Top-10 Indiana High School Basketball Teams of All-Time

Of course, nothing was better than Hoosier Hysteria, which died with the advent of class basketball in Indiana. Today we will look at the greatest teams in the history of Hoosier hysteria.

10) Milan, 1954

The Indians are famous for the upset that led to the movie, but this was a great team. Number one, they made it to the Final 4 in 1953, and of course, they won it all in 1954, but did you know they beat Crispus Attucks and Oscar Robertson to get to the Final 4? Bobby Plump and Ray Craft led the Indians, but this entire team was very good, and the wins over Attucks and Muncie central proved that.

Milan Miracle – 50th anniversary

9) Bloomington South, 2009

Bloomington South is an excellent example of a team who didn’t need to be big up front to win many games. They went undefeated and won the coveted Indiana state title.

Bloomington South was home to two 6-foot guards, Jordan Hulls (left) and Dee Davis (right), who played professional basketball. The bench also featured USA Today Coach of the Year, J.R. Holmes.

Bloomington South 2009 state championship game

8) Gary Roosevelt, 1991

Glenn Robinson! That is all you need to know here. I am kidding, Roosevelt had a great team and a great coach in Ron Heflin. Robinson vs Alan Henderson was the comparison all season long in the state of Indiana until the final game. Robinson dominated, and Roosevelt spanked Brebeuf Jesuit 51-32.

1991 IHSAA State Championship: Gary Roosevelt 51, Brebeuf 32

7) Marion, 1975

The 1974-75 Marion Giant Basketball Team was the first Giant team to win the state after Stretch Murphy’s legendary 1926 state title. Under Hall of Fame Coach Bill Green, the Champion Giants had their entire starting team back, including Rob Acord, Bill Lester, Kevin Pearson, and Doug Harris. Senior Cregg Baumbaugh and Mike Flynn led this team. Underclassmen Jess Alumbaugh, Tuffy Jackson, Ray Myers, and Joe Neal also contributed to their success. Fort Wayne Snider defeated them in February after they accumulated 16 wins. The Giants won another win streak after that defeat, winning 58-46 against Loogootee at Market Square Arena in the State Finals

1975 IHSAA State Championship: Marion 58, Loogootee 46

6) Marion, 1987

Head Coach Bill Green also won the 1969 Title at Indianapolis, Washington and then went to Marion and won back-to-back titles in 1975-76. Then before his career was over he topped both of those feats by winning three straight from 1985-87 behind one of the greatest back-courts in Indiana high school history, with Jay Edwards and Lyndon Jones.

Over those 3 years, the Giants went 84-4 to go with three straight State Titles.  They dominated Richmond in the State Title game 69-56, with Edwards scoring 35 points and Jones 23. In the early game, Marion beat freshman Damon Bailey and Bedford North Lawrence 70-61.

Marion vs Richmond 1987 IHSAA Boys Basketball Final 3/28/1987

5) East Chicago Roosevelt, 1970

Roosevelt sandwiched between two legendary single-class state title clubs this is undoubtedly the most overlooked team in Indiana High School Basketball history. Jim Bradley, perhaps the most underappreciated individual talent in Indiana, led the Rough Riders, who beat the Carmel Greyhounds 72-62.

1970 IHSAA State Championship: East Chicago Roosevelt 76, Carmel 62

4) Lawrence North, 2006

Greg Oden, the 7-foot center, dominated the post for four seasons and was a runaway IndyStar Mr. Basketball. In the final 3 years for Oden North they had a superlative record of 72-4. Mike Conley was also on this team and had an outstanding NBA career. I probably rated them a little lower because of Class Basketball, meaning the competition was not as good. That said, North would have a shot against any team on this list.

2006 IHSAA Class 4A State Championship: Lawrence North 80, Muncie Central 56

3) Crispus Attucks, 1955

The year before this Attucks lost to Milan in the Semi-State Final. 1955 was different as Attucks became the first all-black team to win state and the first team based in Indianapolis to win the State Championship. Attucks, of course, were led by one of the greatest players in basketball history, Oscar Robertson. However, the Crispus Attucks were not a one-man show.

They had Willie Merriweather, who played at Purdue and is an Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer. Albert Maxey played at Nebraska and is an Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer too. So, three Hall of Famers is not bad! Attucks dominated Gary Roosevelt in the championship game 97-74 as Robertson scored 30 and Merriweather added 21. Attucks would win it all in 1956 also.

Crispus Attucks High School 1955 Boys Basketball State Champs – We Grow Basketball Here Ep. 3 (Pt 1)

2) East Chicago Washington, 1971

Pete Trgovich. This 6-6 wing player averaged 22.4 points per game and went to play for John Wooden at UCLA, where he was part of three national championship teams. There was more to this team, though. Throw in Junior Bridgeman and Tim Stoddard, and you had three great players all on the same team in high school. EC Washington won 70-60 over Elkhart in the State Title game, with Trgovich scoring 28 points and Stoddard adding 19. Trgovich scored 40 points in the State Semifinal.

1971 East Chicago Washington Senators – A Team For The Ages

1) Indianapolis Washington, 1969

George McGinnis scored 148 points in his last four games of the 69-state tournament for a 37-point average. In an All-Star game against Kentucky, he had 53 points and 30 rebounds. McGinnis was as dominant as any player in Indiana high school basketball history, and don’t forget future Hoosier Steve Downing was also on this team, so it was not just a one-man show.

Indianapolis Washington Continentals Celebrate 50th Anniversary of 1969 State Finals Championship

Honorable Mentions

1911–Crawfordsville (16-0); 1920–Franklin (29-1); 1923–Vincennes Lincoln (34-1); 1930–Washington (30-1); 1936–Frankfort (29-1); 1942–Washington (30-1); 1943–Fort Wayne Central (27-1); 1950–Madison (27-1); 1957–South Bend Central (30-0); 1959–Indianapolis Crispus Attucks (26-5); 1961–Kokomo (28-1); 1963–Muncie Central (28-1); 1964–Lafayette Jefferson (28-1); 1974–Fort Wayne Northrop (28-1); 1986–Marion (26-3); 1988–Muncie Central (28-1); 1995–Indianapolis Ben Davis (32-1); 1997–Bloomington North (28-1); 1998–Indianapolis Pike (28-1/4A); 2000–Marion (28-1/4A); 2003–Indianapolis Pike (29-0/4A)