^ I get SO sick of Indiana getting this rep as the mecca of high school basketball. I feel like our state could do a lot better in promoting our just-as-rich history.
I grew up in south suburban Chicago. My dad grew up in east Chicago, Indiana, won a state championship in high school, and coached in āda regionā when I was in high school. Before I moved to Texas I coached a year at champaign central.
Iāve been around basketball in both states a lot. Iāve been gone for a while, but this is my philosophy based upon when I left.
In terms of pure talent, the winner is Illinois in my opinion. I think there are more and better players, and I think the general talent level of teams is higher in Illinois. We tend to have more high end home grown prospects, but weāre also a larger state. The elite dudes can kinda pop up anywhere tho.
In terms of high school game environment, I have never seen a place like Indiana. When you get 4 teams in one location for those Friday night sectional semifinal games, it is pure magic. It is literally what I think about when I tell people about it. If I could take one job anywhere in the country, I would take East Chicago Central. 8000 seat gym (named after my dads coach), infectious energy, hosts sectionals and sometimes regionals. And generally talented players. I have felt the electricity upon walking into that gym more times than I can count in my life.
Now I will say, the champaign central v champaign centennial environment AT CENTRAL ONLY, matched EC in my one year there. But Iāve just seen so much more out of Indiana that I give them the edge.
Usually I tell people in Texas, if youāre ever up there, and you wanna see a ridiculously good high school game, find a game with the top teams in the Chicago area. If you wanna be wrapped up in the atmosphere and pageantry of high school basketball, find a big game in Indiana.