FROM THE ARCHIVES…… The 2026 high school boys basketball season has come to an end. In 1912, Iowa City hosted, and Ottumwa won the first Iowa high school boys championship. The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) was organized that same year. In Garnavillo, high school boys basketball didn’t become an official sport until sometime later. The earliest mention of “basketball” for Garnavillo high schoolers is in September 1916. The boys ordered a basketball and in October erected the poles – outdoors. Class teams played each other and two competitive “teams” were formed – the “Moon” and the “Satellites.” There also appeared to be a town team. A news article in 1917 states: “The H.S. boys started basket ball practice this week. The prospects for a team would be good, if we only had an in-door floor to practice on.” The “prospects” started looking better in 1922, when a new school was built that included a gym. It is noted that in November 1922, boys practice began and the girls were planning to organize a team. In September 1923, the new gym floor was “lined” for basketball play and an appeal went out to community businesses to support outfitting the teams and to purchase equipment.
In 1923, the boys coach was Mr. Van Dorn and the team captain was Gustave Ihde. However, no other team member names are mentioned. The first game was scheduled against McGregor on Nov. 16.
The November 15, 1923 Garnavillo Tribune contains a lengthy article written by Wm. Hall touting the benefits of basketball and describing the rules. What follows are a few excerpts. “While the game allows plenty of scope for individual initiative, the strongest feature is the constant demand for team cooperation, both on the offensive and defensive play. This is one of the valuable products of the game…..The greatest values of basketball are found in the realm of character-training. From the very beginning it has been a sportsman’s game, conceived and perpetuated in the ideals of clean sport. While it is true these ideals have not always been maintained by all players, this has been due to persons who ignore or deliberately violate the spirit of the rules as they have been formulated….. “For when the one great Scorer comes to write against your name, He writes not that you won or lost, but how you played the game.””
These are some of the rules Mr. Hall included. Teams are allowed 3 time outs. Players are allowed 4 fouls. A technical foul is any foul not involving personal contact and is charged against the team captain. A personal foul is holding, blocking, tripping, pushing, charging or any other form of roughness. A disqualifying foul is rough play for which a player is removed from the game. Another “rule” he mentioned was that “there shall be no coaching from the sidelines during the progress of the game by anyone officially connected with either team.” Does that mean that persons not connected from the team can coach from the sidelines? Hmmm.
The following article appeared in a 1936 Garnavillo Spotlight school newsletter: “The Garnavillo Boys Basketball team is not allowed to drink milk the day of a game because the coach, Mr. Stribley, says it might turn sour, depending on the individual’s nervous system. Mr. Stribley has the boys warm up before they play too hard. Showers have to be short. However, since we have had no hot water, this has not been hard to take.”
The Garnavillo boys built up their team and in 1925 and 1926 won the Clayton County tournaments. The 1929 team had come the closest so far to winning a state sectional was
reported in a 1929 Garnavillo Tribune article. In 1953 and 1955, the boys season ended in the opening rounds of the sub-state tournament with a loss to Readlyn 54-61 and to Winthrop 56-61 respectively. But in 1956, Garnavillo, who had not been County champs since 1926 was again the Clayton County champ, beating Monona 74-46. They also won the 1956 Class B state sectional tournament, but lost to New Hartford in the district, 46—52. Their season record was 28 wins and 2 losses – one to New Hartford, and the other to Strawberry Point in a double overtime. 1962 was the last year of the Clayton County tournaments and Garnavillo came out on top beating Elkader 89-63. Their strong season ended in sub-state play with a loss against Waverly-Shellrock 53-59. Up to that point in the season, Garnavillo had been 1 of only 3 undefeated teams in the State with 26 straight wins. 2000 was the last year for a Garnavillo boys basketball team.
Note how boys uniforms have changed over the years.
