BOYS BASKETBALL TIMELINE

Similar documents
BASKETBALL AND IOWA A TRADITION FOR MILLIONS

BASKETBALL AND IOWA A TRADITION FOR MILLIONS

BASKETBALL HISTORY OBJECT OF THE GAME

PALOS VERDES BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Basketball Study Sheet

Basketball. Revised 3/4/15 3 on 3 Tournament Rules. Three-on-Three Half Court

The Halo Rules are modifications from high school rules to help young players grow with the game.

CMSAA Basketball Modified Rules Boys and Girls

YMCA of Boulder Valley Official Basketball Rules

YMCA OF GREATER LOUISVILLE YOUTH BASKETBALL RULES 3 YEAR OLD RULES

Foothill Hoops Youth Basketball Rules and Regulations (Revised November 2017) First Edit Spring 2018

BASKETBALL HISTORY RULES TERMS

CATHOLIC YOUTH ORGANIZATION

UC MERCED INTRAMURAL SPORTS

2018 WNSL Basketball Rules

OFFICIAL RULES AND POLICIES Big Sioux Youth Basketball League, Inc. PO Box 101 Harrisburg, SD

3 Seconds Violation in which an offensive player remains within the key for more than 3 seconds at one time.

Tournament Rules. Timers/Scorekeepers. Scorekeepers will be provided by the Run The World Tribe

Basketball is a team sport consisting of 5 players per side on the court. The objective of the game is to score as many points in your opponents hoop

BASKETBALL 11. Rules In This Section Shall Pertain To Both Boys And Girls Basketball Unless Otherwise Specified.

NORTH METRO YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE

CARING, RESPECT, HONESTY and RESPONSIBILITY are the four core values of the YMCA.

Bluefield Youth Basketball Rules 2018/ 2019 Season

SSYO POLICY AND RULES FOR CUB BASKETBALL November 2017

Basketball Rules. Schedules Schedules for league play are posted online through wellnessregistration.und.edu.

ANY RULES NOT LISTED IN THIS RULE BOOK WILL REVERT BACK TO NFHS RULES

Playing-Rules History

Bordentown Regional High School Physical Education. Basketball Study Guide

OFFICIAL LRNJB RULES

BYLAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS

General Rules Revised* 10/29/13

MOORPARK BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION RULES AND REGULATIONS

2. Court and Equipment All games will be held in the Preston Center. Game balls will be provided by WKU Intramurals. 3. Officials and their duties

Inter-Athletic Council of Officials. New Official s Basketball Class Module #4 Sequence of Events

ALL-STAR TOURNAMENT RULES

Playing Rules History. Important Rules Changes... 2

2017 USA Basketball 14U National Tournament FIBA Rule Modifications

BASKETBALL RULES Spring 2018

NORTH METRO YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE

WARM-UP GAMES TEAM INFORMATION

2017 GIRLS IN HOUSE BASKETBALL BAA/BAC and other assoc. in our league RULES

BASKETBALL RULE INTERPRETATIONS

Basketball Rules YMCA OF GREATER HOUSTON

2018 FIELD HOCKEY GUIDE I. SEASON

FIELDHOUSE USA BASKETBALL TABLE OF CONTENTS

LAKEWOOD YOUTH BASKETBALL

IM 5v5 BASKETBALL RULES

5-on-5 INTRAMURAL BASKETBALL RULES

1. Coaches will endeavor to teach character and good sportsmanship to their players by example first

2) A visible display shall be located at the scorer's table to indicate team possession for the alternating-possession procedure.

