Favorite areas to play/see a game -- past or present

[RichlandsAlum 678]

 

Let me hear your favorite places to ever see a high school basketball game, past and/or present and why.  (Idea stolen from FB board.)

[RichlandsAlum 678]

And I'll start off with a long and rambling list of my own....

1. Whitewood.  If there's a better example of the "crackerbox" cliche, I'd like to hear about it.  How many other places could have been so small that they lacked a centerline?  My recollection is that we actually had to pass the ball down the court and back across the overlapping lines when we played there once -- but that might have been the carsickness talking (yet another interesting aspect of playing there).

2. Cleveland (Lebanon).  Nothing really special about the gym itself, but heading up and over into the hollow to play there was always kind of interesting.

3. Virginia High (current).  Probably the single best high school venue in SW Virginia, IMO.  The "in the round" design makes it stand out and made us feel kind of special playing there when it first opened.  Although I will also admit to having a soft spot in my heart for the old gym at the Euclid Avenue school.

4. Richlands Middle School (original pre-renovation).  Beyond the fact that I spent a significant portion of my indoor life there between the ages of 10 and 18, this is on my personal list just because I know how aggravating it must have been for opposing teams to come play there.  The lighting was never really adequate, and when the lights would go out unexpectedly (which happened during games more often than one would hope), they took forever to come back on.  The roof leaked.  The rubberized floor was kind of slick even when it was dry.  Ahh....good times.

[swva_havok_fan 1,261]

6 minutes ago, RichlandsAlum said:

Let me hear your favorite places to ever see a high school football game, past and/or present and why.  (Idea stolen from FB board.)

Think you mean basketball...  Lol

1.  Clinchco (Haysi/Ervinton) -- Seen many a classic Region D tournament game over the years, as well as quite a few of the Haysi/Council games in the peak of the rivalry.

2.  Lebanon -- Very nice gym, plenty of seating.

3.  Lee High -- This gym was a pleasant surprise when I visited for the first time last year... something about the murals painted on the wall was a nice touch.  Very spacious also.  Plenty of seating.

4.  Castlewood -- Another gym which delivered very raucous atmospheres back in the good ole Region D tournament days.

5.  Bearcat Den (Virginia High) -- Seats on all four sides of the court.  Love the very NBA like player intros especially with the Undertaker theme playing for the home team intros.

[swva_havok_fan 1,261]

8 minutes ago, RichlandsAlum said:

And I'll start off with a long and rambling list of my own....

1. Whitewood.  If there's a better example of the "crackerbox" cliche, I'd like to hear about it.  How many other places could have been so small that they lacked a centerline?  My recollection is that we actually had to pass the ball down the court and back across the overlapping lines when we played there once -- but that might have been the carsickness talking (yet another interesting aspect of playing there).

All my years of high school at Haysi and I never saw a game at Whitewood.  I have been to Twin Valley though, and their gym is nice.  Never got to go to Pocahontas either.

I didn't list Ridgeview, but a lot of people from home and away have a lot of nice things to say about our gym.  I don't see what is so special about ours to be honest, but a lot of people do like it.

[cityofRaven 2,444]

22 minutes ago, RichlandsAlum said:

4. Richlands Middle School (original pre-renovation).  Beyond the fact that I spent a significant portion of my indoor life there between the ages of 10 and 18, this is on my personal list just because I know how aggravating it must have been for opposing teams to come play there.  The lighting was never really adequate, and when the lights would go out unexpectedly (which happened during games more often than one would hope), they took forever to come back on.  The roof leaked.  The rubberized floor was kind of slick even when it was dry.  Ahh....good times.

I would have loved if they could have kept the old bleachers and lighting for the middle school when they renovated. The only problem I had was the floor which like you said was beyond hard to get traction on. 

[GMan 3,569]

1 hour ago, RichlandsAlum said:

And I'll start off with a long and rambling list of my own....

1. Whitewood.  If there's a better example of the "crackerbox" cliche, I'd like to hear about it.  How many other places could have been so small that they lacked a centerline?  My recollection is that we actually had to pass the ball down the court and back across the overlapping lines when we played there once -- but that might have been the carsickness talking (yet another interesting aspect of playing there).

2. Cleveland (Lebanon).  Nothing really special about the gym itself, but heading up and over into the hollow to play there was always kind of interesting.

