10 High School Basketball Gyms to See Before You Die

10 high school basketball gyms to see before you die.
Gyms from around America.
#highschoolbasketball #basketball #sports

[@andrewholloway3830]

I coached at Marshall County Hoopfest a few years ago. Very cool gym. During our shoot around day, school was in session, and the student were allowed to watch from the stands. Pretty cool experience. Our team traveled all over to play, and the hospitality in Kentucky was always second to none. They love their basketball.

[@gregsells8549]

Shown at 0:17 is the Indiana State Fair Coliseum, hosting the Indiana state tournament during World War II, when the military took over its usual venue of Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University. It later was home of the ABA's Indiana Pacers until Market Square Arena was built. Today, it's been renovated into Indiana Farmers Coliseum, home of IUPUI and a venue for the 2021 NCAA Men's Tournament. Some school districts in Texas have built multipurpose arenas, like Katy's Merrill Center, Cy-Fair's Berry Center and Garland's Curtis Culwell Center.

[@rdptll]

The list ought to just be the top 10 Indiana gyms...

[@ncremeens]

Only 2 were in Indiana….

[@noblejackson5229]

It wasn't politically correct to show the Wigwam!

[@mcc3504]

glad East Chicago's gym made an appearance at the end. Best gym imo is Michigan City, nothing beats that site for regionals

[@andrewdyke5561]

Should all be from my home indiana

[@ayrtontagaban611]

I live on the border of New Mexico and Arizona and I frequently go the Fighting Scout arena. Just to admire the structure and the seating. I sometimes to the Chinle Den, but the Fighting Scouts looks bigger. :D

[@time9592]

Ganado and Mounment Valley have some big arenas as well.

[@Marshall_Weber]

Marshall Co. Kentucky 💙

[@garyvia1734]

Duff-Kingston Memorial gym in Eldorado Illinois is a fantastic gym and was named after 2 former players died in the plane crash of the Evansville Ace basketball team.

[@kobyspringer974]

I played many games in the Marshall County High School gym, lots of great memories, glad to see it made the list!

[@traviswilliams4548]

The Rushville gym in Rushville Indiana is one of my favorites. Old school traditional Indiana high school gymnasium at it's finest.

[@bigpasty1582]

I recently visited my old hs, washburn wi, and the remodel they did on Gasperini gymnasium/Meierotto court was so impressive and gave me great pride in being a castle guard!❤️🖤

[@tonymoore3396]

My dad played on the Knightstown high in 1958 that won the sectional that played at the Hoosier gym in Knightstown indiana. Some of the basketball games in the movie Hoosier was shot there in the 80s

[@joeball13]

As a coach of many years, middle school, junior varsity, and varsity, boys and girls, I've seen many gyms. I've had middle school games where the gym was so short a back court was when you crossed the center line and then went back to the free throw line That's how they determined the size to try and make it a little bigger. In a different middle school season, the oldest private school in Manchester New Hampshire was St Joseph. Their gym looked like a swimming pool that was turned into a basketball court. The court was so small, that there was no out of bounds The ball would hit the wall and that would be out of bounds. You had boxes that were up above the floor like hockey penalty boxes for the players to stand. It was so old and classic it was just one of those gyms where I believe the three-point line either didn't exist, or if I remember right both three-point lines went to half court. This was in 2009 so it wasn't that long ago. I guess that's why they used to call basketball players " cagers ". Manchester West in New Hampshire is also similar in a less obvious way, both of the locker rooms would be upstairs in the upper deck where fans could watch the game and then you would have to walk down the stairs into the gym where later on they added bleachers, but years in the past all the seats were up top looking down onto the floor, many of these old city gyms used to have that look as if all the fans were in the upper deck so that they could use the least amount of room possible to have competitive games. When you watch or coach or play in a lot of these direct leagues or Catholic leagues as well you would plan some really old school gyms, there's so much charm in them and with the fans feeling on top of you in a small court it really does make the action exciting.

