100 year celebration of state tournaments

In observance of the first 100 years of the state tournament, the IHSAA brought together a panel of former state tournament coaches, school administrators, veteran fans (some of whom were former players and coaches), members of the media and game officials to recall ?great moments from state tournament games.?

Here are some of those moments that have local connections.

1912: The Iowa High School Athletic Council holds the first tournament, by invitation, at the University of Iowa Armory. The Iowa Athletic Council operated with the support of the IHSAA until the Association took the sport over, establishing common rules of eligibility and season regulations.

In the first tournament, Ottumwa defeated Sioux City, 38-31 in the inaugural tournament that had only four teams.

1917-18: Mt. Pleasant becomes the first team to win back-to-back championships. Panthers? R.H. (Pinky) Green, the 1918 team captain, returned to the tournament as a coach and took the the runner-up spot with the Council Bluffs team in 1923 before directing Sioux City to the title in 1924. Both were round robin tournaments. Green is believed to be the first of a long list of state tournament players to return as a tournament coach.

1923: The IHSAA administers tournament for the first time, changing it to qualifying format.

1941: Substate games are introduced.

1953: Roland?s Gary Thompson becomes first player to score 2,000 points in his career. That club now has 30 members, one of whom is Winfield-Mt. Union graduate Jess Settles.

1967: Basketball teams are divided into two classes. (In 1975, a third class was added.)

1983: Iowa pioneers the 3-point line.

1985: The tournament changes to its current, four-class system.

1993: Jess Settles plays his final game for W-MU: a 69-67 consolation win over Pomeroy-Palmer. Settles closed his career with 2,167 points. He was named Iowa?s ?Mr. Basketball? and the Gatorade Player of the Year.

1995: The W-MU team wins a state title, making W-MU the first school to have girls? and boys? team win in the same year.

2006: First year the tournament is held at Wells Fargo Arena.

***

Area Hall of Famers

Players (and graduation year):

Mt. Pleaasnt:

Ear Nau (1958)

Winfield:

Ron Kester (1950)

W-MU:

Jess Settles (1993)

Klay Edwards (1994)

WACO (Olds):

Gary Olson (1962)

Coach:

Bob Hilmer, WACO

Hilmer is also the winningest coach in Iowa basketball history, with 765 wins in 49 years of coaching.

For more information, see the IHSAA website.