Alexandria (Current) - Hoosier Gym Journey

Alexandria (Current) (3,400) Built 1978
November 2, 2023: Shenandoah vs. Alexandria (Girls)

So much of my love for Indiana high school basketball is rooted in its history. I'm admittedly an overly nostalgic person. I like things that are stuck in a different era, that feel like they haven't been touched for decades. So many gyms in this state have that exact aura about them. Alexandria is one of them. The school board has just approved over $2 million in renovations for the gym over the course of the next year. The mechanics that allow the upper bleachers to roll out and back are apparently not functioning properly. The murals and paint do not look like they've been touched since the 70s. The athletic director will inevitably post pictures of the revamped, modern design and garner a lot of fawning on social media. I'm sure it will look sharp. Something will be lost though that they will never be able to recapture.

Alexandria has two decks, the tops of which ascend beautifully into the darkness. The classic font on the baselines are perfect. The old mural of the tiger at center court is only outdone by the one bursting out of the wall above one baseline. The championship banners for each sport hang over the baselines but don't take away from what is on the walls behind them. Baseline seating on this end sits under a little jut out above which is unique. There is a large wall of sponsers for the athletic programs on the opposite end. One thing I've noticed throughout the community is that local businesses support the school athletics in a way that you don't find many places anymore. The maroon and gold color scheme is very sharp. The bleachers aren't just beautiful wood, they are very weathered. A tribute to Ms. Basketball 2005 Jodi Howell hangs by one scoreboard. The court is named after legendary boys coach Garth Cone. The place feels large and grand for a 2A school.

I've watched games amongst a packed house here for a Madison County championship as well as a random regular season girls matchup. Both times I walked away impressed with the community support and atmosphere. There are just certain places where you know you're going to have a good experience regardless of the night of the week or the opponent. Even when you know it's not quite what it used to be, the remnants are still strong and the tradition hangs in the air. Its unmistakeable. That's what you risk losing when you do big remodels to these classic facilities. I understand how it can look new, shiny, and exciting when mocked up on a big drawing board in a school board meeting. Those designs don't show what is lost and unable to be recovered. All you need to do is look at what's happened within the very same county at Anderson, Lapel, or Elwood. I would hate to see Alexandria fall victim to the same misguided attempt at being trendy. Let sleeping gyms lie.

*Update*
November 18, 2025: Anderson vs. Alexandria (Girls)

Two years ago I wrote my second ever blog post for this site after attending a game at what is the closest high school gym to my house in Alexandria. I came away with an appreciation for the history that can be felt in classic multipurpose gyms that haven't been messed with too much since the time they were built. The original wooden bleachers, the dark upper levels where the light only shines over the court, and the classic murals that have stood the test of time. I also came away with the knowledge that in a few months time the gym was going to be getting a full-scale, top to bottom makeover. These types of renovations are being done all over the state it seems in the past five years. The results can be muted in some cases, and in others they can be downright catastrophic (if you want an example of the latter, go check out what's been done to Cowan. I wanted to throw up when I saw a picture of what they did to that former treasure of a gym). Sometimes it's simply a matter of what was there before. If a gym already had a great classic feel to it, then a remodel can be devastating. If a gym was lifeless and not that special to begin with, then some change may actually be welcome. I'd say that before the renovation, the Alexandria gym fell somewhere in the middle. Afterwards, I'd say the same is mostly true.

The things that I typically wish would be kept in an old gym are now gone here. The cool old "Welcome to the Jungle" tiger mural is gone. So are the old wooden bleachers. The mural has been replaced with a big pair of Tiger eyes staying out onto the court on one side of the gym, and "Welcome to the Jungle" written in big modern boring font on the other side of the gym. It fits the typical contemporary vibe that's being used in other gym remodels, but it doesn't feel quite as screenprinted and inauthentic here. The old bleachers are out, but at least they've been replaced with probably the highest quality of new bleachers I've come across yet. Not only are they wooden, but the floors on them are made with much sturdier material than the flimsy crap that you typically find most places. I was very pleased to see that. I bet they'll last another 50 or more years at least. The athletic accomplishment banners are also new. They aren't cloth, but they look more vintage in style than the generic vinyl garbage you see most places now. The way they are displaying the corporate sponsors in the gym now is also very classy. If there's one thing that I've learned living near Alexandria the last few years, it's that the community businesses here support the local sports teams in ways that are no longer commonplace anymore.

The floor design isn't bad, though I'm not a big fan of the newer logo. I never really like newer logos though so that may just be my old man bias creeping in. I really like the font and color scheme used around the perimeter of the court. The only thing I strongly dislike inside the gym is the tiny CIC conference display that they hide in one corner of the gym. You can barely see it and they couldn't possibly have made it more boring. Outside the gym is a nice display of the school records for both of the basketball programs. There is also a tiger mural that my boys' loved. I think it's new, but I could be wrong. Full-blown gym renovations can be a very dangerous thing. Overall, they did a fine job. That's kind of high praise coming from someone who usually hates for anything to be touched in these places. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a couple of the old bleacher bench seats from the gym when they tore them out. I'm going to use them to hang and display my collection of postcards of old Indiana gyms. They're a small piece of history that I'm glad I'll be able to preserve outside the gym since everything is brand new on the inside.