Triton (3,470) Built 1968
March 9, 2024: Wabash vs. Westview (Boys)
March 9, 2024: Wabash vs. Westview (Boys)
When I think about the roots of my obsession with Indiana high school basketball, most of my core memories come from my days watching my cousins play when I was young, playing in gyms all over the Northeast corner of the state in high school, and following my younger brother's career after I graduated. Not much sticks out to me from my own days in youth basketball before high school. One thing that I always remembered though was a kid from a tiny school called Triton that was otherworldly, and the couple times we faced off with him in an AAU tournament, we could never stop him. I remember it bothering me more because everyone kept saying how tiny their school was. We were supposed to be the small school that embarrased the big guys, not the other way around. We probably didn't ever see Triton again after 6th grade, but those memories never left me. 20 years later it came full circle as I traveled up to Bourbon to watch my alma mater play their regional game in the gym that Clay Yeo dominated from 2010-2013 as we simultaneously tried to forge our own path an hour and half further northeast.
As has seemed to be the case many times throughout the last three years, I came to Triton about a year or two too late. What once was the second largest 1A gym in the state (only Loogootee has it beat) with rows of beautiful wooden bleachers, is now the second largest 1A gym in the state with generic blue plastic bleachers. It doesn't ruin the entire effect, but it certainly isn't helping. There are two levels with about 11 rows of seating on the top and bottom. The two sideline sections mirror each other and there is no seating along the baselines. You are able to reach the top section directly from the stairs in the bottom section which is always helpful with traffic flow. I wish I had more positive or interesting things to say about the seating, but it's just very blah, and that's so disappointing right after a major remodel happens. It's a huge opportunity to do something cool, unique, or cutting edge, and it almost never happens (I'm available for free consultations if anyone's interested).
The main attraction is the court itself. It utilizes two different brown hues that contrast sharply in light and dark. There is also blue inside the foul lane. The rest of the area inside the three point line is the light shade, and the background in the middle of the court is dark. Fully enveloping the center circle and surrounding area is the silhouette of a giant trojan helmet. Along each sideline is blue lettering honoring the past boys and girls state championships they have won. It all works together perfectly. It's in the top 5 of modern court designs I've seen. Hanging up high along the sidelines facing the crowds directly are banners honoring the school's past state-runner up teams as well. It's a nice touch. With how well done these banners are, you would think they would also have some cool throwback banners honoring the rest of the athletic accomplishments in the school's history in different sports, but you would be wrong. On each baseline wall are the very generic, modern plaques serving this purpose. Underneath them on both sides are some nice rows of blue padding with "Triton Trojans" in big yellow letters. You'll also find a giant mural with a trojan busting through the concrete wall with cinder blocks flying everywhere. I didn't realize how big of an epidemic this kind of mural was across the state. It has "Trojan Trench" in big, blue block letters above and below the mural. It's not a bad name for a gym, though I'm a bit dubious of its historical accuracy. Did trojans really fight in trenches? I don't think they were featured prominently in the battle on the Western Front in Word War I, but I'm not a history major.
One other small feature is the open wheelchair lift that sits right inside one of the entrances to the gym. I know other gyms have them, but this one looks directly out onto the court and lowers you right onto the edge of the hardwood. There are little openings in the corners of the gym right by each set of stairs that allow you to peek in on the action from the upper hallways. There are also big, heavy curtains in the corners that I guess would be used to block off the entrances for some reason? Another very odd thing I noticed is that on the conference team display that hangs on one baseline wall (which is not flashy but unique in its own right), Triton's colors are shown as hunter green and yellow. As you can clearly tell by the rest of the gym, everything is blue and yellow. I spent way too much of my time at the game trying to figure out what was going on, and I've still got nothing that makes sense. If anyone has knowledge of the situation, please reach out! Finally, as an old gym nerd, I found one of my favorite displays ever out in the lobby, There are miniature replica courts hanging on the wall that show how the court design has changed over the years. It's so cool! There's also a large section of the old court hanging right above it. I now expect every school to display something like this posthaste.
As I wandered around the concourse after the game, I stumbled upon two really cool displays bookending the concession stand that showed trophies and memorabilia from the various state runs both programs have made since the turn of the century. Right across it on the wall hung the Indiana All-Star jersey of the same Clay Yeo who kicked our tails in AAU two decades ago. Maybe this visit will provide some closure and I can wipe those memories from my mental hard drive. Regardless, visiting Triton on a regional weekend with a near sellout crowd was an awesome experience I won't forget. Plastic bleachers can take a little of the heart out of a gym, but they can't completely kill the spirit and history that makes it special.
