By “BUZZ” KING, guest columnist

Basketball was always the dominant sport in Nashville High School, as in many Hoosier schools.

Until the ’30s, the NHS “Scenic Kids” had not a gym. The team practiced in a building on the northwest corner of Gould and Jefferson where now stands the telephone exchange building. That was a problem, because the roof was only 10 feet high. They did the best they could with what they had, and in good weather, outside courts were used. All home games were played at the visiting school’s gym.

Well, to the rescue came the Works Progress Administration, a U.S. government public works project. The WPA planned and constructed the new gym. It was an innovative design. The gym floor was 9 feet below ground and under that was an 8-foot basement — room for showers, restrooms, storage and locker rooms. The playing floor was 6 feet below the start of the bleachers and the floor was 4 feet too short.

The backboard was mounted flat to the north wall and flush with the stage at the south end, making a layup very, very hard indeed. Out of bounds was your back to the wall, and if the ball hit the wall, it was out. Two center lines, 2 feet apart, complicated the game for the visiting team. This made each end of the court 2 feet longer. To watch a game, one had to look down at the court. Each end of the playing floor had thick mats lining the wall. This was done to prevent injury when attempting a layup.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

The stage at the south end was also elevated. Plays, assemblies and commencements were held there with seating on the playing floor.

Because the basement was two levels below ground level and below the water table, moisture was always a problem. The expensive wooden playing floor would rot and was replaced every three or four years. The boys and girls shower and dressing rooms were always damp. Water would drip from the ceiling.

The Nashville Broncos — which is what the NHS team would come to be called — won the sectional, played in the Columbus gym, and finished as runner-up in the regional in 1959.

Two or three years later, the new Brown County High School was completed, and all Brown County junior and senior high students were bused to Nashville. This increased the player base for basketball as well as the other sports. The Eagles were voted on by the student population as the new team name and blue and gold as the colors.

Basketball was always, and is now, a very popular sport.

‘Til next time. — Buzz