Throughout the course of the 2011-2012 season, MVNU sophomore forward Caleb Williams will write a weekly blog about what is happening with the team.

"Winding Down" (posted on February 13, 2012)

This past weekend our team extended our weekend road trip a few hours so that we could make a stop at a historical location. That location happened to be the gym in Knightstown, Indiana where they shot the movie Hoosiers. For those of you that do not know, the movie Hoosiers (please watch it if you have not seen the film before) tells the story of Milan High School in Indiana and their improbable run to the 1954 Indiana Basketball State Championship (Milan High School had an enrollment of 161 and due to the single class style tournament they played much larger schools on their way to the state title). In the movie, Milan High is changed to Hickory High and the players names are changed, and the storyline in the film is a combination of two seasons of Milan basketball, but it all comes together to create an outstanding film.

The gym in Knightstown is very unique and it was awesome to be there. The gym is almost all totally original except for new heating and air conditioning units and new scoreboards. It was an honor to be in the gym where the movie was filmed. The gym was used by Knightstown High School up until the 1960's until a new more modern gym was built. The gym stayed mostly unused until the 1980's when filmmakers began investigating old local Indiana basketball gyms to film the movie. Filmmakers liked the gym and selected it for the movie. Since then, the small gym in Knightstown is a part of basketball history. It is now used for tours, parties and receptions, Youth basketball leagues, and the annual Hoosier Classic (a prestigious high school all-star basketball game). We were able to get an all-access tour of the gym as well as being able to practice there. It was really cool to be running up and down in such a historic place. (Some may not find this so interesting, but for a basketball junkie like myself this was an incredible experience.) For more info on the Hoosiers gym, visit thehoosiergym.com. It is definitely worth the trip.

Going into Saturday, we were hoping maybe some of the magic from the Hoosiers gym would stay with us as we faced Marian University. We beat Marian at home earlier this season, but they had been playing well and now we would be playing on their home floor and we knew it would be a tough contest. We battled with them for the entirety of the first half, but a last-second 3-pointer gave them momentum going into the half. They carried that momentum into the second half and they pulled away to a double-digit lead. It was another disappointing outcome for our ball club.

The Week Ahead:

We now head into the last week of the season. We are no longer in contention for any postseason tournaments, so this is it for the 2011-2012 campaign. We go on the road Tuesday as we travel to Spring Arbor for a 7:00 tip. We return home for the last time on Saturday to play St. Francis for Senior Day. Saturday is a doubleheader with the women's game starting at 1:00 followed by our game starting at 3:00. I highly encourage everyone to come out and support our seniors in both games Saturday. They have done so much for the basketball programs here at MVNU. Hopefully we can send them out on a high note.

Peace be the Journey,
Caleb Williams #5

Feedback is always welcomed, so feel free to email me at cwilli10@mail.mvnu.edu or follow me on Twitter: @5CWill.

"Inside the Huddle" Complete Archives