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Image: James Twitchell (background, in blue) stands alone as Indiana State takes down the Hoosiers 90-69 in Assembly Hall. November 10th, 2017. Image via James Twitchell on Instagram.
Tonight, the Indiana State Sycamores tip off in the 2024 NIT semifinals against the Utah Utes. Ranked 28th in the final NET Rankings, the Sycamores were the highest-ranked team to not make the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Considered one of the bigger mid-major snubs of the tournament, the Sycamores refused to wallow in their frustration, instead flipping it into three consecutive NIT wins over SMU, Minnesota, and Cincinnati en route to Hinkle Fieldhouse.
For those unfamiliar with ISU, the Sycamores emergence as a top mid-major this year was out of left field. However, for longtime fans and members of the community in Terre Haute, the writing was on the wall for this year's squad.
How has the Terre Haute fanbase fueled the Sycamores on their historic run in 2023-24, and how does this run continue to re-affirm the importance of the NIT in an ever-changing college basketball landscape?
A Lifelong Obsession
Indiana’s basketball obsession has been discussed ad nauseam, especially when it comes to college basketball. However, while outsiders would assume the state’s fandom to be split down the middle between the Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers, longtime Sycamores fan James Twitchell stands in opposition to this notion. Despite plenty of IU die-hards throughout his extended family, Twitchell has stood firm in his Sycamores fandom.
“I’m at family functions with all of these IU fans, and I’m an ISU fan,” Twitchell said. “I don’t even want to watch IU. I mean, I literally hate IU. I don’t hate Purdue, but I hate IU.”
Notable IU family members for Twitchell include Charles Fouty, an Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame referee and friend of Bob Knight. Despite the close connections to Hoosier legends, Twitchell remains unphased.
“It’s been contentious in my lifetime, [but] it’s never been a thought of mine to be a fan of anybody else. It’s just how I was raised.”
A Terre Haute native, Twitchell’s parents purchased ISU Basketball season tickets when he was 10 years old, kicking off a 28-year run of attending Sycamore games. Twitchell has had his own season tickets since the age of 22. ISU highlights during Twitchell’s adolescence include a win over the Hoosiers in December of 1999, Bob Knight’s last season at IU before his firing in 2000.
This game was a part of the now-defunct Indiana Classic, an MTE that IU dominated until the Sycamores 63-60 victory, the lone loss on IU's 53-1 all-time record in the event. The Indiana classic was discontinued following the 2000-01 season, while the Hoosier Classic, a similar MTE, was discontinued following the ‘01-’02 season.
Even amongst fellow ISU fans, Twitchell's allegiance to just the sycamores was uncommon, as plenty of other kids would also root for either the Hoosiers or Boilermakers. With no stake in high major basketball, Twitchell’s devotion to the Sycamores made the program’s highs that much higher.
“They beat Oklahoma in the first round [of the 2001 NCAA Tournament],” Twitchell recounted. “I wasn’t at that game, but I remember where I was as a kid. I was actually playing at the Boys and Girls Club and playing in a youth tournament. The Boys and Girls club then was right on ISU’s campus, and I remember going outside after the game, and people were celebrating honking [their] horns.”
Twitchell (Left) holding a replica jersey of Jimmy Smith (ISU MBB 1974-1978). Smith was teammates with Larry Bird for two seasons.
A Connection to the Community
From 2005 to 2010, Twitchell was a student at ISU. A member of the track and field team from 2005-2009, Twitchell was teammates with Blaine Zimmerman. Originally from Cicero, Zimmerman spent much of his high school years organizing the student section for sporting events, coordinating cheers and gameday apparel for basketball and football games. As a student-athlete at ISU, Zimmerman quickly adopted a strong sense of school spirit upon arriving at Terre Haute. With most of the athletes at a school like ISU dorming in close proximity to each other and using the same facilities, it's easy to quickly establish a strong sense of community.
"When we beat Indiana in 2005, I think I was the second or third person on the court," Zimmerman recounted. "I remember the student body president turning around and looking at me and being like 'are we doing this?' I was like, 'if you're cool with it, I'm cool with it.'"
Despite the Hoosiers' dominance in the all-time series between the two programs, moments like the one Zimmerman experienced in ‘05 are exactly the kind that keep ISU fans interested in maintaining at least an annual meeting. While some may shy away from the title of “Little Brother Team,” wins against programs like IU or Purdue make the moniker more than worth it.
