Storyline: In Kentucky, March Madness begins Wednesday, Hopkinsville v. Fern Creek, in the first round of the 100th KHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament.
It’s that time of year again. The field of 68 NCAA teams have been selected.
Fans across America are getting ready. Brackets are being filled out. Parties are being planned. And there’s friendly competition among friends, co-workers, and family members to see who can pick the most winners.
Courtesy: KHSAA
While the NCAA tournament has existed since 1939, the tournament wasn’t a major college sports event back then. The NIT was a much bigger draw.
While that’s surely changed, one thing has remained a constant for a century. It’s another brand of March Madness–the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KSSAA) State Boys Basketball Championship.
The tournament begin in 1917 with the inaugural game played in Danville at Centre College. Owensboro Senior High was crowned the first state champ, beating Somerset, 12-9.
One of the things that makes this tournament so special is the number of “David’s” that have risen up over the years to take the state crown. Here are two examples.
Carr Creek Didn’t Have A Gym
Carr Creek is situated in the Appalachian Mountains (Knott County, far eastern KY). Back in 1928 Carr Creek traveled to games via horses and mules. The team didn’t have uniforms. There wasn’t a gym in town. The high school enrolled only 41 students. Carr Creek practiced on a dirt court located on the side of a hill. The starting five players were related: two brothers and three cousins.
Courtesy: Lexington Herald-Leader
But Carr Creek made it all the way to the state championship that year. They played heavily-favored Ashland for the state crown, losing 13-11.
But Carr Creek was a really big story that year. For one thing, the team went through the entire state tournament without committing a foul or calling a timeout. For another thing, CC barely lost to the team that went on to be the national champ. That’s right! Ashland won the 1928 National High School Basketball Tournament, which was held in Chicago that year.
Carr Creek’s story didn’t end there. Twenty-eight years later Carr Creek made headlines again. In 1956 the team made it back to the state tournament. Coach Morton Combs and star guard, Freddie Maggard, won the state championship that year, defeating Henderson, 72-68.
The sad part of this tale is that Carr Creek High School closed in 1974. But the people of Kentucky will never forget what tiny Carr Creek did … twice … starting nearly 90 years ago.
(Note: You can read more about the 1956 team in The Overtime Kids, written by Don Miller.)
“Cuba Conquered Kentucky”
You know the phrase: “Good things come to those who work hard.” That aphorism applies to the story of the Cuba Cubs, the 1952 KHSAA state champs.
Located in the extremely rural and isolated Jackson Purchase (Graves County, southwestern corner of KY), back then Cuba High enrolled about 100 students. Cuba’s coach, Jack Story, had a dream: win the state championship. He began drilling that outcome in the minds of 8th Grade players who’d be high school seniors in 1952. The players not only bought into that dream, it became their dream, too.
Courtesy: Lexington Herald-Leader
Two players in particular led the charge: Howard “Howie” Crittenden and Charles “Doodle” Floyd. Best friends since youth, the pair would dribble and play for HOURS after practice. Some nights they’d dribble and pass the ball back and forth as they walked over eight miles on a paved road near their homes. The sons of farmers, they would take a basketball with them while they cut tobacco and did other farm chores. They improved their cage skills while they worked.
The Cubs made it to the state championship one year ahead of schedule, but the team was overwhelmed that year by Clark County, 69-44, in the finals. Not to be denied, Cuba returned the following year. Rallying from a 30-24 halftime deficit, the Cubs defeated Louisville Manual (one of the largest schools in the state), 58-52. They were state champs!
Yes, the state championship was technically won that memorable night, but Jack Story planted the seed in 1947. It took determination and hard work to make the dream come true. And it did … 65 years ago.
(Note: You can read more about this story in When Cuba Conquered Kentucky by Marianne Walker.)
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Courtesy: MaxPreps
Courtesy: Great American Rivalry Series
Yes, we all know that the NCAA tournament begins this week. Millions of people will be watching. In Kentucky, our “March Madness” begins Wednesday at Noon, Eastern Time. Hopkinsville plays Fern Creek (Louisville) in the first round of the 100th KHSAA Boys’ Basketball State Tournament.
In Kentucky, it’s underdog stories–like Carr Creek and Cuba–that endears sports to the people. And even though the stories are unlikely to be repeated (many schools across the state have consolidated), what Carr Creek and Cuba accomplished will never be forgotten. Their victories put the exclamation point on March Madness!
