Scottsburg (3,536) Built 1956
December 13, 2024: Brownstown Central vs. Scottsburg (Boys)
December 13, 2024: Brownstown Central vs. Scottsburg (Boys)
I was a very average high school basketball player. I came from a family of great high school basketball players. I felt like I worked pretty hard at the time, but looking back I could definitely have done more (I was also unbelievably slow which didn't help). I realized at an early age though that I wanted to play varsity basketball, because there didn't seem to be anything else in my life that was more exciting. Going to games every weekend that routinely had packed stands, loud fans, and just an incredible atmosphere was electrifying. I saw my older cousins playing in these intense environments, and I just lived and died with every single possession. I heard the adults discussing the games the next day at church on Sunday morning. I knew that varsity basketball went beyond just the two teams that were playing, it mattered to the entire community.
I learned from an early age what pressure was, and I wanted to experience it myself. The higher the pressure, the more fun of an environment it seemed to be. When I finally worked my way up to varsity and experienced it for myself, it was everything I hoped and dreamed it would be. I was never really scared of the pressure, it was just a part of the big game experience. I was a role player on a really good team, so maybe I didn't feel it as much as my teammates who carried a little more weight on their shoulders. What I do know is that the pressure pushed me to do my job (usually just rebounding and solid post defense) to the best of my ability. I also learned that when you push through those high-pressure situations and come out on the other side with a win, there is nothing quite like it. A decade later I got to visit a gym that is known for regularly creating these intense moments. I quickly learned that there are very few places who do it better than the Pressure Cooker at Scottsburg.
One way to intimidate your opponent as soon as they walk in the building is to remind them of how much success you've had on the basketball court in the past. I have seen some really good examples of schools honoring their past accomplishments and heritage as I've traveled the state, but I'm not sure I've seen anyone do it as well as Scottsburg. You literally walk onto a replica hardwood floor in the foyer that matches the one in the gym as soon as you walk through the door. I've never seen anything like it. There's a photo collage along the entire wall of great teams of the past. In the middle sits a trophy case holding the state championship and runner up trophies from the school's past (including the 3A title from just last year). Walk the halls surrounding the gym and you'll find picture after picture, ball after ball, net after net, all honoring Scottsburg's storied past. There's even a replica court hanging in the mens bathroom for crying out loud! My favorite displays are the old center court logo that hangs in a frame and the team picture displays that date all the way back to 1908! I also appreciate the display dedicated to the old Lexington school which was absorbed by Scottsburg in 1965. At the game I attended, the athletic director received an award from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association for his contributions to keeping the spirit of Indiana basketball alive. After seeing all his school has done to preserve and display their own history, I'd say it is well deserved.
If I thought the outer corridors of the gym were impressive, the interior certainly did not disappoint. The layout of the gym reminds me of a more modern (relatively speaking) version of Rushville, with some subtle differences. You walk in at floor level, and there is a bowl of permanent seating that works upwards around most of the court. There are two gaps though right on the edges of two corners of the gym. Between these gaps is a sideline section of retractable bleachers. This is the big mystery of the gym for me. Why did they choose to put retractable bleachers here instead of just continuing the bowl? When the bleachers are rolled up, do they use that extra little space for something? I'm assuming it must have always been like this because I can't see them removing all the concrete that anchors the permanent seating around the rest of the gym. Maybe I'm wrong? Regardless the reason, it's an interesting oddity and thankfully it doesn't detract from the rest of the gym. In this sideline section, the retractable bleachers are purple plastic and go up about 15 rows. The seating around the rest of the bowl goes up that high as well, though there are only a few rows above the entrances in the corners of the gym. The entrances in the corners are wide and actually tilt more towards the baselines, so the baseline seating areas are not quite as large as in other gyms with a similar setup. Above one of these corners is a little press row for broadcasters dubbed "Warrior Alley." Above another one is a nice mural and sign honoring the 1989 girls state championship team and their Miss Basketball winner Renee Westmoreland. In all four corners of the gym are little landing areas where kids were standing and playing. The permanent hardwood benches are a beautiful and worn dark brown color with black painted lines separating each individual seat.
If you're sitting in the very top row of the bleachers, you may have a hard time seeing the big scoreboards hanging in two corners of the gym depending on the angle. This is because the ceiling is pretty low, and hanging from it are some of the best banners you will ever see in a high school gym. If you're sitting in the retractable bleachers and looking across, you'll see some simple but gorgeous conference team banners that look like they were hung in the era the gym was built and have aged beautifully. Across the court from those are banners honoring specific teams from the past and their accomplishments. The girls are yellow with purple lettering and the boys are purple with yellow lettering. The feats are listed in the middle with the year and the names of the players are stitched in smaller letters on the sides. They look impeccable, and when hung side by side over the perimeter of the court they are quite impressive. Sure you may have to crane your neck to see the score occasionally, but I wouldn't change anything about those banners.
The only questionable thing in the whole gym is the new scoreboards themselves. They are the giant digital kind which I don't love to begin with, but there's a bigger issue. When I first sat down to watch the game, I was in a corner section at the top, and when I looked down below I realized I couldn't see half of the court because the giant screen was completely blocking everything. This was the case for anyone sitting in the top rows of this corner. I looked around and realized this is why no one else was really sitting in that section. It can be tough to find good places to hang a scoreboard in a gym with this particular setup, but I've never seen one that actually obstructs the view so much. The same is true for the scoreboard in the opposite corner, but that section houses the pep band so it's not really a big deal. Unless the gym is completely packed I guess it doesn't really matter, but it's definitely a weird place to put a huge scoreboard. Last but not least, we should talk about the hardwood court itself. The whole thing is stained a classic golden color surrounded by a purple band around the outside. "Scottsburg" is written in big yellow block letters along each baseline with little yellow Warrior logos in the corners. A big 3D-looking purple and yellow "S" resides at midcourt. Simple and classy, which really describes the entire gym as a whole.
I've heard about the Scottsburg gym for awhile now, and I was thrilled when I realized my schedule would allow me a chance to get down and see it in person. You can tell when you walk into a gym and it just feels different. You can feel the history. You can feel the tradition. The energy is palpable. Scottsburg has all of this. When the game started and they turned off all the lights over the bleachers leaving just a heavenly spotlight shining down on the court, I fully realized why this place is called the Pressure Cooker. Pressure creates diamonds, and over the years it has done just that in this gym, to the tune of 24 sectional titles for the boys and 16 for the girls to go along with numerous regionals for both and a state title each to boot. Both programs show no signs of slowing down as they both made deep runs last year. I hope their success continues. When you have a gym this special, and a community who truly cherishes what Indiana high school basketball means at its core, they deserve it.
