Kingman Gym crowned king of Illinois high school hoops

The king is crowned.

And it is Kingman.

Ottawa High School’s venerable Kingman Gym – home of Pirates athletics since the early 1930s – has come out on top in the Illinois Gym Showdown, a statewide Twitter poll pitting high school gymnasiums from across the state against each other with the purpose of crowning the “best Illinois high school gym.”

Ottawa’s gymnasium defeated another historic venue for the championship, with Kingman defeating Moline’s Wharton Field House – home to the Moline Maroons, an annual opponent of Pirates boys basketball, and once the home venue of the NBA franchise that is now the Atlanta Hawks (then the Tri-Cities Blackhawks). Exactly 4,724 votes were cast between Friday and early Sunday afternoon, with Ottawa’s gym winning 51.6% of the vote compared to Wharton’s 48.4%.

After defeating five schools to win its bracket and advance to the Elite Eight, Ottawa defeated the home venues of Lane Tech (with 53.8% of the vote), Collinsville (50.1%) and finally Moline (51.6%).

Over those three matchups, Ottawa received just over 7,500 votes.

“We don’t have any athletics right now,” OHS athletic director Mike Cooper told Shaw Media last week when Kingman made the Final Four. “This has kind of, in its own little way, been our competition for the spring. ...

“We know how lucky we are to have the facility we have, and I think this shows how many people outside the city of Ottawa have appreciated getting the chance to play here over the years.”

The popularity poll was conducted over a three-week period by Seneca High School student Levi Maierhofer through his @hslogoscom Twitter account. It attracted statewide interest and nationwide participation from high school sports fans hungry for competition during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s been a wild three weeks,” tweeted @hslogoscom in the closing hour of the championship contest, “and I’m thankful for everyone that supported and enjoyed this venture to find the best Illinois high school gym. ... Congratulations to KINGMAN GYM, home of the Ottawa Pirates on winning the #IllinoisGymShowdown and being crowned ‘Best Illinois High School Gym.’ ”