Is Indiana All-Stars vs. Kentucky series worth keeping? Ask players, it still means a lot.

Maybe I am talking to the wrong people.

Every year in early June, like clockwork, you can count on at least one or two columnists writing about the sagging fortunes of the Indiana-Kentucky All-Stars series, an event that truly was an EVENT since its inception in 1940 (the first Indiana All-Stars in 1939 played state champion Frankfort before Kentucky was brought in the following year) through the 1990s.

It was multi-week event back then. There were sellout crowds at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Yada, yada. If you’re reading this, you probably know the background. It was — and is — one of the truly unique events in the country, pitting the best players from neighboring states.

I covered my first Indiana-Kentucky All-Stars series in 2008. Even then, the discussion surrounding the slip in interest was well underway. Indiana was in the midst of a dominant run on the boys side with series sweeps in five of the six previous years. On the Kentucky side, the game had moved out of Freedom Hall in Louisville in 1994 and bounced from Lexington to Frankfort to Owensboro to Bowling Green to Louisville to Lexington to Louisville to Frankfort to Louisville to Owensboro in the years since.

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Those columnists are not wrong about interest waning in the series from an in-person crowd experience, especially on the Kentucky side. There was not much a crowd at all Friday night in Owensboro. I have to think that has a lot to with game moving around so much in the past 25 years, along with all of the societal things that have contributed to a downturn in attendance at almost every level of sports in recent years.

On the Indiana side, the game has moved to Southport Fieldhouse from Gainbridge Fieldhouse the past two years due to construction at Gainbridge. All-Stars director Mike Broughton said Friday he is meeting “soon” with the folks at Gainbridge about the future location of the game. Personally, I would not mind to see it continue at Southport, though both venues are fantastic in their own way. It feels a little more intimate at Southport, though. Broughton said he will not know attendance numbers for a couple of days, but it looked and felt like a good crowd Saturday.

In the interest of full disclosure, the IndyStar and the Indiana All-Stars series have been intertwined since the beginning of the series. IndyStar turned over the day-to-day operation management of the series in 2012 but is still the title sponsor and provides advertising for the game.

That said, I wish those who write about the death of the series every June would be there to talk to the players Saturday night at the end of the week. Like I wrote at the top, maybe I’m talking to the wrong people. But almost every interaction I have experienced at the end of the week has been positive. The game is for the players, a way to honor them for years of excelling on the basketball court. For many of them, getting that phone call to be an Indiana All-Star is something they will never forget. Their jerseys will be on the wall in their schools forever.

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Here is what a few of them said Saturday about the experience:

>> Carmel’s Kate Clarke: “I think the biggest thing for me is the people. I got to get together with the best girls in the state, and I’m glad I’ve gotten to experience that, especially before going to college at Michigan. I’m just super thankful for everything.”

>> Homestead’s Ayanna Patterson (Miss Basketball who was unable to play due to an injury she suffered Wednesday at college practice but returned from UConn to be part of the week): “It was questionable for me at the beginning for me to be able to come back and play, but (UConn coach Geno Auriemma) and the whole coaching staff knew how much this meant to me and they allowed me to come back and I would have played if I was able to.”

>> Crown Point’s Jessica Carrothers: “I was actually prom dress shopping when I got the call (to be an All-Star). I think I’ll look back at it as a chance to play in an All-Star game with a bunch of my close friends that I’ll always have relationships with when I get older and I’ll know I can always call or text, especially Kynidi over there (Kynidi Mason-Striverson of Silver Creek) and she’ll always pick up. At the end of the day, we got a win against Kentucky and that’s all that matters.”

>> Lawrence North’s CJ Gunn: “I think I’ll take away the genuine time that we had together at Marian before practice and after practice and the connection I had with all of the guys. It was amazing. I’ll cherish that for life.”

>> Carmel’s Pete Suder: “I’d say the friendships and relationships (will be the biggest memory). I know these guys from AAU basketball, but I’ve never felt so close to a family in like five days. We hung out in the lobby play NBA2K and cards. It was a lot of fun to be with those guys.”

>> Chesterton’s Travis Grayson: “Being able to rep Chesterton was real nice. … Since we stepped on to Marian’s campus in the dorms, I knew we were all going to be outgoing and accepting of each other. It just clicked. Coach (Chad) Johnston and coach (Steve) Lynch and coach (Rob) Yoder are all great guys and great coaches. It was really good.”

There are obviously a few here and there who are upset with playing time or have some other issue. Some leave the team during the week occasionally. But others, Patterson and Gary West Side’s Jalen Washington for example, go out of their way just to be there even when they can’t play. I think Mr. Basketball Braden Smith had the time of his life even though he was not able to participate.

We’re never going to get back to selling out arenas for the Indiana-Kentucky All-Stars series. But the honor of being an Indiana All-Star does not mean any less than it did in 1952 or 1982. Having covered this event for 15 years, here are a few things I thought could be done to infuse some energy into the series (while acknowledging these things are easier to write about than actually make happen):

>> Move the Kentucky game back to Louisville. If not at Bellarmine, which I think is the ideal location for the game, then somewhere in Louisville. It is an easier drive for Indiana fans to make and a better chance for a walk-up crowd. I love the Owensboro Sportscenter, a neat, historic arena, but it is a longer drive and there just was not much buzz at all Friday night. If it stays in Owensboro, find a way to get some local youth teams in the gym.

>> Create a dunk contest/3-point shootout. The warmups Saturday for Indiana basically was a dunk contest. I’d say Cathedral’s Jaxon Edwards, Lawrence North’s Gunn, Mt. Vernon’s Amhad Jarrard, Pike’s Conwell and Lafayette Jeff’s Javan Buchanan, in order, would be my top five picks. Give five players two dunks apiece and bring out some guest judges. Then have a 3-point shootout for the girls. I think both of those additions would be appealing to the players and to the younger people in the audience.

>> Consider alternatives. I’m against trading out a series with Kentucky for another state, which comes up regularly in these conversations. Why would Illinois, Ohio or Michigan care about this series any more than Kentucky? Gunn mentioned maybe playing Michigan one night and Kentucky the next. But keep in mind, the Kentucky girls have been competitive in the series, splitting five in a row following Indiana sweeps in 2014, ’15 and ’16. But I think a more viable alternative might be a series against the Indiana Junior All-Stars. Play it in the same format on a Friday-Saturday at two different historic venues in Indiana (there are plenty of those to consider). Or do that Friday night and play Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, if possible. While I prefer the current setup, to me, this would be the best alternative to a series with Kentucky.

It takes money to keep this series going. But instead of beating it like a piñata every June, I wish people could hear what it means to players like Gunn, Grayson, Patterson and Carrothers to be an Indiana All-Star.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at 317-444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana All-Stars vs. Kentucky series worth keeping? Players think so.