Kokomo to host Basketball Day Indiana 2020 at historic Memorial Gymnasium
The fourth annual Basketball Day Indiana will be hosted by Kokomo, Ind., at historic Memorial Gymnasium, it was announced today. Basketball Day Indiana 2020 is set for Saturday, Feb. 8.
Basketball Day Indiana is a full day of games and television coverage celebrating Indiana’s game. It is produced by FOX Sports Indiana, the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever and IHSAA. It is presented by Ascension St. Vincent.
“We’re thrilled to bring Basketball Day Indiana to Kokomo alongside our partners the Pacers, Fever, IHSAA and Ascension St. Vincent,” said FOX Sports Indiana senior vice president and general manager Jack Donovan. “We want to showcase the state’s iconic gyms and communities each year as part of Basketball Day. The tremendous history of Memorial Gymnasium and enthusiasm of the Kokomo community make it an ideal setting.”
Plans for Basketball Day Indiana 2020 include:
• Kokomo’s Memorial Gym to host Basketball Day Invitational
Four marquee high school boys games will be played at historic Memorial Gymnasium in Kokomo. All four games – one featuring the Kokomo Wildkats — will be televised live on FOX Sports Indiana. The full slate of games will be announced later this month. Memorial Gymnasium was built in 1949 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
• Pacers home games bookend 24+ hours of Basketball Day programming
The celebration begins Friday, Feb. 7, with the Pacers’ home game vs. Toronto. Basketball Day TV programming will continue throughout the night. Live coverage from Kokomo will start Saturday morning. Basketball Day concludes with the Pacers’ Saturday home game vs. New Orleans.
• Special recognition at the Pacers Hickory Night
This also will be a Pacers Hickory Night during which Indiana University and Purdue University coaching legends Bob Knight and Gene Keady will be recognized in a special halftime ceremony.
• Every IHSAA varsity game statewide to be part of Basketball Day
Every high school hosting a home game that weekend will receive a Basketball Day flag. The schools will join the celebration by posting photos to social media with the hashtag #BasketballDayIndiana.
• Coverage of IHSAA girls playoffs
FOX Sports Indiana will provide reports throughout the day on IHSAA girls sectional games.
“As we continue our theme of ‘We Grow Basketball Here,’ few things exemplify that effort more than the role of the Pacers and Fever in Basketball Day Indiana,” said Rick Fuson, president and COO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. “We are delighted to once more join our partners at FOX Sports Indiana and the IHSAA in showcasing our Indiana game in this special Indiana way.”
“Once again we are excited to partner with our friends at FOX Sports Indiana, the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever to celebrate basketball in the Hoosier State,” said IHSAA commissioner Bobby Cox. “Basketball Day Indiana has become a highly anticipated event within the IHSAA membership and we are excited to have the City of Kokomo as this year’s host. Historic Memorial Gymnasium is a great venue to showcase the rich tradition of basketball in our state. Our sincere thanks are extended to FOX Sports Indiana and the City of Kokomo along with the Pacers and Fever for their tremendous support of high school basketball in our state.”
“It is an honor and a thrill for the City of Kokomo to play host to Basketball Day Indiana 2020,” said Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore. “Our community is rich with basketball tradition, and I can’t think of a better place in the state of Indiana to watch a game than Kokomo High School’s storied Memorial Gymnasium. We look forward to the chance to share our love of the game with basketball fans from across the state on February 8!”
“Kokomo School Corporation is proud to be chosen as the first Indiana high school to host Basketball Day Indiana, at historic Memorial Gymnasium,” said Dr. Jeff Hauswald, Superintendent, Kokomo School Corporation. “Memorial Gym is an integral part of the thread of our Kokomo community and a very special place for the thousands of athletes who have played in this storied hall. In addition to the basketball traditions we celebrate in this historic gymnasium, I would be remiss to not celebrate the role basketball, athletics and all extra- and co-curricular activities play in public education. Research continues to prove that students who are involved in such activities, on the average, have higher attendance at school and achieve higher academic grades. I wish to say thank you to the IHSAA, and the many organizations which have sponsored programs and events such as this one over the years, as well as the communities who have supported their athletic teams and their athletes during the last century!”
For more information on Basketball Day Indiana, visit FOXSportsIndiana.com, Pacers.com and IHSAA.org, and check #BasketballDayIndiana.
