Knightstown, Ind.
He called it a “ring”.
Standing inside a gymnasium in small-town Indiana where part of the movie Hoosiers was filmed, Ted Cruz refered to a scene in which Gene Hackman measured the height of a big arena’s basketball rim to reassure his speechless kids that it’s 10 feet tall no matter where they play. The message: Don’t be overwhelmed by the moment.
Cruz’s Hoosier supporters have a daunting one of those coming up next Tuesday, when they must turn out in large enough numbers to deny Donald Trump victory in their state and refocus the race on the possibility of an open convention in Cleveland. So Cruz became Norman Dale and had one of his aides help recreate the film clip, getting him to scale a ladder and extend a tape measure 120 inches from the iron all the way to the hardwood.
“You know, the amazing is that basketball ring …” Cruz began before pausing a beat and then continuing, “here in Indiana, it’s the same height as it is in New York City and every other place in this country.”
There’s a saying about the prominence of the sport in Indiana that goes, “In 49 states, it’s just basketball.” And in all 50 states, it’s a basketball hoop.
The descriptive misnomer attracted instant ridicule from the media Tuesday, with the mercilessly caustic sports website Deadspin using the verb “desecrate” to describe it on Twitter. But the rally-goers applauded Cruz’s line just the same.
“There is nothing that Hoosiers cannot do,” he said to applause. The crowd gave some hoots, too, but not a single one about the gaffe. That all comes from being Indiana Nice—a species of the genus Midwest Nice, which is noted for its pleasant demeanor and neighborly behavior, such as saying hello to someone on the sidewalk upon making eye contact.
Cruz is hoping those traits will play to his advantage.
“Most people in Indiana are raised that you don’t yell and scream and curse and insult everyone you see,” he said in reference to Trump.
Thank goodness. He might’ve been booed off the court elsewhere. But not in Knightstown Tuesday evening.