[@chuckinhouston9952]

I visited the New Castle, Indiana gym in 1980. I’m glad to see it’s still standing.

[@keithlaudermilch6429]

I played in Martz Hall and watched games there. I was at the game where Gerry McNamara outscored Trinity in the first half by himself in the state semifinals. He ended with 55 points in the win

[@shane9245]

I didn’t watch a basketball game there, but I did have a wrestling tournament at hinsdale central earlier this year! It was an awesome gym

[@davehill7257]

I saw many games at Martz Hall in Pottsville, PA. It was a state of the art back in the 70's when I went.

[@randyt3542]

Darrington High School gym in Darrington, Washington has the feel that you are walking right onto the set of the Hoosiers movie!

[@markanderson8017]

Topeka High School's Dungeon, built in 1930, is a fantastic gym, that would fit well in with the older gyms featured here. Used to be a swimming pool below it, seating capacity of around 4,000. You couldn't build one with such character today.

[@biga2057]

I’ve watched both my stepdaughters play HS volleyball in New Castle. Amazing gym and history.

[@stansmad]

My local high school gym in Boonville IN. holds 5,600. Home of the Pioneers, was built in 1959. Town population is 6,000 residents and before the "Class basketball" fiasco we were hosts to the Sectionals for years featuring 7 schools. What a great time it was watching hoops over 4 days ! Been to the Hatchet House several times where the Zeller boys dominated ! Nowadays we are lucky if the gym is a quarter full.....

[@mattoakes85]

I live in hardwood country. Within driving distance of New Castle IN. You forgot a few really good gyms in the area, though. The Spartan Bowl in Connersville, Tiernan Center in Richmond, Marion High School Gym. I could keep going and going. Indiana is full of amazing gymnasiums.

[@touchdown62]

I officiated a girls' freshman game at the New Castle Fieldhouse. The size made it hard to adjust as everything seemed so far away, as well as perhaps 50 people in attendance in a gym that holds 7000+.

[@jordynirvin6647]

These are some really great gyms, but you should check out Shelby, Montana's High School gym. It's an amazing venue in the middle of nowhere 30 minutes from the Canada USA border!!! Seats well over 4,000 in a town with a population of 3,200. If you've played or been to a game here with a full house their's nothing like it.

[@jonsanders1296]

I have coached in Marshall County Gym and The Hatchet House. Some of my favorite Gyms are Jasper Indiana (seats around 5000), Salem, IL BE Gumm Gym Seats over 3000, Old and new Trout Gym Centralia IL, West Frankfort, IL, Warton Field House Moline, IL, Any of the smaller Bowl Gyms like New Castle IN. You can find these gyms all over Southern and Central Indiana and IL. I would have like to gone to a game at the Wig Wam in Anderson Indiana. My Daughter played in All start game in Knightstown so we have been to the Houser Gym Twice. Best place to shoot a basketball you can't miss.

[@connorhire5723]

Hoosier gym truly is a special place. So much history there

[@rtm457]

When New Castle sets up the temporary stands at the very top of the arena, seating is over 9000. And the so called cracker box was the YMCA gym that New Castle played in before 1959. We had physical education class at the old YMCA when I was in Junior High.

[@maxasourzexgaming5774]

My dad played in the Hatchet House back in the late 80’s!

[@jackj5368]

We're better for knowing that, Maxasourzexgaming5774.

[@antonchigurh5336]

​@@jackj5368 I think it's pretty cool, actually. Why be a hater there, Simple Jack?

[@jackj5368]

Huh? My earlier reply stated that we're better for knowing the information provided in an even earlier comment,@@antonchigurh5336. And, if I say so myself, we're better for knowing that you think it's pretty cool. Thanks for replying :)

[@jordanogun3692]

Memorial gym, Kokomo High school, Kokomo, IN. Built ages ago and has a coliseum feel. The gym is just about on the Complete other end of town from the school.

[@RobC41]

Up until 1984, Kokomo High school was across the street from Memorial Gym. This is when Kokomo Indiana had 2 High Schools, including Kokomo Haworth. They made Kokomo High school the newer facility of the 2 schools. Agreed, Memorial Gym is special!

