The Hoosier Game

"THE HOOSIER GAME" On Friday, March 16, 1894 members of the YMCA at Lafayette, Indiana, traveled to nearby Crawfordsville to challenge their counterparts in a new game invented two years earlier by Dr. James Naismith. He called it "basket-ball". It was the first contest played outside the state of Massachusetts. Avoiding the pot-bellied stove in the middle of the gymnasium floor, the teams engaged in a spirited competition. The Crawfordsville Y won, 45-21. Hoosier Hysteria was born. The impact of the game of basketball on the culture of Indiana has been profound, affecting the customs, social institutions, and the attitudes and behaviors of the people of this uniquely Midwestern state. "The Hoosier Game" is a tale of two boys--best friends Josh and Jake--whose lives intertwine through a shared allegiance to and love for the game of basketball in the 1950s and 1960s. Through meticulous research and a nearly photographic recall of people and events, the author provides a close-up view of an event once considered to be the premier high school athletic event in America--the Indiana State basketball tournament. The IHSAA's winner-take-all format would become nationally recognized for its scope and drama. The tournament was acknowledged by observers--even beyond Hoosier borders--as the greatest high school sports attraction in the world. In its infancy basketball provided inexpensive entertainment for the masses and became a source of community pride in small Hoosier settlements. Spirited rivalries developed among neighboring villages. Hoosier farmers' social calendars in the fall and winter months came to revolve around two events: church services on Sunday and the boys' high school game on Friday nights. But the book is about more than basketball. The author, who lived through the age, captures in vivid detail significant historical and cultural changes of that era--including the repatriation of World War II veterans seeking the American Dream; the Cold War that brought the U.S. and Russia to the brink of another worldwide conflagration; the internecine struggle for civil rights; the transformation of a country torn asunder during the war in Vietnam; as well as numerous other social developments in a generation from post-war America through today. Garry Donna, a member of the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame, commented, "As publisher of "Hoosier Basketball Magazine" for 43 years I have read many books about basketball in general and, specifically, about high school basketball in Indiana. None has captured the true feeling and spirit of the game's 'golden years', of the 1950s and 1960s like Jim Brunnemer's historical fiction. The insightful, behind-the-scenes look at practices, player relationships, and the emotional reactions and total involvement of the townspeople is absolutely riveting--especially the surprise ending. For basketball fans everywhere 'The Hoosier Game' qualifies as an exhilarating literary experience. Don't miss it." Retired coach and also a member of the Hall of Fame, Sam Alford, added, "'The Hoosier Game' achieves with accuracy and thoroughness one of the most interesting and popular periods in Indiana basketball history. I certainly enjoyed my trip down memory lane and recommend to every fan of Indiana basketball to read and enjoy, as much as I did, 'The Hoosier Game'." Bill Benner, author, award-winning sportswriter for the 'Indianapolis Star', and Senior Associate Commissioner for the NCAA-D1 Horizon League, said succinctly, "Short version: I love the book! Only a true Hoosier such as Jim Brunnemer could spin this uniquely Hoosier basketball tale so well." Order your copy now, and relive those days when high school basketball was unrivaled in its dominion over the inhabitants of the state of Indiana. Read more