b i r d
i n
b r i e f
Humble Beginnings
Bird’s high school coaches hoped he would grow tall and play as well as his older brother Mark, but they had no idea they were prepping one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
W
by Maureen Harmon
4 Coming of age: a gangly Bird in his Springs Valley High days
to the NCAA Championship; before he was Larry Bird of “Magic v. Bird” or the “Hick from French Lick” or “Larry Legend” or a member of the Boston Celtics who would steal that inbound pass to seal game five of the 1987 Pistons-Celtics finals; before those hundreds of 3-pointers, he was a basketball player for Springs Valley, and his career there got off to a rocky start. In his very first game as a JV player, he broke his ankle. Bird would be out for most of the year, but he headed to the gym anyway, says Jones, often shooting from crutches. He returned that February with a stiff ankle and played with the Blackhawks in the State Sectionals. They won the
indiana basketball hall of fame
hen Larry Bird hit the basketball courts at Springs Valley High School back in 1970, the coaches hoped he would develop a good shot like his older brother, Mark. They also hoped he would grow. They liked him—his work ethic was insane for a teenager, showing up to school early most mornings to shoot free throws, and his competitive side was fierce. Jim Jones, who coached Bird through his junior year of high school, remembers the now-icon as a little boy in the elementary school basketball program who cried when he lost. “His brother had been a good player for us, so we assumed he would be a good player for us also. He was rather tall at that age, and we noticed that, and so we were hoping he’d get as big as Mark, and Mark, I think, was about 6'3".” But the coaches had no idea that they would watch this kid become the high school’s all-time leading scorer. That his skills would begin to pack the high school gym. That that little boy, who cried when he lost, would become one of the greatest trash talkers in the NBA. But before Bird was the Larry Bird, who would take Indiana State
Bird: The timeline December 7, 1956
July 27, 1962
Larry Joe Bird is born in West Baden, Ind., a small neighboring town to French Lick.
Bird makes his French Lick hoops debut—at Springs Valley Elementary School.
1971
1972
Bird puts on the number 33 for the first time.
Bird spends most of his sophomore year on the bench due to a broken ankle. Even so, he practices shooting from crutches and makes the varsity team as a junior in 1972.
Spring 1973
Summer 1973
That famous Bird pass began its quest for perfection at Springs Valley High School, where he earned a personal high school record of 136 assists.
At the end of his junior year, Larry is “small” at 6'3". Some college scouts decide Bird is not their guy. Entering into his senior year, he sprouts to 6'7". The scouts change their minds.
Spring 1974 Springs Valley High School gym, which holds 2,700 people, is packed with 5,000 for one of Bird’s senior year performances. When Bird’s coaches, Jim Jones and Gary Holland, grant him freedom on the court, he scores 55 points—his highest points-pergame record.
march 2014 • LArry bird tribute issue
5