Delta (4,800) Built 1974
November 7, 2023: Alexandria vs. Delta (Girls)
November 7, 2023: Alexandria vs. Delta (Girls)
There are certain gyms that I go into with little to no expectations. Most of the time it's because the gym doesn't seem to have much character or I have no knowledge of a basketball tradition there beforehand. Both of these were true as I headed out to Delta high school. While I certainly wasn't blown off my feet, a few things did stand out.
Delta seats 4,800 spectators. If feels significantly small than that. Wide stairs in plastic bleachers tend to have that effect. As a general rule, you never want a gym to seem smaller than it actually is. (The sunken gyms in southern Indiana are the exception.) Inside they placed the athletic accomplishment banners so high above the upper bleachers that the view is blocked by the HVAC system. They weirdly only pay homage to their past wrestling teams in the gym itself along the upper level wall on one baseline. It's really the only link to the past in the entire gym, and it feels like a missed opportunity to honor a lot more of their history in that space with pictures. The conference member banner is a little lackluster. There's a hodgepodge of stuff all over the walls, and none of it fits together cohesively. On the positive side, I really like the look of the hardwood itself. The floor design and finish is gorgeous. My favorite touch in the whole gym are the banners recognizing the four high schools that were consolidated to form Delta in the late 60s. I wish more schools acknowledged their roots in similar ways. They have a cool plaque honoring the school's 1,000 point scorers in one corner. All gyms should have something similar.
Some people say it's better to have never loved at all, than to have had love and lost it. Getting to the precipice of something truly amazing but never quite reaching the top, or losing it soon after can be hard to swallow. Delta had a modest history of basketball success throughout its first 25 years of existence (and a lot more since the advent of class basketball), but in the very last year of single class basketball they made an improbable run all the way to final game. One win away from being the last lone, true champion of the greatest tournament in the history of mankind. They instead lost a heartbreaker to the heavily favored Bloomington North. So close to elation, only to have the ladder pulled out from underneath at the last moment (a feeling their own Matt Painter has known all too well at Purdue in recent years). Living in the shadow of their next door neighbor Muncie Central all those years, this was their chance to finally snatch the spotlight. Alas, it was not meant to be. One thing my 9th grade English teacher taught me that has always stuck with me though is that in life (and basketball), its truly about the journey and not just the destination. Yes it's bittersweet, but that team and community will never forget the ride they went on that year. It's a part of their history forever. Now if only they could do a little better job memorializing it and the rest of their traditions in their gym.