There was a time in the not so distant past when there was a high school in Claypool. Like many high schools, Claypool High School had a basketball team, and, at one time, it was quite good.
Bob Evans, a former Claypool resident and Claypool High School student, pays tribute to the once revered Claypool Knights by researching and compiling “Hoosier Days and Claypool Knights.” The book, which is case bound and printed on glossy paper to resemble high school yearbooks, covers nearly 50 years of CHS basketball.
“I’m a Claypool Knight,” says Evans. “I played for them in 1959. My dad, Quentin “Doc” Evans, was a teacher at Claypool from ’53 to ’69.”
Evans’ pride for his alma mater motivated him to research and put this book together. “Its been a two year project,” he says. “The Warsaw library, with the microfilm, was wonderful. Its got every daily paper back to 1893.”
“There’s a website, www.etpearl.com, that focuses on Indiana high school basketball,” he says. “Included there are records for all these schools. They were a great source.”
Most importantly, he mined the people of Claypool. Those who were in the gym, snapping photos and keeping scores, when the Knights were still hustling the hardwoods.
“I’m guessing there’s 25 people who gave me pictures and little stories that I assembled together,” Evans says. “It’s the culture of Claypool that inspired me to put this together.”
The book’s content includes rosters, stats, and scores. There are plenty of photos, not just of the basketball players, but also of pep clubs, cheerleaders, marching bands and game action.
The book concludes by touching on the teams’ glory days in the 50s and 60s. “The final years, when Tom Miller came to Claypool, he turned that into a championship team,” says Evans.
Orders are currently being taking for the book. If all the copies of his first run of prints sells out, Evans plans to donate the profit to the Claypool High School Alumni Association.
Evans will be at the Claypool Lions Club for a book signing on Saturday, June 28, from 1 to 5 p.m. For those who can’t make it to the signing, a signed copy can be requested on the order form.