RECREATIONAL RULES (updated 8/16/17) 1st/2nd Grade

Special Olympics Delaware -Basketball General Rules- TEAM BASKETBALL GENERAL RULES

NEWTOWN RECREATION Youth Basketball League Rules

National Junior Basketball has adopted the National Federation Rule Book for All-Star Tournament play. The following NJB rules also prevail:

MAJOR BASKETBALL RULES DIFFERENCES (Men s and Women s)

Adult Basketball Rules

KAMLOOPS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BASKETBALL PROGRAM. Philosophy

WINTER LEAGUE RULES

Module 5 One Rule, One Interpretation, One Mechanic = One Team Their Game, Our Passion

BASKETBALL VICTORIA COMPETITIONS AND LEAGUES NEW RULES

Season. Soccer Rule Book

MONOCACY YOUTH BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION RULES

Basketball players wear uniforms. Colour and design your own basketball uniform.

Official NCAA Basketball Statisticians Manual. Official Basketball Statistics Rules With Approved Rulings and Interpretations

Loveland Parks and Recreation Youth Basketball Fall 2017

WINTER LEAGUE RULES

ALL-AMERICAN caliber players

MOUNTAIN BROOK ATHLETICS. BASKETBALL RULES 2nd 9th GRADE BOYS. (Separate rules exist for 1st Grade Boys and all Girls Leagues)

Intramural Sports Basketball Rules

Basketball Information

KAMLOOPS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM

WOA Basketball Test

DIVISIONAL ALL-STAR TOURNAMENTS

KENTUCKY ABA RULEBOOK

Lebanon Township Athletic Association (LTAA) Basketball

TRIANGLE CATHOLIC SCHOOL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Intramural Sports Basketball Rules

STRATHCONA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION LONG TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT MODEL FUNDAMENTAL BASKETBALL SKILLS LEARNING TO TRAIN U11 DIVISION RULES

2016 INTRAMURAL BASKETBALL RULES (Updated 10/15)

RECREATIONAL RULES (updated 11/19/18) 1st/2nd Grade *Coaches Officiate with support from staff

These leagues will focus on fundamental skill development, game play, an understanding of the rules, and Sportsmanship.

Basketball League Rules THE COURT PLAYERS FOUR EQUIPMENT TIME REGULATIONS

RECREATIONAL RULES (updated 7/31/18) 1st/2nd Grade *Coaches Officiate with support from staff

Street Hoop Fest /Forrest City, Arkansas

Beaumont Little Dribblers Basketball Special Playing Rules

STUDENT S BOOK. TEAM SPORTS: play, cooperate and compete in English. Beatriz Ruiz Nova

Some of the basic fundamentals of these NCAA Rules are in an updated version of the NCAA Rules Book.

Rules and Regulations

Great Valley Basketball. Grade 5_6 Rules

CYC South Central District Rules and Information

SAA YOUTH BASKETBALL. League Rules Appendix Season

Open Basketball League Rules

OVER THE MOUNTAIN BASKETBALL LEAGUE RULES Season

Youth House Basketball Rules Kindergarten Grade 8 Revised Fall 2017

Playing-Rules History

EAST HANOVER BOYS BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION RULES OF PLAY Version 2.3

FIBA INTERPRETATIONS

Basketball Guidelines and Rule Book

BASKETBALL GUIDE. A field goal (basket) scores two points if in front of the 19'9" circle. behind the 19'9" circle a field goal scores three points.

NORTHERN SUN INTERCOLLEGIATE CONFERENCE WOMEN S SOCCER HANDBOOK EDITION (August 2018)

Transcription:

