The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame will open its doors this weekend for fans coming to the New Castle Boys Basketball Regional. InkFreeNews photos by Mike Deak

By Mike Deak
InkFreeNews

NEW CASTLE – Even in a pandemic, the walls can speak.

Rita Price is among those on display in the Hall of Fame inductees wing.

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame opened its doors early Friday for a sneak peak to the renovations it has made after closing its doors for a year due to the pandemic. Among the upgrades the facility, situated on the approach to New Castle High School, are digital boards to help condense some of the physical product in the facility, maintenance upgrades, new materials from the 2019-20 boys and girls basketball championships, and several interesting items showcasing the history of basketball in Indiana.

New Castle, host of the Class 3-A boys basketball regional featuring NorthWood, New Castle, Leo and Mississinewa, has been the host of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. The site, which closed last March amidst the pandemic, is planning to open Saturday in time for fans from the regional to come and see what makes the Indiana basketball tournament so special.

Hall executive director Chris May noted the upgrades have been planned for a while, but most of the staff hadn’t been in the building for months. But that changed as the state has begun to open up. And to be able to open ahead of the local tournament was key in pinning down a date to shoot for.

“We certainly wanted to be open for these fans to be able to come, especially when they might not be able to get here normally,” May said.

May added that the new video boards will be added in the coming weeks, and only about 20 percent of the memorabilia was actually out on the display floor, the other 80 percent stored to be gone through.

The Hoops Hall is home to Indiana’s basketball history, dating back to the first prep hoops season in 1911 and chronicling each championship from there forward. College and professional memorabilia are also on display, including full wings for Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson, and a Hall of Fame inductee corner with the likenesses of every elected member of the Hall.

Admission to the Hall is $5, and it will be open for fans coming to the game through the entirety of Saturday’s regional.