[@alanmiller5802]

Awesome gym to enjoy Indiana basketball

[@jordanogun3692]

@@RobC41 correct, they now use the building as central middle school

[@randomless1840]

There was an image of the hickory Hoosier gym, and I played there, and it was so cool!

[@bryanxxwarxx23giants38]

Gotta check out new George Roger's Clark in winchester ky it's a million dollar facility best New gym in the state

[@jamesholt3758]

Cape Henlopen high in Lewes, Delaware is very nice for a relatively new gym.

[@stevestemler110]

The Wigwam Gym in Anderson Indiana. Awesome.

[@darrensmith4394]

I was thinking about the wigwam while watching the video. I grew up in Alexandria and before class basketball was a thing we played our sectionals their. Great memories.

[@stevestemler110]

@@darrensmith4394 I agree. I played in the Wigwam in mid-seventies, and I always looked forward to the two-hour trip to play.

[@elissahernandez8181]

The first time I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma; I thought Union was like a D2 college. that arena is massive!

[@robblackwell1618]

50 yrs of watching games ..Proms and other events at the Hatchet House.. It once held a 1968 campaign speech by then Senator Richard Nixon..Attendance was put at 8,000. Tournament games are always spectacular in the Hatchet House ..

[@czar_dom3522]

Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, CA should be on this list, the gym is small as hell but it used to be an old airplane hanger so the walls behind each basket are basically glass it’s been featured in a bunch of commercials although they recently built a new gym next to it “The Pit” is still one of the best.

[@devaughn850]

Cape Henlopen's gym in Lewes, DE is beautiful! It's the host venue for Slam Dunk to the Beach

[@rangerdanger10]

The memorial building in Hibbing, MN when's it converted to the Kevin McHale court.

[@leereeder2293]

I grew up in Elmhurst and Hinsdale Central was a rival of York as that isnt a bad looking gym

[@Lambossin]

You need to feature Fort Stockton Texas- Bill and Virginia Williams Center. It is amazing

[@chuckinhouston9952]

TEXAS is amazing!

[@milart12]

I grew up in NE Pa. Always wanted to advance in playoffs to play in Martz Hall; never got there. Lol

[@urbanlegendsandtrivia2023]

Our high school gymnasium in Tabb, Virginia has a large painting of a Tiger that has been there since the 1970s. No matter where you are in the gymnasium, it appears as if the Tiger's eyes are following you to your location.

[@brooksfiser7968]

Hurricane Gym at Jonesboro High School is a pretty cool high school gym too...

[@DiscGolfing]

No clue how you did not mention Wharton Field House in Moline, IL. Former home also of CBA Quad City Thunder

[@kohi7159]

I used to live near hinsdale central and was considering transferring there last year but didn't.

[@nickday1627]

I don't know if it is because I went to a small country school or but I've always loved small town school gyms the older the better makes me think of my school cooter high school in cooter Missouri I was part of the biggest graduating class ever there was 27 of us

[@atlantistdc1976]

And yet another high school gym from Indiana that should be on such a list... The Glenn M. Curtis Gym in Martinsville, IN was built in 1924 and seated 5,200 back then. It was the largest gym in the country when it was built and was once featured in Ripley's Believe It Or Not because it held more people than the total of the town's population. It was still filled to capacity back in the 20's when Johnny Wooden (yes, that Johnny Wooden) played there for Martinsville. That was an amazing era for Indiana HS single-class basketball as over 700 high schools at the time vied for one single championship each year. The 3 years with Wooden on the team, Martinsville went to the championship game (the final 2!) 3 years in a row, winning one. The building still stands and is now a middle school gym. If you want to begin to understand why basketball is more of a religion in Indiana... it starts back then.