BASKETBALL AND IOWA A TRADITION FOR MILLIONS (Timeline and narrative researched and written by Bud Legg, IHSAA Information Director) Revised May 3, 2018 Note: When rule changes are listed below they are listed when they were approved. Often this was in the spring/summer following the previous season and the application of the change followed in the next school year. BOYS BASKETBALL TIMELINE 1891 Game invented by Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, MA 1893 First game played in Iowa between State University of Iowa Y.M.C.A. and Cedar Rapids Y.M.C.A. with University winning 12-2. Three points were awarded for a made field goal and one point for each foul by the opponent. 1894 Foul shots reduced from 20 top 15 1895 Points for a made field goal were reduced from three (1895 from 1) to two and instead of being awarded a point for an opponent foul, the offended team was awarded a free throw one point if made. 1897 Iowa high schools start out with Y teams in larger cities with West Waterloo and Ottumwa being among the first, followed by Boone, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, et al 1899 Dribbler could alternate hands 1903 Iowa High School Principals Club organized a rules committee to draft a uniform code for basketball. This action led to one set of rules for all interscholastic sports and eventually adopted by the IHSAA 1908 Double dribble removed from the list of fouls 1909 Glass backboards were first used, though not required. 1910 Player with four fouls was disqualified; traveling violations were counted as fouls 1912 Rims could have nylon netting with an opening at the bottom so the ball could go through as opposed to the old peach baskets 1912 The Iowa High School Athletic Council organized its first State Tournament (1912). These first tournaments were invitational with usually four or eight teams being invited by the Council to play, usually on college campuses in Iowa City or Ames. 1920-22 Two Invitational State Tournaments held one at Iowa City; one at Ames 1922 Game shortened from two 20-minute halves to four eight-minute quarters. 1923 IHSAA assumed control of the sport and initiated eligibility rules, season limitations and a tournament qualifying structure leading to the State Tournament. A total of 830 schools had teams; 777 belonged to the IHSAA [not all members played basketball] Nationally, a fouled player had to shoot free throws, ending the designated foul shooter 1923 Osage defeated Council Bluffs, 21-14 in the finals of round robin tournament at Boone High School in first ever IHSAA State Tournament. Oskaloosa and Spirit Lake also qualified for the tournament. Round robin tournaments continued through 1926 with class A and B tournaments being played in 1925 and 1926. 1925 Three-minute overtime adopted for games tied at the end of regulation. 1927-29 State Tournament at Iowa City, University Field House featured eight qualifying teams in one class. 1930-1940 Start of the Sweet 16 qualifiers for the State Tournament, held at Drake Field House and Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls. 1932 New rule adoptions: (1) Ten second backcourt rule to avoid stalling; (2) numbering on the front and back of the uniform; (3) free throw lane spacing s set; and (4) threesecond lane restriction. 1933 Dunkerton becomes the first ever small school state champion, defeating Des Moines Roosevelt, 22-20, in a single class tournament 1935 Fumble not considered part of the dribble 1936 NFHS adopts a three second rule for an offensive player in the free thrown lane 1937 Center jump after each made field goal is eliminated; end-line to backboard could be four feet 1938 Sudden death in overtime to determine the winner of tie game 1939 One free throw and possession of the ball awarded on technical foul by an opponent. 1940 Private schools become full-fledge members in the IHSAA and will compete in the 1940 Fall Baseball and 1941 Basketball tourneys; Fan-shaped backboard was legalized; Teams given the option when fouled to shoot free throws or take the ball out-of-bounds 1941 IHSAA Sub-State Tournaments started

