Reverential feel inspires book about ‘Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral’

Eric Angevine isn’t a native Hoosier. But the Lawrence, Kansas, native has one big thing in common with many Hoosiers. He grew up loving basketball.

So when ESPN asked him to journey to Indianapolis to write stories for its now defunct travel page about Hinkle Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium, which was hosting the NCAA Men’s Final Four, he jumped at the chance.

The impression of Hinkle Fieldhouse stuck with the hoops junkie.

“It felt reverential,” Angevine said.

Angevine was so inspired by his visit that he spent several years researching the fabled facility. The result is the first book about the history of the 87-year-old venue.

“Hinkle Fieldhouse: Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral” was released March 2, and Angevine says the title reflects what he felt when he first entered the storied building.

Angevine will be on hand at Butler’s March 3 home finale to sign copies of the book published by South Carolina-based History Press.

Angevine is an experienced freelance journalist, having written for CBS and NBC in addition to ESPN. But this is his first book.

“I’ve always wanted to write a book, and writing about Hinkle was a dream scenario for someone who grew up in love with the game of basketball,” he said.

When Angevine, who works as a copy writer in Virginia, first began researching his book idea, he was stunned to find that no one had written about the history of “this magnificent facility.”

“This is one of those special facilities that makes college basketball exciting,” Angevine said.

But his book explores much more than the hoops played under Hinkle’s roof.

“The first thing you need to know about Hinkle Fieldhouse is that it’s a lot more than a basketball gymnasium,” Angevine said. “That facility has served the city and state well beyond what it has done for Butler. It’s been there to service the needs of a lot of events for that community. This facility has something that most venues do not; a real sense of history.”

It’s fitting that the book signing is at Butler’s home game against Georgetown University. His book opens by recounting last year’s home game against the Hoyas.

The book then spins backward recounting not only the basketball team’s history under the likes of Tony Hinkle and Brad Stevens, but also details including events from six-day bicycle races and a Dwight D. Eisenhower’s stump speech to the 1987 Pan Am Games volleyball competition and myriad big high school hoops contests.

The book ends by detailing recent renovations and Hinkle’s future prospects.

“Those renovations show [Butler officials] are very serious about having this facility around a very long time,” Angevine said.

To research the book, Angevine read local veteran newscaster Howard Caldwell’s book about famed Butler coach Tony Hinkle. He also conducted numerous interviews with the likes of Billy Shepherd, whose dad, Bill Shepherd Sr., played and coached at Hinkle, and Austin Carr, who while playing for Notre Dame in 1970 scored 50 points against Butler during a game that set the facility’s attendance record at an even 15,000. Angevine also spoke with Angelo Pizzo, who directed the movie “Hoosiers”—which played key scenes at Hinkle; Olympic volleyball player Karch Kiraly, who played in the 1987 Pan Am Games; and former Butler coach and current athletic director Barry Collier.

One of the biggest challenges was obtaining photos. Angevine leaned heavily on not only Butler, but also on the Indiana High School Athletic Association and Indiana Historical Society.

“We wanted to get a wide range of photos that reflected the wide array of activities that took place there,” Angevine said. “So it took a little bit of digging. Had I not gotten a lot of help from so many people in Indiana, this book wouldn’t have been possible.”