Submitted The Newton Falls boys basketball team warms up on the court from the movie ‘Hoosiers’ before a game against Estill County, Kentucky.

It’s not too often that you can play on a famous playing surface.

There are various fields, courts and rinks across the country that have had the luxury of having been backdrop or setting of Hollywood movies. But one area team treated itself to an early Christmas present.

The Newton Falls boys basketball team cross the state line to play at the gym from the movie ‘Hoosiers.’

“The gym still looks exactly like it did in the movie, the gym and the locker room,” Newton Falls head coach Roy Sembach said. “We got to go there and dress in the locker room that the Hoosier team was in, and we signed a jersey. They hang jerseys from all the schools that have played there, and ours is hanging there.”

The film is a favorite in the eyes of many hoops fanatics, but there was a little bit of a educational session that was needed for some of the players the night before tip-off.

“We watched the movie ‘Hoosiers’ because some of my kids had not seen it,” Sembach said.

The Tigers got to play a JV and varsity game. They faced off with Estill County, Kentucky, who won 57-50.

“There are two half-court lines,” Cameron Huff said. “The court is so much smaller than a normal high school court. It was definitely a cool experience.”

After the game, the Tigers packed their bags and went to New Castle High School (Ind.). It’s the largest high school gym in the country. And before returning they stopped by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

high school gym in the country. And before returning they stopped by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Tigers were raising funds for a year for the trip. The funds were generated through the program’s golf outing and youth basketball camp.

“It’s not that expensive to play in the gym, we just had to raise money for th hotel and costst like that,” Ethan Powell said. “It’s cool because we know that we’re very fortunate and not a lot of other teams can get to do this. We’re just super luck to be able to go down there.”