Assembly Hall is, as you already know, among the most storied arenas in college basketball. From not hosting an NIT game by choice in 2017 to hosting three (also by choice!) in 2019, the place has seen it all. It’s time its design reflected that.
As you may recall, from watching televised Indiana basketball, five banners hang at one end of the court. We won’t talk about what those five banners represent—if you’re a child reading this, ask your parents—but suffice to say…it’s bad. It’s not the kind of thing you want to glorify. It’s the kind of thing, in fact, you really don’t want to glorify. The first amendment protects horrific speech, but that doesn’t mean you have to say it.
The worst part of these five banners is not that they exist. No, that’s a terrible part, but it isn’t the worst part. The worst part is that there isn’t a much bigger banner, above them or behind them, commemorating Indiana’s 1979 NIT title. Yes, they commemorate it, but pretty passively, on a banner at the other end which shares space with conference championships, something called UPI, and appearances in the semifinals of something that, again, we aren’t here to talk about.
Come on, Indiana.
Banners aren’t that expensive.
Get a big one.
A really big one.
And I know I said “above them or behind them” earlier, but maybe…maybe consider hanging it in front of those other banners?
Just a suggestion.
It’d really tie the room together.
