"Blue Chips" comes to life 30 years later at Frankfort's Case Arena

FRANKFORT − It was like an unlocked time capsule more than three decades later.

The Indiana Hoosiers, played Saturday night by the Rossville Hornets, and the fictional Western University Dolphins, in this case the home team Frankfort Hot Dogs, played before a packed Case Arena crowd absorbing a dose of nostalgia.

In the summer of 1993, Case Arena was not only one of Indiana's iconic high school gymnasiums, it was the set for the filming of four basketball games used in the movie "Blue Chips."

It brought actors Nick Nolte, Ed O'Neill and others to the Clinton County town of Frankfort along with big name basketball stars, notably Shaquille O'Neal, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and Matt Nover, who in the movie were all prized recruits coach Pete Bell (Nolte) drew to Western University who closed the movie by upsetting coach Bob Knight's top-ranked Indiana.

Western again won Friday night, this time with Frankfort wearing the Dolphin uniforms, over Indiana-clad Rossville 54-39.

More:'Blue Chips' put Case Arena on big screen. Frankfort celebrates 30-year anniversary of movie

"We'll all remember this for a long time," said Frankfort senior Kye Kirby, who scored a game-high 28 points. "It was such an unbelievable experience to play in that."

While there was real stakes between county rivals, the experience certainly trumped all.

Actor Anthony C. Hall teamed with O'Neal to fit Frankfort's team with the original Reeboks Western University wore in the film.

Hall returned to Case Arena for the first time since his days as Tony, a point-shaving guard for Western.

And the filled gymnasium filled his heart all these years later.

"This was amazing," Hall said. "From what I hear, (Frankfort) hasn't been getting crowds like this the last few years. We think of Indiana as a basketball playground. Everyone comes here for basketball. If you want to know anything about basketball, it starts here in Indiana.

"To see this amount of people out for this type of celebration, this is big."

Cory Dunn remembers his high school playing days coming to Case Arena.

In the mid 1990s, Dunn always felt the special attraction that Frankfort's domed basketball venue was, knowing he was stepping on the same court where players he idolized, like O'Neal, Hardaway, Bobby Hurley, Greg Graham and Calbert Cheaney played for "Blue Chips" filming.

"I wasn't really sure if it would get packed and it did," said Dunn, in his 10th season as Rossville's head coach. "I remember coming here as a kid back when you had to have season tickets to get in this place and it was jam packed."

It was a great boost to Frankfort's athletic department financially.

"Financially, nowadays, we're all struggling to get people to high school events," Frankfort athletic director Ed Niehaus said. "We have to create events."

So this event, led by Frankfort assistant boys basketball coach Eric Farley, was put into motion more than a year ago.

The 30th anniversary themed game, originally planned to be played five years sooner as a 25th anniversary contest, brought back old memories for Niehaus.

In 1993, Niehaus was Frankfort's girls basketball coach and a math teacher. He assisted then Frankfort AD Dick Caplinger with some behind the scenes volunteer work while "Blue Chips" director William Friedkin and crew brought Hollywood to basketball-crazed Indiana.

Niehaus stood idly by while Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy, who played Western's athletic director in the film, performed a one-take scene while sinking a string of free throws during a casual conversation about Western's basketball team with Nolte, then capped the scene with a left-handed free throw.

"Blue Chips" was special to the Frankfort community then.

And it remains so, continuing today to be remembered with memorabilia cases donning jerseys, posters, hats, T-shirts and game tickets in the Case Arena concourse.

"In regards to basketball films, because there were a lot of great ones ... there's a whole bunch of them and it is amazing to be talked vain of basketball films," Hall said. "People are still talking about it. Even though we didn't do great box office numbers out the gate when we first start, I think it's a cult classic, which I think made it last that long."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.