Mississinewa (Current) (2,850) Built 1977
November 28, 2023: Norwell vs. Mississinewa (Boys)
Deja vu is not a phenomenon I'm particularly familiar with. I can't think of many times in my life where I've been somewhere and felt an overwhelming sense of unknown familiarity. This is exactly what I sensed tonight as I stepped into Mississinewa high school. As I walked down two long hallways to get to the gym, I tried to figure out why as I heard the pep band blaring in the distance. First, everything reminded me exactly of my own high school at Westview. From open rows of lockers right next to the cafeteria, to the exact way the old athletic team photos were hung perfectly along the wall, to the way the concession stand and all the hallways in general were set up.. A little later I realized that I actually had been in part of the high school before during college for a special education practicum I completed there. Once I got past that initial strange feeling, I started taking everything in a little more objectively. It didn't get off to a great start. It cost $7 to get in, which is ridiculous unless you're getting a free Mountain Dew with it. Which brought me to strike 2, they are a Coke school. At least they had cherry. What can you do?
November 28, 2023: Norwell vs. Mississinewa (Boys)
Deja vu is not a phenomenon I'm particularly familiar with. I can't think of many times in my life where I've been somewhere and felt an overwhelming sense of unknown familiarity. This is exactly what I sensed tonight as I stepped into Mississinewa high school. As I walked down two long hallways to get to the gym, I tried to figure out why as I heard the pep band blaring in the distance. First, everything reminded me exactly of my own high school at Westview. From open rows of lockers right next to the cafeteria, to the exact way the old athletic team photos were hung perfectly along the wall, to the way the concession stand and all the hallways in general were set up.. A little later I realized that I actually had been in part of the high school before during college for a special education practicum I completed there. Once I got past that initial strange feeling, I started taking everything in a little more objectively. It didn't get off to a great start. It cost $7 to get in, which is ridiculous unless you're getting a free Mountain Dew with it. Which brought me to strike 2, they are a Coke school. At least they had cherry. What can you do?
Right outside of the gym by the concession stand they have one of the coolest historical displays I've seen honoring a school's basketball legacy and tradition. My favorite part was the Gas City high school diploma and the newspaper clippings from the mid-1900s. The gym itself is an absolute gem. The seating capacity is right under 3,000 but if no one told me I would have guessed over 4,000. That's the mark of a great gym. The hardwood floor is a subtle parquet. The lettering on each baseline looks great. The center court "M" is a little bland but it could be worse. Each side has red plastic bleachers on the short lower levels. Above them are about 18 rows of beautiful wood retractable bleachers. One side holds the pep band which absolutely ROCKED throughout the entire the game. One thing I noticed was how great the sound system was. That's usually something you only realize when it's really good or really bad (Looking at you Anderson). There are tiny end sections of bleachers behind each baseline. One was rolled up for the cheerleaders to stand in front, but still had people sitting on the top row. You have to appreciate administrators and AD's who don't turn into the safety/fun police at every possible opportunity during a sporting event. On one baseline wall there are well organized but a little standard athletic accomplishment banners. On the opposite wall is a small but unique CIC conference school banner. The only other small complaint I have here are the completely unnecessary safety nets "protecting" each scoreboard sitting miles away from the action. They look ridiculous. The rafters above the court are completely different from the drop ceiling above the stands though which is unique.
I've buried the lead a bit here in describing the gym. On each baseline wall are two of the most grand painted murals you will ever find inside a house of basketball. One shows a Native American chief in the sky overlooking the land and home of his trible with "The Spirit of Ole Miss" in classic script. The other features a Native American warrior bursting through the wall on horseback with "Indian Country" in big block letters. I don't know why, but murals done in schools in the 60s and 70s just look infinitely better in gyms than anything done more recently. The murals even continued into the hallways around the locker and concession area. We need more of this.
This was one of the best experiences I've had at a high school basketball game on a week night in a long time. Typically the energy in the crowd just isn't the same as a Friday or Saturday night game. The pregame introductions were fantastic. The PA guy was on point. The home crowd was packed and fired up on their side (Visiting Norwell didn't even seem able to convince the parents of the players to make the trip). Maybe the deja vu I was feeling had more to do with the fact that the whole night brought me back to what I experienced consistently at high basketball games growing up. I'm not sure. Either way, it was a charming place to watch a game, and I had a blast.