“It really bolsters the overall atmosphere of the community,” Zimmerman explained. “It’s [Terre Haute] a blue collar town, and when they get those wins, it means a lot to them. It has far-reaching effects.”
Those far-reaching effects are something the Terre Haute government has taken note of. Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun, elected in 2024 as the youngest Mayor in Terre Haute history, has been vocal about bringing community affairs and university affairs closer together. When outlining his vision on this relationship, Mayor Sakbun pointed to similar actions taken in other college towns within the state.
“Take a look at West Lafayette, right? They’re building double digit high rise apartments, their government is in lock-step with Purdue University in terms of bringing business [and] industry [to the city],” Sakbun explained over the phone. “That’s really economic development at its highest when it comes to leveraging the university.”
For Sakbun, a main focus has been housing. To encourage ISU graduates to remain residents in Terre Haute, Sakbun and his team work closely with the university to determine what housing and business opportunities are necessary.
“We took a multi-faceted approach to our relationship with ISU,” Sakbun said. “Can you get your foot in the door? Can you keep them [ISU students] in the room, or move them to the next floor of the house when they graduate?”
Along with ISU administration, Sakbun also maintains a close relationship with Sycamores head coach Josh Schertz. Sakbun and Schertz frequently coordinate efforts to increase fan turnout at games and encourage participation within the community from the athletic department.
“We chat a couple of times each week, whether in person or via text,” Sakbun said. “Sometimes, a lot of families in town will provide meals to all the players, so we do some of that together.”
With the Sycamores’ next game at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Sakbun also made sure to get Coach Schertz’ fashion advice before attending the game.
A Shot at NIT Glory
With ISU community members like Twitchell, Zimmerman, and Sakbun behind them, the Sycamores now find themselves two wins away from an NIT Championship. Despite their support throughout the tournament, all three expressed their disappointment in seeing ISU miss the cut for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. According to Twitchell, the Sycamores ‘23-’24 resume should have put them well above the bubble conversation.
“I haven’t watched a full NCAA Tournament game [in 2024] because I think what happened to this team is a complete travesty,” Twitchell said. “[It’s] absolutely sickening that they were left out with the resume they had.”
Finishing 28th in this season’s NCAA NET Ranking, the Sycamores were the highest-ranked team to miss the Tournament.
As notable high-major programs declined invites to the NIT to navigate the portal, the Sycamores took advantage of an opportunity to close out this historic season on their own terms. As the 1-seed in their NIT quarter, the Sycamores had home field advantage for three rounds, giving Terre Haute an opportunity to display their passion on a national stage.
“We’re in it to win it,” Sakbun emphasized. “We’re focused on proving to the Selection Committee that even though they’ve got a Carmel address, they clearly don’t understand an 812 West-Central Indiana fighting spirit.”
From Coach Schertz to breakout star Robbie Avila, that fighting spirit can be felt throughout this Sycamores roster. Defined by their high quality shot selection, fast tempo, and elite guard play with guys like Isaiah Swope, this current ISU team has been a joy to watch, resonating with fans in Terre Haute and throughout the state.
“I think that across the state of Indiana, people are watching the Sycamores play [and] going; ‘okay, this is the Indiana brand of basketball,’” Zimmerman said. “They’re moving the ball, they’re shooting the ball, they’re doing things the right way.”
While ISU’s exciting style of play has brought them to the NIT semis, it has also attracted the eyes of Power Programs hungry to return to prominence. Like we’ve seen at plenty of other Mid-Majors over the years (including this season), runs like ISU’s often result in head coaches and top players making a jump to programs with more resources, in conferences with more at-large bids. However, for fans like Zimmerman and Twitchell, succeeding in the moment is a lot more important than whatever this offseason will bring.
“If people are coming after your coach and coming after your players, it means you’re winning,” Twitchell said. “You can’t have it both ways. You can either be a winner, and people want your players, or you can be a middle of the pack [team] and just have fun. Which one do you want? Well, I’d rather have the success.”
Final Thoughts
While ISU’s absence from the Big Dance may go down as one of the biggest what-if’s in tournament history, the Sycamores now have the chance to end their story on their own terms. Heading to a sold out Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening, the Sycamores have the opportunity to showcase the passion of Terre Haute and the ISU community on a national stage.