“Their Times In Indiana” by Ed Snyder with Billy Shepherd

[Whoozhers 3,645]

Anyone else reading this book? I find it very entertaining/intersting. Just read about Don Curnutt from Tipton which was excellent!

Thought it would be good to start a discussion thread about the book and players that contributed to it if anyone is interested.

Sure makes you long for the One Champion State High School Tournament again….

[Whoozhers 3,645]

Guess not.
Seemed like a good idea though.

I love Hoosier Hysteria.

Bring back classless basketball.

[Certified Sunshine Pumper 8,833]

35 minutes ago, Whoozhers said:

Guess not.
Seemed like a good idea though.

I love Hoosier Hysteria.

Bring back classless basketball.

No interest 

[str8baller 4,964]

38 minutes ago, Whoozhers said:

Bring back classless basketball.

I played in both systems and was very anti-class basketball.  At the time I was at a smaller school that played and beat bigger schools quite often.  But at this point, the big schools have gotten so big even I have to question if a single class makes sense.  Basically,  the big schools keep growing and the smaller schools have stagnated,  or shrunk, in size.  

It's sad that people won't ever get to experience that again. Indiana HS basketball is still the best in the country, imo, but the old single class system was an institution that stood alone.  But nothing in life is constant but change. 

[Whoozhers 3,645]

So, who was it that made up Ray Tolbert’s mind to go to IU and not Purdue?

Morris or Barnes? 
My money is on Barnes….

[cthomas 6,252]

On 4/2/2024 at 3:34 PM, Whoozhers said:

Just read about Don Curnutt from Tipton which was excellent!

I was in high school during that time. Tipton played in the Carmel sectional and I remember him and a guard named Macintosh, I think. Both really good players. Curnutt was an excellent shooter. They were ranked in top five in the state in 1964/5 but were upset by Noblesville in the sectional. For small schools the real goal was to win your sectional because that's where the heated rivalries were. Great memories.

[Whoozhers 3,645]

On 5/20/2024 at 4:05 PM, cthomas said:

I was in high school during that time. Tipton played in the Carmel sectional and I remember him and a guard named Macintosh, I think. Both really good players. Curnutt was an excellent shooter. They were ranked in top five in the state in 1964/5 but were upset by Noblesville in the sectional. For small schools the real goal was to win your sectional because that's where the heated rivalries were. Great memories.

What a great memory for you! Thanks for sharing it!

By any chance have you read this book?

[cthomas 6,252]

2 hours ago, Whoozhers said:

What a great memory for you! Thanks for sharing it!

By any chance have you read this book?

I have not, but would love to. I checked every place I could think of and apparently it's out of print and currently unavailable. The 50's and 60's were my favorite time for high school basketball. The small towns lived for basketball. Believe it or not, Carmel was just another small town back then.

[eljefe6 358]

I have not, but would love to. I checked every place I could think of and apparently it's out of print and currently unavailable. The 50's and 60's were my favorite time for high school basketball. The small towns lived for basketball. Believe it or not, Carmel was just another small town back then.

Just ordered a copy from here

https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/851313-their-times-in-indiana

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[cthomas 6,252]

3 hours ago, eljefe6 said:

Just ordered a copy from here

https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/851313-their-times-in-indiana

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk
 

Thanks so much. I can't wait to read it. So many of those teams and players were a part of the soundtrack to my life when I was growing up.

[Whoozhers 3,645]

On 6/21/2024 at 4:58 PM, cthomas said:

Thanks so much. I can't wait to read it. So many of those teams and players were a part of the soundtrack to my life when I was growing up.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

It came highly recommended by the GREAT DON FISCHER!

He was doing the weekly show with Woody and made a quick reference to the book.

Best to you and your family!

I want to enjoy the summer but am really looking forward to this IU Basketball season…. GO HOOSIERS!

[Whoozhers 3,645]

cthomas….. have you had a chance to read the book? If so….. are you enjoying it?

[cthomas 6,252]

30 minutes ago, Whoozhers said:

cthomas….. have you had a chance to read the book? If so….. are you enjoying it?

I have and I'm about halfway through it. I'm really loving it and it brings back so many memories. Don Curnutt and the Shepard boys were in high school roughly when I was and were part of the Carmel Sectional. Sam Alford was my wife's driver's ed teacher and she was in high school in Martinsville when Jerry Sichting  was a player there. The one thing that is clear is how hard those kids worked to achieve greatness. I'm still a big advocate of single class basketball. Not everyone needs a trophy. The world doesn't work that way. Thanks so much for making me aware of this book.

[Whoozhers 3,645]

20 hours ago, cthomas said:

I have and I'm about halfway through it. I'm really loving it and it brings back so many memories. Don Curnutt and the Shepard boys were in high school roughly when I was and were part of the Carmel Sectional. Sam Alford was my wife's driver's ed teacher and she was in high school in Martinsville when Jerry Sichting  was a player there. The one thing that is clear is how hard those kids worked to achieve greatness. I'm still a big advocate of single class basketball. Not everyone needs a trophy. The world doesn't work that way. Thanks so much for making me aware of this book.

Fantastic ct!
 

It is amazing of their work ethics to become the best! I agree whole heartedly with your statements…… “Not everyone needs a trophy and the world doesn’t work that way”. So true!

We both have to thank the GREAT Don Fischer for mentioning the book!

Continued Best to you and your family!!

GO HOOSIERS!!

[Whoozhers 3,645]

On 5/20/2024 at 3:30 PM, Whoozhers said:

So, who was it that made up Ray Tolbert’s mind to go to IU and not Purdue?

Morris or Barnes? 
My money is on Barnes….

ct….. what’s your take on this? ^^^

[cthomas 6,252]

4 hours ago, Whoozhers said:

ct….. what’s your take on this? ^^^

It was no doubt Barnes. I wish Tolbert would have named names, but what I remember about Barnes tells me it was him. His attitude and general demeanor make him the most likely candidate. I'm glad it worked out that way because I would take Ray every day of the week over Barnes.

[Whoozhers 3,645]

I heard a rumor back in the day that Eugene Parker ran Kyle Macy off the team saying “I’m the star here”. Don’t know if it’s true or not. If true….. Makes you think that Fort Wayne produced a couple of self absorbed brats in Barnes and Parker. Glad Purdue got them.

[Whoozhers 3,645]

Just remembered a quirky thing in the Steve Alford chapter. He was talking about his dad wanted him to go to Fort Wayne to make a video. Steve was kinda half hearted on the deal but did it anyway and it only took 1 take. It was flawless. Thing was he mentions it was done at Fort Wayne South Side High School. However, I think it was taped at Fort Wayne North High School. Just a bit of worthless triva…..

LET’S GOOOO HOOSIERS!!

[cthomas 6,252]

I just finished the book. I loved every bit of it and it's one of the few books that I was sad to see end. My job in the U.S. Postal Service required me to visit post offices around the state. If a town had a post office I was probably there at some point. And if it didn't, I probably drove through it on my way somewhere. Seeing the entirety of Indiana was the best part of the job. Whenever a town was mentioned in the book, I could picture it in my head. I remember nearly every single player who contributed to the book and remember most of the state finals games they talk about. In my house the basketball tournament was must watch TV. Class basketball pretty much ended that for me and Indiana high school basketball quit being unique. From the comments of several of the players they thought so too. Those were truly great times to play or be a fan of Indiana high school basketball.

I want to thank @Whoozhers for making me aware of this great book and @eljefe6 for providing me where to purchase it. 

[Whoozhers 3,645]

Ctom…… excellent/interesting summation of the book.

Getting closer to Hoosier tip off!

Let’s GO HOOSIERS!