MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — All eyes are on Indianapolis as the city approaches the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend.
When it comes to the history of basketball in Indiana, however, much of the story starts south of town in Morgan County.
Martinsville is home to one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time: John R. Wooden, also known as the "Indiana Rubber Man."
Now, stepping into the Martinsville middle school — that wears his name like the back of a jersey — is like stepping back in time.
"This gym is on the historic register, built in 1924," MSD of Martinsville Superintendent Eric Bowlen said. "This is the gym that John Wooden played in."
It now carries the name of another hall-of-fame hooper: Wooden's high school coach, Glenn Curtis.
On the south side of the gymnasium, 150 feet of photographed history document the tale of the storied gym.
It has attracted people from around the world, Bowlen said, including a gentleman from Spain.
"He was a basketball connoisseur, and he was like, 'I have got to see this gym,'" Bowlen said.
The gym's inaugural game was 100 years ago this month.
Just three years later, Martinsville's starting five, with players like Lester Reynolds, Aaron Suddith and John Wooden, would bring home a state title.
"That team was loaded," Bowlen said. "They won the state championship for a reason."
At the time, Bowlen said this gym was the largest high school gym in America, with fans filling every seat to watch the Artesian City team.
"Yes, it was quite something," Bowlen said. "Quite something. Indiana basketball at it's finest."
Nearly a century later, Wooden's legacy off the court is just as meaningful across the school.
His storied scriptures, so to speak, are all around.
"I don't think you can go anywhere in this building and not see something with John R. Wooden," principal Fred Kutruff said.
In fact, Artesians today still use Wooden's Pyramid of Success to become their own All-Stars.
"We talk about it many times daily," Kutruff said. "We talk about it in the classroom."
"He thought the best coaches were teachers," Bowlen said. "The best teachers were coaches."
Wooden passed away in 2010, just shy of 100 years old.
Bowlen said he visited Wooden in his home just a few years prior to welcoming him into the inaugural class of the Martinsville Hall of Fame.
"I'll never forget that day," Bowlen said. "I was just honored to be sitting near him, listening and learning and trying to take it all in. You don't get any better than that."
"I don't know of many places that someone has impacted a community as much as John R. Wooden," Kutruff said.
Bowlen said what happened in this old gym all those years ago also led to one of the greatest sports stories of all time.
The gym helped build the spirit of small town, high school basketball for Angelo Pizzo and the movie "Hoosiers."
"You can't go throughout this building and not feet it," Kutruff said.
"We take a lot of pride in that," Bowlen said. "That's Indiana basketball."