1941-44 Due to World War II, State Tournament reduced to eight qualifiers. Games played at Drake Field House. 1944 Players permitted five fouls before disqualification 1944 Due to gas rationing, State Tournament was abbreviated to four teams and returned to University Field House, Iowa City. 1945-1955 State Tournament returned to 16 qualifiers and one class. 1946 Transparent backboards were legalized. 1947 Rectangular target on backboard was required 1947 High-tide for member schools playing basketball 952 1948 Fouling player to raise his hand above his head 1949 Dribble rule re-written 1950 A fouling player must raise his hand above his head to assist the official scorer in properly recording fouls 1951 Roland, one of the smallest teams in the tournament, led by Gary Thompson captures the crowd with their play despite losing to Davenport, 50-40 in the championship. 1952 Free throw lane widened from six feet to 12 feet; bonus free throw (1 and 1) on all common fouls 1953 All State Tournament Games Televised statewide for the first time 1954 Teams no longer have the option of taking the ball instead of shooting free throws after a foul 1955 Veterans Auditorium in Des Moines hosts the State Tournament for first time. Due to availability of Vets, the tournament returned to Iowa City in 1960 and 1962 1956-1961 State Tournament is divided into two classes of 8 qualifiers each. 1957-60 First round of the Class A and B state tournaments were played at satellite sites around the state, with 8 winners advancing to the quarterfinals in Des Moines or Iowa City. 1957 Free-throw lane expanded from 6 feet to 12 feet in width 1961 Sudden death (first team with a two-point advantage) in second overtime eliminated 1961-66 State Tournament goes back to a single class with 8 qualifiers 1964 Iowa adopts bench decorum rule for coaches 1967 Dunking during the game made illegal; also, players on the same team cannot have identical numbers 1967-1974 State Tournament returns to two classes of 8 qualifiers each. 1971 Sportsmanship winner initiated among teams competing in the tournament. 1973 First year that an all-tournament team in each class was chosen by the media with awards by the IHSAA 1974 Fouling player no longer required to raise his hand. 1976 Dunking legalized except in pre-game and intermission warm-ups 1975-1984 State Tournament moves to three classes of eight qualifiers each. 1982 Iowa becomes the first state to adopt the use of the three-point field goal from beyond an arc of 19 9 for 1982-83 season. 1983 Seeding method for state tournament used in two largest classes based on w-l record 1984 Seeding method used in all classes for the State Tournament, based on w-l record. 1985 Current four classes with eight teams each format starts. 1985 Alternating possession rule for jump balls adopted except at the start of the game and each extra period. 1987 NFHS rule for all states to use the 3-point field goal as pioneered by Iowa 1988 Palmer wins a third straight state championship, just the third time it had been done, and with an all-time best scoring average of 103.9 points per game. 1994 The length of overtime periods increased from three minutes to four minutes. 2000 First year of use of rectangular glass back boards in the State Tournament 2002 Three former Iowa preps (Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich and Kyle Korver) win All American honors and are drafted by the NBA, swelling the number of active Iowans in the NBA to seven more than any other state in the Midwest 2006 State Tournament moves into the new Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, adjacent to Veterans Auditorium 2010 Ames High School becomes the first large school to win back-to-back state titles while going unbeaten each season. 2010 Board of Control modifies the seeding formula for tournaments based on the class of the opponent.

2011 Linn-Mar wins Class 4A with a perfect 26-0 record making it the third straight year an undefeated team has won the big school class a first. Bishop Heelan, Sioux City won the 3A title for the third straight time becoming the fifth school to reach that achievement. In 1A and 2A St, Mary s, Storm Lake and West Fork, Sheffield captured titles in their first ever trip to the Elite Eight. 2012 The IHSAA salutes 100 years of Boys State Basketball Tournaments, by featuring several of the Great Moments in State Tournament history. 2014 Iowa City, West becomes the sixth team and the second large school to win three State Championships in succession. The Trojans undefeated seasons in 2012 and 2013 matched Ames feat from 2009 and 2010. 2015 For the first time since 2006, three schools Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Treynor and North Scott - won their first ever State Basketball Championship 2016 Western Christian Coach Jim Eekhoff won his eighth championship to set a record, eclipsing the seven he shared with the legendary Paul Moon of Davenport. Seedings for 2017 basketball tournaments will have a major change involving more Input and rankings by the coaches in the District and State tournaments. 2017 Western Christian won its ninth State Championship, the most of any high school, and equaled only by the combination of 8 by Davenport and 1 by Davenport Central 2018 State Tournament reduced from six to five days with each day, including the Friday Championship games, being a cost of $10 per person. Early Background Without question during the first 75 years of the Iowa High School Athletic Association basketball was the gold standard. The revenue realized from the sport virtually paid the costs of non-revenue sports plus goods and services and operational costs of the Athletic Association. From 1912 through 1922 the IHSAA did not officially conduct a State Tournament series. A group of educators operating with the approval of the IHSAA and known as the Iowa High School Athletic Council reviewed the records of teams and held invitational state tournaments usually in Iowa City and/or Ames. These college communities offered playing facilities and lodging for the teams. In 1920 continuing through the 1922 season two invitational state tournaments, one in each city, were held. At the 2012 State Tournament, the IHSAA celebrated the first 100 years of State Tournaments. During the 1912-1922 era, the Iowa Athletic Council sponsored a state tournament. With limited travel (mostly by rail), those State Tournaments were held at Iowa State College or the State University of Iowa with teams invited to play. In 1920, 1921 and 1923 tournaments were held at both sites. As part of the 100 Year Celebration of State Basketball Tournaments, the IHSAA posted on its website Great Moments from State Tournament History. The work in large was through the efforts of a committee, but also incorporated great moments and memories of the fans. IHSAA Takes Over Starting in 1923 the IHSAA assumed full control of the sport as member schools started to add basketball to their athletic programs. Several changes were implemented by the Board of Control including a qualifying system of tournaments to make the State Tournament, the length of the season, codification of playing rules, and eligibility rules stipulating a maximum age of players and academic rules that were crafted (and eventually adopted by the Iowa Department of Education) to place all teams on the same structure. The IHSAA registered and licensed officials to work tournament games as well as regular season contests of member schools. Under executive directors like Bernie Saggau and Rick Wulkow, the IHSAA became a leader in basketball rule codification and securing NFHS permission to experiment with varying rule changes as well as an emphasis on sportsmanship with all sports. Early IHSAA State Tournaments The first two IHSAA state tournaments were held at Boone High School. From that humble beginning, the sport became increasingly popular with more schools participating and an expanding fan base. Effective with the 1940-41 school year private schools could become full members of the IHSAA and participate in the tournament series for each sport.

