Mountain Sports Hall of Fame and Big Sandy Community & Technical College Host Throwback Basketball at the Historic Wayland Gymnasium

The Mountain Sports Hall of Fame (MSHoF) and Big Sandy Community & Technical College proudly announce the Mountain Sports Hall of Fame Throwback Game. An epic night of basketball between Floyd Central High School and Knott Central High School, the throwback game is a fundraiser to support MSHoF. The game will take place in the historic Wayland Gymnasium on February 4, 2023. 

The throwback game will give high school athletes the experience of playing basketball in a bygone era of court lines that tap the fan stands and the vintage scoreboard clock hand that counts down

 and turns from white to red during the final minute of the game. This throwback game is a return to eighty years ago, the same year the jump shot was invented. 

Floyd Central will wear throwback uniforms of the Wayland Wasps of the 1930s, while Knott Central will wear the uniforms of Hindman Yellow Jackets of the same era. 

Proceeds of the game will go to the Mountain Sports Hall of Fame and the revitalization projects of the Wayland Gymnasium, which opened its doors in 1937.

The Wayland Gym is home to “King” Kelly Coleman, the greatest Kentucky high school player of all time. Coleman finished his high school basketball career by earning 4,337 points in a mere 127 games. In his senior year, Coleman averaged 46.8 points in a time before the three-point shot. Kelly was Kentucky’s first Mr. Basketball in 1956, and he was later drafted by the New York Knickerbockers (Knicks) after his junior year at Kentucky Wesleyan College. Legendary U.K. basketball coach Adolph Rupp called Coleman “the greatest high school player who ever lived.” 

The Mountain Sports Hall of Fame, also housed in the Wayland Gym, is a museum for Appalachian sports throughout the ages. With over 3,000 artifacts and memorabilia from coal camp towns and cities across the region, it is a testament to the power of community and the strong culture created through sports. A museum exhibit of sports-related artifacts dating back to the early 20th century will be on display on the balconies of the gym. 

The throwback game is a part of The Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame’s (KHSBHF) 2023 “GLORY ROAD” projects that will recognize and honor the many gymnasiums across Kentucky with historical significance in the development of the cultural phenomenon of Kentucky high school basketball.  For over 100 years, Kentucky high school basketball has been embraced by Kentuckians who came together in gymnasiums of various shapes and sizes to support their teams.  Over time the KHSBHF will recognize many iconic gymnasiums and the schools and communities that built them.

Wayland Mayor Jerry Fultz remarked, “we are very excited to have a high school basketball game back in our gym after a forty-eight-year absence and bring new life into this community.”

Big Sandy Community & Technical College is an enthusiastic partner of this event and the work of MSHoF to preserve and promote local history. Big Sandy President Telly Sellars explained, “There are over 39 coal camp communities in Floyd County alone, and we recognize the importance of our Appalachian culture that was sustained through the social gatherings around athletics. We are honored to be a community partner with MSHoF and the City of Wayland.” 

To purchase tickets to this event, please go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mountain-sports-hall-of-fame-throwback-game-tickets-516713753747 

Seating is limited. For more information, contact the Mountain Sports Hall of Fame at 606-226-2012.