INDIANAPOLIS— On Thursday night, the gym at George Washington High School will officially be renamed in honor of an Indiana basketball legend. It will now be George McGinnis Gymnasium.
McGinnis died in December 2023 at the age of 73, but his teammates, old classmates, and family members will be at the ceremony.
“We did a lot of things that kids do together and that was fun, that’s the George that I grew up with,” recalled Jim Arnold, who played basketball with McGinnis at George Washington High School.
Arnold met his high school best friend when they were freshmen.
“They had tryouts for the freshman team and we’re all shooting around in the gym and this big guy comes walking in and it was George and we hit it off quickly,” said Arnold.
In 1969, McGinnis and Arnold helped lead the George Washington Continentals to a perfect season. They went 31-0 and won a state title.
“It was fun, a lot of fun naturally,” said Arnold.
“Part of that team was some great great guys, now Indiana Hall of Famers,” said Scott Hicks, the athletic director at George Washington.
Hicks also grew up on the west side.
“I was fortunate enough to come through the same neighborhood as George McGinnis. He was an icon in our community,” said Hicks.
McGinnis not only led the Continentals to a state title but in that same year was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball. After high school, he went on to play at IU and then professionally. McGinnis stayed home and helped the Indiana Pacers win two ABA championships. He went on to the NBA and played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets. McGinnis returned to Indy before retiring with the Pacers in 1982.
“I think the legacy he leaves behind is a legacy of achievement,” said Stanley Law, the principal at George Washington High School.
His lasting legacy is why the school decided to name the gym after McGinnis.
“It’s very important that the people, the kids here when they ask ‘well who is George McGinnis?’ and they find out what a good person he was and he came from the neighborhood,” said Arnold.
The renaming ceremony starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, before the varsity basketball game between George Washington and Shortridge.