The tournament was divided into two classes, based on enrollment, in 1925 and 1926, before returning to a single class structure in 1927, when a sectional and district qualifying format was put in place. From 1927 to 1955 the State Tournament was usually played at the State University of Iowa Field House or Drake Field House. In 1955, the tournament for the first time was contested in the new Veterans Auditorium (a.k.a. The Barn ) in Des Moines before moving across the street to the modern Wells Fargo Arena in 2006 In 1930, the magic of the Sweet 16 was created to respect the 16 State Tournament qualifiers. Except for 1941-45 when the tourney returned to eight qualifiers but the Sweet 16 moniker commanded widespread coverage from newspapers and the electronic media. The period of classification from 1956-1960 resulted in a two-class structure but from 1961-1966 there was only one class of eight qualifiers. As competition became more intense, classification was the tool used to equalize competition among schools of like size. Since 1967 the tournament has stayed in multiple classes, increasing to three in 1976 and to four in 1985. State championship games at the University Field House in Iowa City and Veteran s Auditorium in Des Moines (first in 1955) drew approximately 14,000-15,000 fans during the period of 1946-1980 even with a larger television audience. In era of 1920 through 1939 the semifinals and finals were often played on the same day. Perhaps unique to Iowa, starting in 1950 when the tournament stayed as a single champion, schools were classed AA, A and B by enrollment, the schools played within their own class through the sectional, district and sub-state tournaments then were paired for the State Tournament. Television & Attendance While radio started broadcasting tournament games as early as 1927, it was in 1953 that the first to be televised and it has continued to the present. In some early years, all games were televised. In recent years both Friday and Saturday sessions have been aired on a network that covers Iowa and parts of six surrounding states with games also being streamed to websites (all three rounds starting in 2013). The record for paid ticket sales for the state tournament are: 8-sessions, 1968 71,131; 10 sessions, 1977 95,504; and 12-sessions, 1994 95,027. In a century of competition over a million students have played the game, which has seen many rule changes. Behind all rules changes is a simple philosophy embracing fair play, balance between offense and defense, simplicity, adaptability, and the physical welfare of the participant. Part of the love affair with basketball stemmed from the fact that nearly ever school in the state had a team. From the 33-member schools that competed in 1906 to 775 in 1923, the first year the IHSAA conducted the State Tournament, the number of schools providing basketball increased to an all-time high of 952 in 1947, boys basketball enjoyed the prep athletic spotlight. As school reorganization and consolidation became more vogue in the 1950s and later with sharing programs coming on the scene the number of teams diminished to approximately 385 by the start of the 21st century. With over 11,000 participants, grades 9-12, the sport is second only to football in student participation. Innovations The IHSAA has also been the leading innovator for change in the game. In 1964-65 the bench decorum rule was put in place for coaches. Nearly 13 years later a similar rule became part of the national code. And while in recent years, our coaches can stand to coach, the number of bench technical fouls has not increased. Iowa pioneered the three-point field goal starting with the 1982-83 season, five years before it became a national rule. The school administrators of Iowa have favored the current number of classes (4) since 1985. Iowa has long been a national leader among its sister states led in broadening opportunities for students regardless of the size of school they attend. Small School Success in One Class Format While Hollywood has glamorized Indiana basketball with the film Hoosiers, Iowa was also the home of a proud and storied past. Nearly 20 years before Milan, IN (Hickory in the movie) won

