Off to a fast start to the 2024-25 season, the Warsaw boys basketball team will face its biggest challenge yet on Saturday morning when the team travels to New Castle to compete in the annual Hall of Fame Classic.
The event takes place at the world-famous New Castle Fieldhouse. With a capacity of 8,424, it is the largest high school gymnasium in the world. It has some pretty stiff competition locally too, as 14 of the 16 largest gyms in the world are located in the state of Indiana.
“It’s not lost on me on how important it is to share these famous arenas with our players because it’s what separates Indiana High School Basketball from every other state in the country,” Warsaw head coach Matt Moore said. “Our players and coaches have thoroughly enjoyed practicing and playing at these special venues. We will be practicing at Muncie Central Fieldhouse on the way down, and next week we will be playing at the Tiernan Center at Richmond High School.”
The Hall of Fame Classic will host four teams and has a relatively simple format: win your first game in the morning and play for the championship on Saturday night. Lose, and you’ll still have another opportunity to play under the bright lights in the consolation game.
Tipping things off at 11 a.m., Warsaw will have an incredibly tough task waiting for them in the opener in the form of No. 1 Fishers, the defending 4A state champions. Also boasting the Tiger nickname, Fishers has won 36 of their last 37 games and are a favorite to repeat as champions once again/
“Our players are excited about this opportunity and the challenge ahead of us. We’ve elevated our schedule over the past two years to put us in a position to compete with teams in and around the Indianapolis area,” Moore said. “A game like this will allow us to see the areas we are excelling at and also help reveal the areas we still need to improve on before we hit tournament time.”
On the other side of the bracket, Greenfield Central will take on Jeffersonville at 12:30 p.m. The consolation game will be held at 6 p.m., while the championship game is at 7.
Moore expressed gratitude for being one of the four teams selected for this prestigious tournament.
“I think it goes to show that our program at Warsaw has a long history within the state of Indiana and people throughout still have respect for Tiger basketball and the product we put out there. This group is unique in the fact that they’ve done a lot both during the season and during summertime travel ball to garner the attention of the state for this event,” he said. “To be selected to play in the Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle means that people that know basketball believe your team is one of the best and that is a tribute to the unseen hours our players have put in.”
The Tigers head into this game after getting the week of Christmas off, but had been playing some very good ball before the break. Warsaw is 6-0 with its most recent win coming in a 51-43 win over Carroll. After never defeating both Homestead and Carroll in the same season, the Tigers have done it twice in each of the past two years. The night before, Warsaw began Northern Lakes Conference play with a convincing 67-48 win over Wawasee.
“I think we have played well so far this season. We are trending in the right direction in our efforts on both offense and defense. We have a group that continues to put in the work to improve themselves and our outcomes when they get their chance to perform,” Moore said. “Winning this weekend only reassures us that our focus and efforts thus far are on the right path but we can’t be satisfied with wins in late December. Our goal is wins in March.”
After the tournament this weekend, the Tigers will bring in the new year with an appearance in the Richmond Tournament.
“In the end, I want these experiences to be memorable ones. It doesn’t come around often and we want to enjoy everything about it. This time together and shared experiences are some of the best parts of the season and playing basketball together is often the icing on the cake,” Moore said.