Butler’s home gym becomes National Tourist destination
The movie “Hoosiers” made it famous, but Butler’s 2010 Tournament run made it a must-see for hoopheads.
The Sports Bank’s Paul M. Banks makes a pilgrimage to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, and Butler players discuss seeing the movie with the media
INDIANAPOLIS- It’s historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, the sixth oldest college basketball arena still is use. Since 1928, it’s stood here, 6 miles north of downtown, an actual official U.S. historic landmark. Obviously, you heard a few hundred times about how the climactic final scene in the 1986 film “Hoosiers” was filmed here. And about how “Hoosiers” was based on the real life 1954 Indiana state high school championship, the “Milan Miracle” in which the tiny enrollment Milan high defeated the larger powerhouse Muncie Central.
In the film, it’s played by Hickory High and South Bend Central. When I arrived there about a hundred people exploring the fieldhouse, just to see it. Lucky for all of us, the University did not charge admission. They easily could have made a killing off their newly found tourist trap status. Butler’s run all the way to the national title game, conveniently hosted by their own University, is what turned this place into Indy’s Graceland. 
You’ll probably recall the scene where Coach Norman Dale (played by Gene Hackman) has his players measure the distance from the free throw line to the baseline and the height of the rim? Because most of his Hickory Husker players had never seen a building over 2 stories tall and he didn’t want them to be intimidated by the size of the “big city’s large gym.”
When I first walked into the Final Four media room, and saw just how HUGE the press conference room was here at Lucas Oil Field, I was amazed by just how big it was. I’ve never seen so many chairs and such a huge stage, for a press conference room and I’ve done the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, NBA Playoffs, and some bowl games, but this is work room in BIG! I’ve never seen so many media guides, and stat sheets, and fast scripts, double or triple the thickness as usual.
But I wasn’t intimated, I remembered the lessons of Norman Dale. No need to measure the distance from microphone to chair. And if you were watching ESPN Saturday night- bam! You probably heard who got the second question in to Mike Kryzyzewski!
On Sunday, two reporters asked Butler Coach Brad Stevens if he copied Norman Dale and brought the measuring the tape out to the rim for his Butler Bulldogs team, because after all the leviathan Lucas Oil Field seats 80,000; which is about 10 times what the fieldhouse seats! Stevens’ did not play along, his answers were boring, cliche and nondescript; exactly like 99% of all his press conference answers.
Here were more Hoosiers related Q and A from Final Four week
Will you make Shelvin Mack watch Hoosiers?
COACH STEVENS: I’m not going to make them do anything out of the norm. We’re going to go over to another site, go through what our plans are offensively and defensively from a technical standpoint.
How many times have you each seen the movie Hoosiers and when was the last time?
GORDON HAYWARD: I can’t really tell you how many times I’ve watched that movie. I think everyone growing up in Indiana watches that movie. It’s always on TV, I feel like. So whenever it’s on, love basketball, love watching that movie.
SHELVIN MACK: I never seen the movie. I’m sorry (laughter).
RONALD NORED: I definitely can remember the last time I watched Hoosiers. Our annual, you know, Brad Stevens’ Butler Basketball Camp, we have the movie room. For some reason, every week we go four weeks straight, four days, every day for every week, kids want to watch Hoosiers. It’s the most annoying thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I saw Hoosiers in July, was the last time and I saw it, you do the math, 16 times-ish.
Nored had the most interesting answer. But what makes Hinkle so special is that we never think about basketball arenas, or even football stadiums for that manner, in the same way we regard ballparks; like cathedrals of sport. In baseball, most home stadiums have their own unique quirks and dimensions that give it character. Thousands of people in this country go on quests each summer to see every ballpark on their bucket list. No one does that for football or basketball. And with good reason, football stadiums are designed and built for utility- maximing the largest space possible with minimal cost.
Just about every NBA arena is pretty much the same, walk through the food court at your local mall and you’ve experienced a NBA arena concourse.
But Hinkle’s charm comes from it’s distinctive traits. The bright sunlight shining in from the main west wall, the uneven overlapping tiers that fly in the face of modern, perfectly symmetrical layouts. And even though it’s located right on campus, there are regular everyday houses right across the street.
And the exterior is impressive too- old, subtle yet understated. One visit and you can understand why it was the model for the Indiana Pacers’ home Conseco Fieldhouse. I got to come back here next winter and cover a game here.
Paul M. Banks is Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net, an Upper Midwest sports webzine. He’s also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association and a sports writer for the Washington Times.com Communities and Walter Football.com
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