Indiana s state title, in Iowa the giant-killers was Dunkerton with population a shade over 600 (nearly three times smaller than Milan). The Raiders pulled off a 22-20 upset of one of the largest schools in the state, Des Moines Roosevelt, for the 1933 state championship. The Red and Black clad school used just five players the entire tournament being led by the play of Wally Gladdis and Dean Holdiman. They won over the taller Riders, who were led by Marcellus McMichael, the only four-time, first team all-state player in Iowa history through the 2015 season. Melrose (1937) and Diagonal (1938) were also small schools who won the single class championship by defeating larger schools, Melrose was a perfect 33-0 in winning it all and in Diagonal s golden year the Maroons were 24-9, winning their final 13 games. Both communities had populations with less than 700. The three Giant Killers were highlighted in the 2011 State Tournament program. In 1951 tiny Roland thrilled tournament goers and a state-wide media audience and became the tournament darling, by defeating larger opponents -- Hull, Waterloo West, and Des Moines East to gain a title match-up with legendary Davenport, the largest populated school in the state who prevailed 50-40. Roland was led by 5 8 Gary Thompson who was the first Iowa prep to score over 2,000 career points. He was a three-time All-State player, a collegiate All-American, and remains as the only Iowa prep basketball player to be inducted into the National Federation s Hall of Fame. Davenport was coached by Paul Moon whose teams had 16 tournament appearances and seven state championships, each among Iowa s all-time bests. Moon began his career in Illinois where he was an assistant coach for the eventual legendary University of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. Palmer s Dominance Yet another fabled tale of small school basketball belongs to Palmer, only the third and last team to win three straight championships 1986, 1987, and 1988, within the smallest class. The Panthers in 1988 also established an Iowa all-time team scoring average of 103.9 points per game for the season and through the tournaments. Coach Alden Skinner s team topped the 100-point mark 15 times during that season and continued to win in 1989, eventually losing in the semifinals of the state tournament and breaking a 103-game winning streak, which commanded national television and magazine coverage. Their 3-point shooting accuracy, led by Troy Skinner and Brian Pearson, helped revolutionize offensive strategies in the years to come. Like former small school giant killers and state champions Dunkerton (1933), Melrose (1936), and Diagonal (1938) and an epic run by Roland (in the early 1950s) before them, Palmer played before packed in crowds during regular season games at home or on the road. Their 103 consecutive victories an Iowa all-time best is also the fifth longest streak all time in the United States. Other notable win-streaks also include Paullina with 80 and Aplington-Parkersburg with 74 straight (52 by Aplington alone), and 53 by Ames (2009 and 2010), a large school Iowa mark. The larger high schools dominate many of the team bests in State Tournament competition. Like their smaller counterparts, they also have great community pride and strong followings. After the 2008 tournament, Wahlert, Dubuque and Marshalltown each have made 24 state tournament appearances, followed by Davenport Central, Mason City and Waterloo East each with 22. Davenport leads with nine state championship trophies with seven under Paul Moon, who was the first coach to direct a school to three consecutive titles (1950-53), a feat equaled only by Paullina (1968-1970) Cedar Rapids Regis (1982-84), Palmer (1986-88), and Bishop Heelan, Sioux City (2009-11). From 1951-53 Moon s teams never lost to an Iowa team as they won 60 straight. And home winning streaks are also solid. Palmer had a string of 79 from 1983 to when they closed their doors in 1991 and that was topped in 2018 when Iowa City, West s streak of 81, Dec. 21, 2010 to Feb. 3, 2018. Three Straight Titles While 25 schools have won back-to-back titles in the history of the State Tournament, only six have authored three straight championships. No school has won four straight. The three-time champions are Davenport 1950-52 (one class tournament); Paullina, 1968-70 (2 class tournament); Cedar Rapids, Regis, 1982-84 (3 class tournament); Palmer, 1986-89 (4-class tournament); Bishop Heelan Catholic, Sioux City, 2009-11 (4-class tournament); and Iowa City, West, 2012-14 (4-class tournament).

