They are currently second to Milwaukee in the Central Division, and only the Bucks and Toronto Raptors have more wins in the Eastern Conference. More than that, the team is a true reflection of its fan base. It is a group of men working very hard as a unit to achieve team goals. They have put the best interest of the team as-a-whole ahead of their own personal acclaim, and they truly are better together than they could ever be individually.
They are fun to watch and easy for us to cheer for. They are well led by their front office and coaching staff, and they are solid role models for our basketball-playing citizens to follow.
For our major college teams, the picture is not as clear.
Our young Indiana Hoosiers are struggling after a very good start to their season. More concerning than the losing trend of late has been what appears to be a lack of effort by the players. Especially in their in-state rivalry game Saturday at Purdue and their home game against Nebraska, the team seemed to be unfocused and uncommitted – which is quite troubling.
Purdue is playing well and seems to be getting the most out of its personnel. The Boilermakers have a strong on-court leader in Carson Edwards, and a group of role players who have molded in around him. Unlike their Big Ten brethren to the south, the coaching stability that has been Purdue Basketball with two coaches – Matt Painter and Gene Keady – since 1980 and three since 1966, has been impressive.
Butler’s run as the “little engine that could” might be running to the end of the line. The Bulldogs have not played well all season, and they just don’t have the same feel the teams of the last 15 years have had. They need to get really hot, in my opinion, just to make the tournament this year. That is most definitely not the “Butler Way” but it may be their fate on their current course.
And Ball State is a very lackluster 11-7 overall and currently fourth in the Mid-American Conference’s West Division.
Perhaps our best and brightest would be the men’s team from Indiana Wesleyan University, who won a National Championship in NAIA Division II a year ago and seems poised to make another run at it this season. IWU is a great example of young men playing hard at a high level of skill, and we Hoosiers can all relate to that.
As for our younger Hoosier ball teams, there are some serious concerns about the state of the game at that level.
We are retiring officials out at a faster rate than we are training new ones. There is concern that basketball as we know will cease to exist in a few years because there won’t be enough officials to call the games.
As acting governor of the state of basketball in Indiana, I want to encourage all former basketball players to consider taking up the avocation of basketball officiating. We need you to keep our game fair and well behaved for future generations of Hoosiers.
This effort will require effort from all of us. That means fans need to cut that young official who is working elementary and middle school games some slack while he learns positioning, the adjudication of the rules and gains confidence and experience.
Yelling at them only discourages them and doesn’t help them grow and stay in the process of getting better.
On the court, there is a valid wringing of hands over the declining number of young ladies who are playing basketball. Too many athletic departments have canceled freshmen seasons, and even some junior varsity seasons, because schools do not have enough girls to participate.
It has been, and continues to be, a general concern of mine that Indiana’s young people are playing too much organized basketball outside of the school’s season. It seems clear to me that kids – both boys and girls – are burning out and are often exhausted by the time they get into their school team’s schedule.
At least, it has caused a deterioration in the quality of play that is visible and undeniable.
Let us all look in the mirror and see what each one of us, individually, can do to maintain Indiana’s status as the best basketball state in America.
May God bless you, and may God bless the state of basketball in Indiana.”
