Southport (Current) (7,124) Built 1957
December 9, 2023: Kokomo vs. Fishers (Boys)
December 9, 2023: Kokomo vs. Fishers (Boys)
The best part of this journey I've embarked on is getting to see the things that make each and every gymasium unique. They can be big stylistic decisions or very minute details. Any element can either add or detract from the overall experience. Walking into Southport tonight, I didn't have a ton of expectations one way or the other. It's a program that is rich in history, but doesn't have the storied tradition or cachet in Hoosier Hysteria lore that other schools do with a gym this size. It's similar to Seymour in that way. Regardless, I immediately knew I was going to love taking it all in. They paid attention to every detail here. They checked every box. They threaded the needle perfectly between preserving every ounce of heritage while giving it a modern facelift in the subtlest of ways.
Is Southport a sunken gym or not? This is the question that immediately struck me. I walked in at the ground level and went up a small stair to the second level, yet everything felt like it flowed downwards. I would like to give a huge shoutout to Southport for one reason alone: they are the first gym I'm aware of that actually removed plastic bleachers in favor of wooden ones. The inverse is almost always true. Every picture I've seen of the lower level before featured beige, plastic bleachers. I was instead greeted with sharp, modern wood sections. The bottom section of seats features these bleachers on all four sides. In the corners are 4 different entrances at the ground level reminiscent of Jimtown. There are small scoreboards in two of these corners to accompany the huge jumbotron hanging above center court. The court design is loud and bright. The gigantic "S" spans volleyball line to volleyball at center court. There is a lot of red. It isn't my favorite, but it does seem to fit the personality of the gym. The baskets at either end look like they were taken straight out of an NBA arena, which is odd considering all the side baskets hang from the rafters.
Above the first level is a complete wrap around section of stellar permanent wooden bleachers. They are stained a dark and weathered brown. There is a LOT of concrete visible in this level. For some reason it just seems a lot more noticeable than in other similar places like New Castle. At the top of this level you can walk all the way around the concourse looking down, which further makes it feel like a sunken gym (even though it's not?) One of my favorite features are the two original concession stands in the corners that are now shuttered in favor of a revamped one on the opposite end. There's a lot of character in those windows. There is a beautiful and clearly new "Legends of the Fieldhouse" display on one of the baseline walls of the concourse. There's a luminated "S" in the center. There are banners hanging high above the gym honoring past Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame members and Indiana All-Stars. There is also the poorest and most unorganized display of conference teams I've ever seen. As you walk out of the gym, you can see a ton of school history, including the original center piece of the playing floor signed by many alumni of the basketball teams. My only minor complaint is it's very bright throughout, it feels flourescent. I'm nitpicking though, there isn't a bad seat in the entire place.
There are a lot of things that can make a night at an Indiana high school basketball game a great experience. An awesome gym is a good place to start. Southport delivered that tonight in just about every way. It also helps if there are two quality teams playing. #1 Fishers and #5 Kokomo held up their end of the bargain there. A good crowd goes a long way. While it wasn't completely full this evening, the 3,000+ in attendance were engaged from the jump. Having quality company with you to take it all in with can be a real blessing as well. I was lucky enough to reconnect with two friends I hadn't seen in years while watching a great game. This gym facilitated it all, and it culminated into one of the best nights I've had watching a game in a long time. For that I am truly thankful.
