McCutcheon (3,200) Built 1975
January 26, 2024: Anderson vs. McCutcheon (Boys)
January 26, 2024: Anderson vs. McCutcheon (Boys)
When I was a young kid, the only two conferences I knew existed were the NECC and the NLC. I remember checking the standings in the Goshen News each week and thinking it was a big deal each time someone moved up or down. Then I was given Philip Hoose's unbelievable book Hoosiers and read about Anderson other teams in the NCC and what those conference games were like. Even from my very tiny worldview at the time, I could tell there was something different about these games, these teams, and these gyms. I never would've imagine I would end up teaching and rooting for a team who played in the most historical high school basketball conference in the state most known for their prep hoops. The cruel irony is that I'm getting to experience the conference as it teeters on its last legs. Many of the historical schools that once housed these epic battles between rust belt giants have left or are about to leave for local conferences that make more geographical and competitive sense. Gone already are New Castle, Huntingon North, Arsenal Tech, and Frankfort, and with them gyms with unbridaled greatness. Logansport and its basketball temple will be gone after this year along with Harrison and McCutcheon (with much less notable gyms). Tonight I made it to the last NCC school that I needed to check off the list in McCutcheon. It was fittingly lackluster, and left me wanting a little more.
The gym at McCutcheon is one of the least user-friendly to navigate that I've encountered. Almost every entrypoint, especially on the second level, is at accessed though a set of doubledoors. Many of them are windowless. Even finding the stairs to the corners of the upper sections was like an annoying scavenger hunt. The upper levels are also not symmetrical which really bothered my unrefined design eye. One set of bleachers juts out further towards one baseline side, and the bleachers on the other side of the gym do the opposite. The setup otherwise is pretty standard for a two-level gym from this era. There are about 12 rows on the bottom and 12 rows on the top. The bottom bleachers have beige plastic seats that at least match the school colors. The upper bleachers have a bizarre feature that was totally new to me. When I first climbed up them, I saw saw they were clearly plastic, but also were completely flat like wooden bleachers. I thought that was odd but at least an upgrade compared to the normal kind like they have in the lower sections. When I reached the very top though, I saw they had kept one row of the original wooden bleachers. I thought that was really weird. After closer inspection, I realized the entire section of upper bleachers were the wood originals, but some kind of dark, beige plastic casing had been placed over them. While I do like them better than brand new boring plastic seats, it's still an incredibly dumb idea to do this instead of just keeping the original wooden bleachers.
Looking down onto the court, you'll find a really nice modern finish to the hardwood. The shadowy "McCutcheon" in cursive script on each side looks really nice. The center court bull logo is really small and looks weird even though I like the design in general. Maroon and beige/yellow is a disjointed color scheme too. On one baseline wall you'll find a clean, block-lettered sign declaring the name of the gym. Above it are some plain athletic accomplishment displays honoring state champion and runnerup teams in various sports. That wall has a unique texture to it that differs from the standard white cinder block. I do like the giant sign honoring the section of the pep band which takes up about 60% of one side of the upper deck bleachers. The opposite baseline has a big and well-done "McCutcheon Mavericks" mural and emblem. Above it are big and easy to see jersey displays honoring the school's former Indiana All-Stars. The "Stampede" and "McCutcheon" lettering on the wall separating the two levels of bleachers is a nice touch. There are also two of the biggest ceiling fans I've ever seen hanging in the rafters which have to be fairly new.
There are going to be six teams in the NCC heading into the 2024-2025 season. All six of them have gyms representing the pinnacle of Hoosier Hysteria (Anderson's just doesn't happen to be open at the moment). It may not be the ultimate powerhouse that I read about in a book decades ago, but on any given gamenight between these teams, you'll probably be able to find a good crowd and a great game. While it may not make the most modern sense geographically (Richmond is 2 hours and 10 minutes from Lafayette Jeff for crying out loud), these games still mean a lot to a lot of people. Who knows what the conference will look like over the course of the next decade. I hope it continues to press forward and evolve into something great while maintaining its heritage. Its legacy in this state is second to none. Those in charge have a duty to protect it.
