Morristown (1,688) Built 1980
December 30, 2025: Tri vs. Morristown (Boys)
December 30, 2025: Tri vs. Morristown (Boys)
2025 was a year of change for me. My family of four had settled into a pretty chill daily routine (if that's possible with two boys close in age) that was promptly upended with the arrival of our daughter in May. While the boys quickly fell in love with her and took it in stride, and my wife was over the moon to finally have a little mini-me, I admittedly probably had the hardest time adjusting. My boys had finally reached a stage where they were pretty independent, and here we were starting over again. There was some day to day stuff that I struggled with, and honestly probably still do a little, but now I wouldn't change it for the world. The arrival of a baby and my boys getting older also meant the gym journey was also about to get a little trickier. I had to make sure one of the grandparents could come help out well in advance if I was just going to jet off for a day in the summer to go see old gyms. It also meant I had to make the most of the couple of days I did get, and had to plan them more efficiently than ever. During this basketball season it has meant that both boys come with me to basically every single game I go to. They're too old to put down for bed early and then sneak away to a game nearby like I used to. I wasn't sure how this change would go, but it's honestly been awesome. I don't have to convince them to come, they're always down. It's a given. Twice a week we pack a couple of Hot Wheels in a bag, and we head off somewhere on a new adventure. My youngest is basically just there for the snacks, but the oldest is starting to pay attention to the games, and even the gyms. Seeing things through his eyes is so cool. 2025 wasn't easy on my anxiety, but it taught me a lot, and brought about growth that was necessary. It also welcomed new realities that created memories I'm so appreciative for. The last game of 2025 was no exception.
Tri vs. Morristown was a game I decided to go to at the last second when plans for a different one fell through. What a great decision it turned out to be! It was a barn burner between two very evenly matched teams that went down to the wire. Tri only pulled it out in the end. I'm not sure if this is necessary considered a rivalry game, the but fans from both sides were very into it from start to finish. I honestly didn't know much about Morristown or their basketball history until looking into it after I got back from the game. What sparked my interest at first was a little display I saw when I was there. It shows pictures of all three Morristown high schools that have existed over the years. The first was a classic brick structure that stood from 1904-1922. The second was a grander and larger building that served Morristown from 1922-2001, talk about a good run (the old cornerstone sits in a little display out in the hall here, it's pretty neat)! Then the current high school came along which has been here the last 23 years. I was curious because the current Morristown gym feels a little older than 2001. Dale Lawrence's essential Hoosier Hysteria Roadbook dates the current gym back to 1980, which old aerial maps confirm. I'm guessing the high school was moved to this location in 2001, though obviously at least parts of the buildingo existed back in 1980 when they started playing games in this gym. It's a little mystery that I would for someone to help me solve! Looking further into their history, one incredible note I found was that Morristown played in the first ever state tournament in 1911! Only a select few schools can say that. 114 years of Hoosier Hysteria is quite the legacy. For a small school, Morristown has also done their fair share of winning ball games during that time, with their most recent big success coming when they won the 1A state championship in 2018.
One thing that bringing my boys to games with me has done is given me more of an appreciation for bright colors and wacky designs. Well, I'm not sure I necessarily appreciate them more, but I'm definitely more aware of them. Walking into the Morristown gym, they both were wowed by the big buzzing bee (or yellow jacket as I explained to them) at center court and the honeycomb pattern inside the three point lines. It wasn't just them though, the bright yellow almost knocked me over as well. It's everywhere, and it's unavoidable. Judging by older pictures, I think this paint job is fairly new. All that bright yellow could be a trainwreck, but luckily Morristown's other primary color is black, and man, black and yellow just look good together. So while the color scheme here is very much in your face, I kind of like it. They took a big swing, and it paid off. Which is good, because the structure of the gym is pretty basic. The setup is an odd one you see every once in a while, where one sideline has a single small section of bleachers, and the opposite side has two towering sets. The smaller side here goes up 11 rows. The opposing lower side goes up 9 rows and the upper side 12. All of the bleachers are newer black plastic which recently replaced the old brown carbon fiber ones that are hard to find nowadays. As I always say: don't do plastic, but if you're determined to do plastic, make sure it's black.
Let's talk about the floor design, because there is a lot to unpack. There isn't a lot of blank hardwood space, but what you can find is "stained" (more like airbrushed) a very light-tan color. As I mentioned earlier, inside the three-point arcs you'll find a honeycomb pattern that is just exquisite. Center court features a big black "M" that is almost as large as the village of Morristown itself. An angry cartoon yellow jacket sits in the center of the "M." "Morristown" is written in skinny font, off-centered along the baselines in yellow and black font against a black background. "Yellow Jackets" is also written along one sideline which is unique. There is a lot going on here, but once again I think it works! The walls are certainly busy as well. On the top of the sideline wall with just the low bleachers, there's more black and yellow with "MHS" in big letters and the Yellow Jacket logo on both sides. The baseline wall opposite the main entrance has some nice state championship and runner-up banners above some pennant-shaped vinyl athletic accomplishment banners. They look newer, but nicer than you find many places. Again, the color scheme helps. A track and field record board sits in this corner as well. The baseline wall above the main entrance features more athletic accomplishment banners in the same style. High above the playing floor, along the sideline opposite the big sections of bleachers, hang some small Mid-Hoosier Conference team banners. Some are dilapidated and literally hanging by a thread. They could use a little TLC.
As I went out in the main hallway to get the kids a snack at halftime, I thought about change once again. It looked like the hallway had been repainted fairly recently as well. There weren't a lot of pictures or other things hanging on the walls. There was an interactive touch screen display though that I think is designed to allow people to look up old team pictures from various sports (that maybe once were physically hung up somewhere? Yes I'm making assumptions here). A middle-aged gentlemen was trying to operate it, and having a hard time judging by the PG-13 language he was using under his breath. It's kind of a cool idea in theory I guess, but I'm never going to be in favor of a change that takes away the physical media that has hung for decades outside a gym and represents a moment in time in a school's history (especially when the alleged upgrade doesn't even work). I'm seeing a growing trend of old team pictures disappearing in hallways and gyms in favor of flat screens just cycling through photos on PowerPoint slides. I just hate it. If you are an athletic director and you're reading this, please, for the love of all that is good, keep your old pictures up! I know, I'm an old man yelling at the clouds. Oh well. As I mentioned at the start here, not all change is bad. It can help you grow, even when it's painful. I'm sure Morristown has seen a lot of change over its 114 years in Indiana high school basketball. It's good to see that change hasn't taken away from their love of the game. That much was evident on this night.
