Indiana basketball
Indiana Mr. Basketball
Pacers
Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in 1962 has a great story, coming from a poor family in Madison, IN and using basketball to create a better life – although one not without its frustrations.
Humes beat out the likes of future Purdue All-American Dave Schellhase for Mr. Basketball honors, then chose Evansville over Purdue, UCLA, Cincinnati and other major college programs. His high school coach, Bud Ritter, was a Purdue grad but thought Evansville would be the best place for him. It was. Humes was an All-American for a Division II national championship team there, and averaged 26.4 points over his three-year career.
He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1966 but failed to make the team, so he returned to Indianapolis and took a teaching job. He then tried out for the Pacers for their inaugural season in 1967. The team’s management was so confident he would make the team they gave him a $2,000 bonus and scheduled both a preseason and regular season game at Humes’ high school in Madison. But he wound up being the last player cut, losing out to Jerry Harkness.
Devastated, he began a teaching and coaching career that included several stops in the Indianapolis area. All in all, it was a fulfilling career despite the frustration of what he missed out on, but who knows? It might have been for the best. His marriage remained intact and he and his wife raised two successful children. Pro basketball might have sidetracked him.
Our conversation doesn’t include his later decision to become an usher at Pacers games, which I wrote about here. It’s ironic for a man who nearly made the Pacers’ roster to become an usher for them, but Humes is a down-to-earth man who isn’t afraid to work and enjoys mixing with the fans. I saw him in action at games, and he was great at the job. Fans in his section greet him like an old friend – which for many he was.
Ask anyone who knows him, and they’ll immediately rave about what a great guy he is. I have found that to be true. I had never met him before we recorded this episode, but he invited me to come to his house and look at some of his memorabilia before we drove down to the studio. We’ve stayed in touch ever since.
First aired 2012
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