Meanwhile 33 schools won a state championship in the first year they qualified. The most recent to accomplish that feat was West Lyon, Inwood in 2014 and Gladbrook-Reinbeck in 2015. The Success Continues Coaches and players, many of whom are featured in the Hall of Pride, achieved a level of excellence that dreams are made of. After the 2018 season 137 coaches had accumulated 400 or more varsity victories and 62 athletes had scored 1,900 career points or more. A total of 81 have scored 700 or more points in a season. Other statistics are just as impressive. As of 2018, 161 coaches and 240 players have been inducted into the IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame, which was started in 1969. The State Tournament has seen 492 different schools qualify through 2018. Each school has its own story, but shares with all a common pride in representing their community and the citizens who without fail have supported them. In the process a virtual litany of local folk heroes is made from youngsters in sneakers and shorts each with the same dream. And when heroes move on to play in college, at any level, or to the National Basketball Association, the community pride adopts yet another team. The names of coaches and players, far too numerous to mention here, revive the magic moments and thrills that linger fresh in the minds of home town folks and those memories never die. In 2002 three former Iowa preps -- Nick Collison (Iowa Falls) and Kirk Hinrich (Sioux City West) at Kansas and Kyle Korver (Pella) at Creighton -- won All American honors and were drafted into the National Basketball Association. The trio came on the heels of a litany of others who distinguished themselves in the 1990s, namely Ames Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State who won numerous Big 8 honors and had a 10-year NBA career; MFL, MarMac s Raef LaFrentz who went to Kansas and became a two-time consensus First Team All American and an 11-year NBA player; and Ryan Bowen of Fort Madison who excelled at the University of Iowa and played nine seasons in the NBA. By 2003 the number of active Iowans in the NBA was seven - more than any other state in the Midwest. And those seven players hailed from each of the four classes of high school competition and are among o ver 40 former Iowa preps that have played professionally in the NBA, the D-League and in foreign countries. Moreover, former Iowa preps continue to be among the top high school coaches in Iowa, with others being collegiate and professional head and assistant coaches, as well as being leading forces in in USA Basketball and the expansion of the sport in Canada. A Final Comment With declining enrollment and the closing or merger of schools, the number of schools playing basketball has waned, but the sport remains a big attraction each winter. Boys basketball in Iowa is a remarkable story and an equally remarkable history that dispels the myth that more games and sports specialization is essential. While it is not a goal of the interscholastic program, Iowa high schools do annually send several players to all levels of the NCAA and NAIA colleges. Many modern-day Iowa basketball stars are multi-sport stars in their high school. Iowans have long respected the rules and limitations that govern each prep sport and perhaps that is the secret why our students become balanced as citizens. Often the students who play basketball are not only in other sports but take part in numerous educational-based activities in their community.