Go back in time? A famed 1956 EKY high school basketball game will be recreated on Jan. 27. | Opinion

None of us get the opportunity to travel back in time. But the closest you might get is coming to the Glory Road basketball game that will be held at the Carr Creek High School Gymnasium on Jan. 27. This is a heritage basketball game in Knott County that will be highlighted by the Carr Creek Gymnasium being inducted into the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

In an effort to make this game as historical as possible, the Carr Creek Indians will be facing the Wayland Wasps from the old Wayland High School. The part of the Carr Creek Indians will be played by the Knott County Central Patriots and the role of the Wayland Wasp will feature the Floyd County Central Jaguars.

This heritage game will be a rematch between Carr Creek and Wayland, which faced each other in the semifinal game of the 1956 Kentucky State High School Tournament. Both teams were known for their rugged play and outstanding abilities. They had faced each other twice during the regular season, with Wayland winning the first game and Carr Creek the second.

In the state tournament, Wayland defeated Shelbyville 87-76 in the opening round, while Carr Creek knocked off Central City 70-68 (OT). In the second round Wayland downed Arlington 65-58, and Carr Creek made easy work of Allen County 69-45.

In the semifinal game, Carr Creek players knew they were going to have to contain Kelly Coleman, the sharpshooter from Wayland. Jim Calhoun was assigned by Coach Morton Combs to guard Coleman. Coach Combs told Calhoun to “stick” him. And he followed that with instructions, “that if Coleman went to the bathroom Calhoun was expected to go with him.” He did an excellent job of containing the King, holding him to a mere 28 points. Carr Creek won the match 68-67.

The next victory for Carr Creek was in the finals as they downed Henderson 72-68.

At that time, the tournament held a third-place game and in that game, Kelly Coleman turned on and the Wasps beat Bell County 122-89.

So, there you have the groundwork for this match between Carr Creek and Wayland. But this game is much more, as it is all about the gymnasium that is being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The original gym at Carr Creek burned and for several years the school went without a gym in which to practice or play games. It was finally decided in the mid-1940s that a new gymnasium would be built. It truly was a community project as everyone — students and adults — jumped in to do their part. It is said that students and community members were responsible for the laying of the blocks for the building. The only part done by outside labor was the roof. Their dreams came true — in the 1948 season, the Indians got to play on their home court.

From 1948 to 1974, the gym served as the site for Carr Creek’s home games. However, it was much more than that as it became a center for many community activities that bound Carr Creek people together.

As for basketball games, there were many many nights the gym was packed beyond what many said was capacity. We think the gym will hold somewhere between 400 and 450 people, but many nights standing room only would put it close to 500.

All the wonderful memories associated with Carr Creek High School Gymnasium would become just that, memories. For in 1974, the school was forced to close its doors. The building of the Carr Creek Reservoir pretty much wiped out the community that had played such a pivotal role for the school. With the building of the dam, Knott County Central would be formed from students at Knott County, Hindman and Carr Creek High Schools.

We invite you to join us for the Heritage game on Jan. 27, 2025, at the historic Carr Creek Gym. (Additional parking will be available at Carr Creek Elementary, with a shuttle running between the high school and the elementary).

The commemorative tickets for the game are $10, and may be purchased by going to Carr Creek’s PayPal site (@CarrCreekAlumni) remitting $12.00 (the $2.00 extra is for postage and processing). For more information, call Corbett or Debbie Mullins at (606) 642-3860.

Corbett Mullins is an alumnus of Carr Creek High School in Knott County.

This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 3:16 PM.