[@emperorpadds370]

Surprised people don’t talk about these places more, they’re bigger than most college arenas

[@LansingJP]

Historic Don Johnson Fieldhouse in Lansing Michigan is beautiful

[@prodkashton]

i dont know what my school's gym floor is made of, but it can barely bounce the ball

[@dancole3331]

How about the gyms in Centralia IL, old Trout gym is one of the best old gyms. The new state of the art new gym rivals many college universities.

[@bigbadredsox]

Forgot The Birdcage. Home of Washington Catholic High School in Washington IN. Built in 1926 and loaded with character.

[@BobbyG24]

Played a HS away game in the New Castle gym. Away team has to go upstairs to their locker room. As if they needed more home court advantage 😆

[@nickmierzwicki2728]

Milton Hershey School in Hershey PA has a good basketball arena

[@Streckdog]

2:46 lol I thought he panthers and Pat Perez😂

[@keithbreidenbach3316]

just want to know who paid for the one in Chinle, Arizona

[@calhounhills860]

Vergil Fletcher gymnasium aka "The Purple Palace" in Collinsville, IL. capacity approx 4,500.

[@dontedrake2316]

That's a beautiful gym that is spectacular home of the Collinsville k Hawks

[@ILOVETHEWHAMMY]

West Vigo High School, West Terre Haute, Indiana. Opened in 1961, The Jim Mann Green Dome can seat 2,5000 people easily.

[@bluegrass606]

Check out the Mason County Fieldhouse in Maysville Ky.

[@trentcockman7838]

New Castle immediately popped in my head

[@jacobsearfoss7983]

Martz Hall is a great place to watch a high school basketball game.

[@j.b.3428]

You should check out Dudley High School from Greensboro North Carolina their gym looks like a Coliseum they got the best gym in the state of North Carolina

[@robertuhe413]

The Bowl in Jacksonville, Illinois has to be on this list

[@michaelosullivan3561]

How could you omit the Muncie Fieldhouse; home of the 8 time state champions, Muncie Central Bearcats. It's legendary. Check it out. With 7,000+ seats and 8 giant banners you will love it!

[@CookieGlue4]

Frankfort high school in Frankfort Kentucky. A small 1A school in the capital city has the most unique look in the state by far.

[@larrybaker9924]

The Frankfort hot dogs.

[@edwinheywood2158]

Old gym in Lana’i, Hawaii

[@jamesmerrill3261]

I know fresh and fancy is all the rage but old and historic is the way to go for high school gyms. Indiana has more than their fair share of them. To leave off the list the Muncie Field house or the Southport Gym is a travesty. The Nest in Seymour IN. is an awesome place I haven’t had the pleasure to visit yet but hopefully this is the year.

[@scottgorski7931]

I agree, in Wisconsin the way to find them is to look for a medium size city, or two that have combined their high schools. Then don't go to the current high school but the junior high that used to be the high school or maybe even a larger old grade school that may have been the original school. If the buildings are still standing and not drastically remodeled you'll probably find a gym with no seating at court level, but a balcony around three sides for seating with an elevated stage at one end. If you can find pictures from back in the day the wood floor will probable shine like a mirror.

[@logank]

I'm so glad someone else in the comments mentioned Southport! I went to the other HS in the same township (Perry Meridian) and went to events at Southport a few times. That fieldhouse has a ton of history and is very cool!

[@peterkettler2070]

Billy Owens...gO'range...and Melo at the end...Go 'Cuse

[@derrickmajor9960]

Dorman High School in South Carolina is pretty nice too

[@billorrick5460]

Take a look at Belleville West Basketball gym in Belleville Illinois. Home of the Maroons.

[@huncho5005]

That fighting scout gym is like a college gym. Were these high schools getting this money from

[@chadmoritz5491]

Pretty cool video, but a lot of good ones in Indiana left off the list. This includes my personal favorite, Lloyd Scott Gymnasium in Seymour, IN. I have always been told it is the largest gym in the world with roll out bleachers.

[@ch4s3sm1th2]

no seymour highschool basketball gym?

