Meadowood Park Basketball Courts??

[Frank Capua]

I can't believe the town of Speedway took them out... there should have been a Historical Landmark plaque protecting the hollow courts.

I grew up watching Jimmy Rayl and the Vans Arsdale twins playing there. As I got older I got to play against the best players in Central Indiana there, Rick Mount, Billy Keller, George McGinnis and Speedway's own Scott Neat and Tom Gilbert.

When I was a Freshman in High School George McGinnis who was a Junior or Senior at Indpls. Washington sent my shot back into my face and I came home with a red badge of courage that Mom had to get on me to clean up.

It was surrounded by trees on all directions except along their Northern sideline and they were the only courts that always had good nets with shade in Central Indiana... that was why they were so popular.

I was out on my bicycle this morning and touring the town of Speedway when I came across this abomination... it looks like they've been gone for some time so this probably isn't the first time I noticed this but I must be blocking it out because the wounds tore fresh today.

Oh dear lordy how can anybody suggest we are better off today?

[PHJIndy]

I can't believe the town of Speedway took them out... there should have been a Historical Landmark plaque protecting the hollow courts.

I grew up watching Jimmy Rayl and the Vans Arsdale twins playing there. As I got older I got to play against the best players in Central Indiana there, Rick Mount, Billy Keller, George McGinnis and Speedway's own Scott Neat and Tom Gilbert.

When I was a Freshman in High School George McGinnis who was a Junior or Senior at Indpls. Washington sent my shot back into my face and I came home with a red badge of courage that Mom had to get on me to clean up.

It was surrounded by trees on all directions except along their Northern sideline and they were the only courts that always had good nets with shade in Central Indiana... that was why they were so popular.

I was out on my bicycle this morning and touring the town of Speedway when I came across this abomination... it looks like they've been gone for some time so this probably isn't the first time I noticed this but I must be blocking it out because the wounds tore fresh today.

Oh dear lordy how can anybody suggest we are better off today?

I played roundball at Meadowood Park against a lot of the folks that you named. I couldn't run or jump, but I could shoot! It's a shame to see the courts gone.
I also played a lot of ball at John Leonard Park in the same era. I played against the Purichas and the Kellers a lot there. This was in the late 50's and early 60's.
Man that was a long time ago!

[Davydd]

I played there often since I only lived a block away on Schoolwood. It was a destination place for many of the best from around the city. I wasn't any good but I got in scrimishes with Bill O'Neal and Keller. Joe purichia and I were rivals in 8th grade sports and constant buddies in my one and only semester at Washington HS. I was taller than I am now at age 14 and only grew wider after. I think my older brother who chose to finish out his high school days at Washington after we moved to Speedway introduced those courts to the Washington players and it may have spread from there. Those courts were brand new when we moved there.

[Frank Capua]

My parents built their house on Maplewood so I was around when all the fathers in the neighborhood got together and cleared the first half of the woods that was to become Meadowood Park so they could put in the playground equipment prior to the Watertower being constructed. I remember watching the cement being poured for the first basketball court and was around much later when they added the second court. I remember reading a book about Indiana Basketball after I had grown up and had moved to Florida and it had a chapter about Meadowood Park and the kids and Indiana All-stars who use to play there...

I'm still getting over the shock.