Central States Interscholastic Basketball Tournament
From Hoopedia
Central States Interscholastic Basketball Tournament
1910-1915
In the early years of basketball competition, it was the YMCAs that took the lead in disseminating the game throughout the country. Although the YMCAs were playing the game as early as 1893 in the Chicago area, it was not until 1900 that high school boys took up the game. In 1910 the Evanston YMCA inaugurated the Central States Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for a two-day tournament in March. Oak Park (Illinois) won the first tournament, beating New Trier (Winnetka, IL). The organizers the first year gathered seven teams, but only two were from out-of-state, from Indiana. Fifteen teams were invited in 1911 and the now three-day tournament drew three teams from Iowa.
In 1912 the tournament lived up to its name, drawing eighteen teams, including ones from Ohio, Iowa, and Michigan. The 1913 tournament was down to eleven teams, but drew entries from Minnesota, Ohio, and Indiana.
The 1914 tournament again drew eleven entries with representation from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and North Dakota. The year 1915 was the last for the tournament, it drawing only ten entrants, with out-of-state representatives from Minnesota, Michigan, and Indiana. Illinois schools dominated the competition, particularly Evanston (IL), which won five consecutive titles, from 1911 through 1915, the first three years with future Hall of Famer, Ralph Woods, and his brother, Ray, in the line-up. In each final game, Evanston beat another Illinois school for the championship —- Abingdon (IL) in 1911, Northwestern Academy (Naperville, IL) in 1912, Loyola Academy (Chicago, IL) in 1913, Peoria (IL) in 1914, and Collinsville (IL) in 1915.
The highest finish for non-Illinois teams was third place -— Sioux City (IA) in 1911, Muscatine (IA) in 1912, Duluth (MN) in 1913, and Gary (IN) in 1915. Non-Illinois schools finishing in fourth place were Muscatine (IA) in 1911, Massillon (OH) in 1912, Canton (OH) in 1913, and Fargo (ND) in 1914.
The last year of the tourney, 1915, saw two Evanston High teams, a first and second team (the latter mostly lightweights) take first and fourth place respectively. Evanston's domination under the expert coaching of John W. Bixby probably helped kill the tourney. When Amos Alonzo Stagg inaugurated his National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament in 1917, the newspapers reported it as the Central States championship the first year, but it had no relationship to the Evanston YMCA's tourney.
Tournament Champions
1910 Oak Park (IL)
1911 Evanston (IL)
1912 Evanston (IL)
1913 Evanston (IL)
1914 Evanston (IL)
1915 Evanston (IL) #1 Team