[@thefinneysfactorfiction5925]

Eastwood High School Competition Gymnasium in El Paso, TX - stadium style seating

[@csnide6702]

Hawley Gym is Ludington , MI is a CLASSIC. They don't make them like that anymore.

[@joeball13]

I'm so jealous here in New Hampshire, when I coach baseball and basketball the varsity level I'm using some high school level sh*t. Idea of being able to coach and use these facilities, also while getting paid enough of a fair living wage to do this full-time just sounds like a dream to me. I'm tired of spending months scouting and coaching and long bus rides all to get a $6,000 stipend at the end of the year. Also it gets taxed at like 40%. When I saw those documentaries about the Indian reservation kids and they all play in these palace gyms, Indiana looks the same, how beautiful to have a town of 4,000 people and they're selling out $2,000 seat high school games. Division 3 and division 4 teams that is too. Crazy, if we got 400 people at a game that place was rocking and rolling.

[@crazydaze1050]

@joeball13 . Well you have to remember basketball in Indiana is not a sport, it's a religion. Always has been . That's why there are some of the best gyms in the country here. Since I live here ,I've been to a lot of them. You really need to take a trip to Indiana and experience it sometime . It's really something . I live about 10 miles from Milan. When they won state in 54 , that pretty much solidified the idea of basketball as a religion in our state

[@joeball13]

@@crazydaze1050 I'll have to do that. I tell my girlfriend about my sports bucket list items the next one I'm trying to cross off is the Little League world series. I live in New Hampshire so it's only a day trip to the basketball Hall of Fame, I've been to Fenway Park and I've been to Yankee stadium I never got to go to Boston garden before it was torn down I was too little, but I do remember driving through Indiana as a kid when we moved to California briefly. Maybe I'll have to send some resumes out where I can get paid to coach full-time boy what a life that would be.

[@andyscalf8340]

My old high school at Pike County Kentucky Pike County Central Hawks

[@kennycramer31011]

While some of the gyms here look interesting, nothing compares to the gyms here in Indiana. Whether it be Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, IN, or New Castle Fieldhouse, Indiana has a rich history of high school basketball. The state has 10 gyms in the top 12 of largest gyms in the US. I personally have been to 4 of the largest gyms in the state/US. Crazy. #hoosierhysteria

[@jonathanreeves8557]

This list is hilarious. Everyone knows the best and biggest high school gyms all reside in Indiana. I mean 12 of the largest 14 reside there, and that doesn’t include the other ones that are smaller but blow these gyms out of the water. They were one of our rivals back in high school but how do you not include The Crawley Center at Lafayette Jefferson High School in Lafayette, IN? I remember walking in there for the first time and talk about intimidation. The entire south end wall in the 7,200 seat gym (9th largest in the nation) displays their 59 sectional titles, and state championship banners. Like I said, I went to McCutcheon; a rival school also in Lafayette and our gym was ‘small’ compared to Jeff and still seated 3,500 people and would put our gym up against most of these. I’d like to know how you left out Case Arena, just 20 miles down the road from Lafayette in Frankfort, IN. Other than their laughable mascot name (Frankfort Hotdogs, yes you read that correctly 😂), we you pull up to Case Arena you’re not sure if it’s a high school or college gym. Huge circular dome gives the Hotdogs a definite ‘wow’ factor. Enough of a wow factor it was the home the Western University Dolphins in the movie Blue Chips. I remember when they were filming and of course had locals pack the place and everyone wanted to get in on that. Shaq, Penny Hardaway, Bob Knight, Larry Bird, Dick Vitale, Matt Painter, Nick Nolte all in little Frankfort, IN using their high school gym to film a fictional college powerhouse. No one does basketball like Indiana. The gyms on this list make me laugh. I’m assuming who posted this isn’t from Indiana, and just doesn’t get it. Hoosier Hysteria isnt even remotely challenged by any state. When you can draw 43,000 fans to a state championship game, it sets the bar pretty high.

[@onthefritzfarm]

41,000 at that game in the Hoosier Dome. I was there. My wife went to high school at BNL and had graduated the year before. The single class system was great. They should at least take the 4 top finalists from each class and have a final tournament once the IHSAA tournament is done.

