IHSAA will salute the
best of the First Silver Era
The 2000 IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament will mark an important milestone in Indiana high school sports history. Accordingly, the IHSAA will mark this year's tournament with a special salute to the first 25 years of IHSAA girls basketball tournament play.
Saluting The First Silver Era is the theme of the 2000 IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament. As part of the celebration, the IHSAA has assembled a panel of coaches, sportswriters, broadcasters, game officials and athletic administrators to select the most outstanding players of the first 25 years.
Those 12 women, the First Silver Era honorees, will be revealed next week in a series of announcements by the IHSAA. The First Silver Era players have been invited to be a part of the 25th IHSAA State Finals on March 4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Details of that celebration will be announced later.
The 2000 IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament is just three weeks away. The tournament pairings will be made at noon on Monday, Feb. 7. Sectional play will begin Tuesday, Feb. 15 and conclude on Saturday, Feb. 19. Regional games will be Feb. 22-23, semi-states on Feb. 26 and the state finals on March 4.
The IHSAA adopted girls basketball as a tournament sport in the 1975-76 season. A field of 360 teams entered the first state tournament, with Bloomfield, East Chicago Roosevelt, Indianapolis Tech and Warsaw advancing to the state finals. Warsaw captured the first state championship with a 57-52 victory over Bloomfield.
FIRST SILVER ERA SELECTION COMMITTEE
Mildred Ball, former assistant commissioner, IHSAA.
Bob Bridge, sports editor, Bedford Times-Mail.
Cinda Brown, coach, Rushville Consolidated High School.
Allison Buell, reporter, Regional Radio Sports Network, Crown Point.
Jan Conner, coach, Martinsville High School.
Roberta DeKemper, former coach, East Chicago Roosevelt High School.
Garry Donna, publisher, Hoosier Basketball Magazine.
Steve Herman, Indiana sports editor, Associated Press.
William Johnson, IHSAA referee, Indianapolis.
Bob Kirkhoff, coach, Roncalli High School.
Tom May, coach, Crown Point High School.
Mike McCroskey, former coach, Kokomo High School.
Pat McKee, sportswriter, Indianapolis Star.
Rita Price, WRSW Radio, Warsaw.
Debi Reed, former sportswriter, Indianapolis News.
Dave Riley, former coach, Fort Wayne Northrop High School.
Patricia Roy, former assistant commissioner, IHSAA.
Herb Schwomeyer, basketball historian, Indianapolis.
Donna Sullivan, coach, Seymour High School.