3. Virginia High (current).  Probably the single best high school venue in SW Virginia, IMO.  The "in the round" design makes it stand out and made us feel kind of special playing there when it first opened.  Although I will also admit to having a soft spot in my heart for the old gym at the Euclid Avenue school.

4. Richlands Middle School (original pre-renovation).  Beyond the fact that I spent a significant portion of my indoor life there between the ages of 10 and 18, this is on my personal list just because I know how aggravating it must have been for opposing teams to come play there.  The lighting was never really adequate, and when the lights would go out unexpectedly (which happened during games more often than one would hope), they took forever to come back on.  The roof leaked.  The rubberized floor was kind of slick even when it was dry.  Ahh....good times.

In regards to...

#1-  Were you ever in the old Tazewell Junior High gym???  The basketball court wasn't much bigger than a volleyball court and you had no more than two feet out of bounds anywhere on the floor until you hit a wall.  Not even sure if the goals were 10ft high.

#2- Cleveland holds a special place in my heart...score 10 points in the 4th Q in a junior high basketball game there.

#3- I'll never forget heading down to V-High my senior year on a cold/snowy Saturday night.  A group of us rode down together and one of my best friends got is name drawn at halftime to attempt a half court shot to win a prize (I honestly don't remember what it was though).  Anyway, he always went to Canada during Christmas break as he had family there.  He bought this bottle of stuff (can't remember the name of it, probably illegal in all 50 states) that when you sniffed it, it numbed your brain...no kidding craziest, worst feeling you will have of your own free will.  Anyway, as he's walking out there, he takes a big snort of the stuff...you can see his face getting blood red as he's slowing dribbling the ball and taking steps backward.  By now he's at the free throw line on the opposite end of the court, he takes three steps forward and releases the ball...nothing but net.  The crowd erupts in cheers.

#4- LOVED playing at RMS.  The lights were a bit weird but the floor was awesome.

[RichlandsAlum 678]

1 hour ago, swva_havok_fan said:

All my years of high school at Haysi and I never saw a game at Whitewood.  I have been to Twin Valley though, and their gym is nice.  Never got to go to Pocahontas either.

I didn't list Ridgeview, but a lot of people from home and away have a lot of nice things to say about our gym.  I don't see what is so special about ours to be honest, but a lot of people do like it.

Pocahontas was a typical 1950's era gym, constructed at an appropriately small scale.  Guessing that there were only about 10-12 rows of bleachers on each side.

Either way, the exterior entry doors were pretty close to the boundaries of the court. The middle school county tournament was played there when I was in sixth grade.  During warm-ups I went to chase a ball near the side and end lines.  I wound up sliding on melted snow and mud that had been tracked in and my feet went out from under me.  We were the home team, so we were in our "all white" uniforms.  I was the exception that night -- wearing a two-tone of white in front and sopping brown along the entire back of my jersey and shorts.  Until we changed clothes after the game, I had to constantly make the point of, "It's mud.  I swear."

Not an interesting anecdote, but that was my immediate thought about Pocahontas.

[RichlandsAlum 678]

1 minute ago, GMan said:

In regards to...

#1-  Were you ever in the old Tazewell Junior High gym???  The basketball court wasn't much bigger than a volleyball court and you had no more than two feet out of bounds anywhere on the floor until you hit a wall.  Not even sure if the goals were 10ft high.

#2- Cleveland holds a special place in my heart...score 10 points in the 4th Q in a junior high basketball game there.

#3- I'll never forget heading down to V-High my senior year on a cold/snowy Saturday night.  A group of us rode down together and one of my best friends got is name drawn at halftime to attempt a half court shot to win a prize (I honestly don't remember what it was though).  Anyway, he always went to Canada during Christmas break as he had family there.  He bought this bottle of stuff (can't remember the name of it, probably illegal in all 50 states) that when you sniffed it, it numbed your brain...no kidding craziest, worst feeling you will have of your own free will.  Anyway, as he's walking out there, he takes a big snort of the stuff...you can see his face getting blood red as he's slowing dribbling the ball and taking steps backward.  By now he's at the free throw line on the opposite end of the court, he takes three steps forward and releases the ball...nothing but net.  The crowd erupts in cheers.

#4- LOVED playing at RMS.  The lights were a bit weird but the floor was awesome.