[@Micah_Not_Micha]

Bill Green Athletic Arena, Marion High School, Marion, Indiana

[@jackj5368]

If you're wondering why KZbinrs should ... NEVER ... rely upon a computer generated voice for handling narrating chores, watch this video.

[@larrybaker9924]

Manual high school Louisville ky, and Trinity high school Saint Matthews ky.

[@cumulus1234]

The Gym at Fairmont High School in Kettering Ohio is very nice.

[@JackhammerPossessor]

i would think me walking into a high school would be frowned uppn

[@PrideT2D]

Legacy Charter in Greenville SC formerly Parker High

[@BombaBVI]

Missing Wharton Field House Moline, Il.

[@chreghan]

Hinsdale Central High School. Hands down.

[@kevinhensley4643]

Seymore Indiana should have been on there it is the largest high school gym in the world. The last time I checked. As a matter of fact, most indiana school gyms are the most historic. .

[@kennycramer31011]

New Castle Fieldhouse is No. 1 again with a capacity of 8,424. Seymour is a close second at 8,228

[@kevinhensley4643]

@@kennycramer31011 ah! You are right. I did not know New Castle did a renovation in 2020 when they found out they were 3rd in the state. Lol

[@thereal_fatshady6920]

born and raised in Seymour, even 2nd is pretty cool for our lil town i think! I wish we won more of course but our gym is still massive and nice.

[@lisaramsey40]

Nothing beats the Hatchet House

[@ronalddonahue5153]

Parkersburg WV PHS Big Red Field House seats 5k. My hometown. Marshall County High is actually in Draffenville Ky but we don't have a post office.

[@CookieGlue4]

Marshall county go crazy

[@lhanna5818]

Dort Lauderdale Dillard High School should be on here too

[@larrybaker9924]

Andersonville indiana, and New albany High School.

[@outandaboutrving9913]

Beverly Hills high school gym is amazing. Has an Olympic size swimming pool under their basketball courts. Should have been on the list.

[@jamesfields2916]

It's A Wonderful Life was filmed there.

[@csnide6702]

that's right... ! I had forgotten about that one.....

[@tucosalamanca5648]

Mission High School San Francisco CA. The Barn must see 👀

[@Kiddman32]

Yeah, a little gym that is definitely a must-see. I live in the Eastbay, have never been there, but have seen games online, and watched Mission win a state title a few years back at the Golden1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings. One of these days, I should get over there for a game. btw, I go to games darn near every night, mostly in the East Bay or Sac area. A look at my Google calendar shows I've seen 118 games this season, including frosh and JV games. Huge fan of the Campolindo Cougars!

[@Kiddman32]

HS ball is not an interesting thing for most of the public around here, unfortunately... Most gyms here seat 1000-1500, and I doubt any HS gyms around here seat even 3000, tho a couple might be close to that... St. Joseph of Alameda, where the great Jason Kidd played his home games, seats maybe 900 if ya really stuff 'em in like sardines..

[@tucosalamanca5648]

@@Kiddman32 It's definitely a home count advantage , Spring Floor for that extra inches.. Great place for a game!! Go Bears 🐻 🏀🏀🏀

[@daveulrich1970]

What about Blue Devil Gym in Quincy, IL. Not a better olace to see a game

[@dontedrake2316]

Quincy I've been to a game before it's pretty neat 99 2000 regional championship game between Quincy and Springfield high senators I experienced was the best

[@tonyreynolds7644]

Check out Dr. Henery Wise High School in Upper Marlboro Maryland

[@barkerphotography1454]

Battle Ground, WA

[@dwightrobbins9153]

Calvin Coolidge Frank R Williams, Washington DC

[@jrowdygi1837]

Wharton Field house Moline Il.

[@JCreole]

Best gym is in Southern California Chaffey High School in Ontario California.

[@brawnsongould9436]

The fact 2 of the arenas are from the Navajo Nation