Trying to revitalize the moribund Kentucky-Indiana all-star basketball series has been a challenge to game organizers for years as the summer rivalry lost its status as a sports event that commanded much attention, especially in the Bluegrass State.
Maybe a change in format will put some pep back into the 67-year-old series.
Dave Satterly of the sponsoring Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation has announced that the rivalry will have a new look next summer. Instead of spreading practices and games over two weeks, they’ll be compressed into one week. The first girls’ and boys’ games will be played on Friday, June 13, in Louisville. The rematches will follow two days later, Sunday, June 15, in Indianapolis.
The games in Louisville will be played at either Freedom Hall, Louisville Gardens or the Kentucky International Convention Center. The games in Indy will be at either Conseco Fieldhouse or Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Former Fairdale coach Stan Hardin will serve as boys’ game chairman, and former WKU women’s coach Steve Small will be girls’ game chairman. Kentucky will also mimic Indiana and stage scrimmages between its senior all-stars and a group of junior all-stars.
Will any of this help pump life back into the rivalry? Nobody knows, but something had to be done. This event has been on life-support for years on this side of the Ohio River. Since 1993, five cities (Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Owensboro and Bowling Green) have hosted the Kentucky games. Owensboro seemed to generate the most enthusiasm and decent crowds. Bowling Green rolled out a red carpet, but the fans didn’t follow. Now the games are going back to Louisville.
Satterly hopes the newly formed Mr. Basketball Fraternity will help promote the games. A Miss Basketball organization (a sorority?) may be in the works, too.
All the window dressing won’t help, however, unless Kentucky starts being competitive against the Hoosiers. Indiana’s boys have won 14 of the last 18 games, including seven in a row by an average of almost 20 points. Indiana’s girls have won 26 of the last 32.
September 18, 2007 at 10:05 am |
We have Darius Miller, Scotty Hopson, and Bud Mackey this year, it will be more competitive. In recent years we didn’t have much (if any) D1 talent, now we have 3 very highly rated players who are potential All Americans.
September 18, 2007 at 12:35 pm |
This will not do anything but give the players less time to get back in basketball form. The only thing that they can do that will spark interest in this series is to have it toward the end of basketball season or immediately thereafter. It is a mind thing. Most people are out of the basketball mode by the time this series rolls around.
This is so simple that it astounds me that the organizers don’t realize it.
September 26, 2007 at 4:58 pm |
I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE GAME COMING BACK TO LOUISVILLE WHERE IT STARTED. AS A MEMBER OF THE MR. BASKETBALL FRATERNITY I PLAN ON ATTENDING THE GAME AND CAN INSURE OTHER PAST MR. BASKETBALL’S WILL ALSO.
IF THERE IS AUTOGRAPH SEEKERS OUT THERE WE WILL BE AVABLE TO SIGN AUTOGRAPH AND DO ANYTHING WE CAN TO HELP THE GAME.