#1 - Yep.  Old Junior High was downtown near the library, if I'm remembering correctly.  I think I played on that court as part of a summer program once, but I definitely watched my older sister play volleyball there during her RMS days.

#2 Odd memory from Cleveland....  Since there wasn't much (if any) space between the stands and the floor, their fans could be raucous when they were wound up.  Back in '83 they had a guy in a red chicken outfit who was wandering all over the gym and who apparently had a personal grudge against Fred Phillips (based on some of the creative posters that he was toting).

The only floor I disliked more than ours at RMS was the one at Graham Middle School.  My recollection is that the texture had a grained pattern to it that would take a layer of hide off if you happened to hit the floor there.  

[RichlandsAlum 678]

1 hour ago, swva_havok_fan said:

Think you mean basketball...  Lol

1.  Clinchco (Haysi/Ervinton) -- Seen many a classic Region D tournament game over the years, as well as quite a few of the Haysi/Council games in the peak of the rivalry.

2.  Lebanon -- Very nice gym, plenty of seating.

3.  Lee High -- This gym was a pleasant surprise when I visited for the first time last year... something about the murals painted on the wall was a nice touch.  Very spacious also.  Plenty of seating.

4.  Castlewood -- Another gym which delivered very raucous atmospheres back in the good ole Region D tournament days.

5.  Bearcat Den (Virginia High) -- Seats on all four sides of the court.  Love the very NBA like player intros especially with the Undertaker theme playing for the home team intros.

I always liked Castlewood as well.  Good facility that was very well maintained.

[GMan 3,569]

1 minute ago, RichlandsAlum said:

The only floor I disliked more than ours at RMS was the one at Graham Middle School.  My recollection is that the texture had a grained pattern to it that would take a layer of hide off if you happened to hit the floor there.  

Yes, I hated that rough floor at GMS, I left some skin on it the year it opened.

[Chappy 72]

Northwood's old gym left only a couple of feet from the playing surface to the first row of bleachers.  That made it pretty intense atmosphere. Their "new" gym is pretty cool, plenty of seating and the visual effect of a sunken floor.

I didn't attend many games in other facilities. 

[EH31 2,518]

Anyone ever make it to iaeger's gym? Not the nicest but it was unique.

 

northwood was always my favorite to play in. Soft rims and a nice set up. You wouldn't expect it to be that big in Saltville either 

[Ryan4VT 4,554]

Virginia High's would be more impressive to me if I had ever been in a game there where it was more than 25% full. It's a nice gym, though. 

I really have enjoyed Gate City both times I've been there minus that ugly floor y'all have over there. 

Honakers was always kind of cool with that tiger that's above one goal. 

I also have fond memories of Grundy. My senior year, our student section went to the Grundy vs. Richlands game down there and the only place we could sit was behind the Grundy bench...so we did. And then the cops came and told us we could go "anywhere in this gym except where you are sitting." So we took that offer and stood shoulder to shoulder about 4 deep on the baseline of the goal Grundy was shooting on. Made it a living hell for them when they were trying to shoot FTs. I think that night boosts my view of Grundy as a whole lol. 

[cityofRaven 2,444]

Clintwood and Clinchco both a almost identical but also different. I have seen some great games in both.

I don't hate VA High but there is just too much room between the court and the seats imo.

Castlewood, Honaker, Marion, the old Garden High gym, Hurley Elem., Whitewood, on the Virginia side and Brushfork and Princeton on the WVA side are just a few of my favorites.

Richlands Middle School before the renovation was great besides the floor. 

[GC HOKE 27]

When I was in 9th grade, I was a bench-warmer on the JV basketball team for Gate City.  It was the 1983/1984 season.  I remember going to Bluefield (for the first time) and playing Graham.  I think we won (not sure though), and it must have not been a very close game, because I got to play.  I do remember getting to shoot 4 free throws, and I made all 4 of them, which I think was the only points I scored on JV all year.  The one thing I remember about that Graham gym was that it had a rubber floor.  I had never seen that.

That same year, I got to go on the away trip to Grundy (also a first).  I will never forget the size of the mountains and the hollows that probably didn't see a whole lot of sun (no slight intended, I was in awe of the topography).

Also that same year, I have some unique experiences (but fond memories) of basketball against Lebanon.  Earlier in the season, I got to play in a 9th grade game at the old Cleveland gym.  I was really into the game, and got about 2 or 3 steals in a row, along with a layup or two, when all of a sudden I felt the urge to talk to Ralph....right in front of our own cheerleaders on the court.  The same season, for the Lebanon away game, all but two of our varsity starters got in trouble the game before on the bus ride back, so varsity coach Dave Mason (who came from Rich Valley) suspended several varsity players, including 3 starters and the main reserves. He picked 3 or 4 off the 9th grade team (I was one of them), and used the other 2 starters and reserves who were not suspended.  That was the weirdest game...everyone on our team wanted to score.  We weren't really in the game, but we weren't being blown out either.  Our 2 varsity starters, Craft and Salyer, had scored every one of our points.  I had attempted one shot earlier in the game, but it went in and out. Near the end of the game, I got a pass on the baseline from about 10' and rattled the shot home.  Lebanon won 82-62.  Box score for Gate City: Salyer 31, Craft 29, Flanary 2.  I finished the season and did not play basketball again, so I finished my HS varsity career with 2 points.  My buddy Tommy Musick (who was an incredible basketball player and finished Milligan as their 2nd leading scorer) kids me that I scored varsity points before he did.  I do remember that Lebanon had a really good player named Orlando Early, who I think was a sophomore in 1983/84.

[TTownTigers 82]

Bland Rockets. Small and cracker box style gym with fans taking up every inch of space back in the late 80s when Bland had some very good basketball teams. I recall Bland going on the road at Richlands one time and Bland completely packed their side of the stands and in the opening minute, Bland's Patrick Smith dribbled the ball behind his back, drove the lane, and dunked with two hands on top of two Richlands frontcourt players. The Bland crowd erupted and Richlands fans were a bit shocked. Patrick could jump.

Rocky Gap's gym was even smaller than Bland's and I recall people trying to get in the doors and just on top of each other in the 80s when Pat Sutfin was there. I remember Pat scoring 55 one night with nearly every shot attempt for Rocky Gap coming from Pat. Pat also gave up about 30 points, lol. I can't imagine how packed or difficult it would have been to get into both of those two gyms back when they were both good and winning some state titles. I think the 1960s.

Now that I think about it, where does Bland County play their High School games today? I assume it's at the old Bland High gym since it was bigger than Rocky Gap's, unless they built a new one?

[cityofRaven 2,444]

An underrated, smaller gym that I forgot to mention was Twin Springs. Hell of a trip to get over there but one of the best atmospheres I witnessed during a regular season game took place there.

Early 2000's when the two Twins, Valley and Springs had a decent rivalry going. I saw, in front of a packed house, a unnamed coach lose his mind after a questionable call, get ejected and shed tie and maybe even dress shirt on his way out the door.

[TTownTigers 82]

How could I leave out North Fork. I am older, but that in my opinion would have to have been the most intimidating place to play in southern WV and SWVA, yet incredibly fun place to watch a game. I never played there, but watched a few teams come in that building knowing their chances of winning were approaching zero. The noise was deafening and the level of play by the Blue Demons was stuff of legend or at least..........enough to win many, many state titles in a row.

[sixcat 2,919]

Fries!  But I may be a tad bias.

[TwhscoachT 162]

On 7/13/2017 at 9:43 AM, swva_havok_fan said:

 

On 7/13/2017 at 9:43 AM, swva_havok_fan said:

Think you mean basketball...  Lol

1.  Clinchco (Haysi/Ervinton) -- Seen many a classic Region D tournament game over the years, as well as quite a few of the Haysi/Council games in the peak of the rivalry.

3.  Lee High -- This gym was a pleasant surprise when I visited for the first time last year... something about the murals painted on the wall was a nice touch.  Very spacious also.  Plenty of seating.

4.  Castlewood -- Another gym which delivered very raucous atmospheres back in the good ole Region D tournament days.

.

[bucfan64 307]

On 7/14/2017 at 10:56 AM, cityofRaven said:

An underrated, smaller gym that I forgot to mention was Twin Springs. Hell of a trip to get over there but one of the best atmospheres I witnessed during a regular season game took place there.

Early 2000's when the two Twins, Valley and Springs had a decent rivalry going. I saw, in front of a packed house, a unnamed coach lose his mind after a questionable call, get ejected and shed tie and maybe even dress shirt on his way out the door.

Surely not!

[Ryan4VT 4,554]

4 minutes ago, bucfan64 said:

Surely not!

This confirmed my suspicions. ?