Quincy’s pre-game show is legendary and everything that has been added to the gym is why it’s one of the best in the state.
If you look at this photo above, it looks very similar to many high school basketball games, but if you were to do a full 360 and then wait for the lights to go down, you could almost get the feeling you were at a professional basketball game.
If you had to pick a mid-point between Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City & Des Moines, that point would land pretty close to Quincy, Illinois. Meaning no matter which direction the 40,000 people that live there travel, their major entertainment options are farther than just about anyone else in the midwest. So, it’s no surprise that on a weekend night this gym is packed for high school hoops and it’s also no surprise they’ve make it into one hell of a show!
It also doesn’t hurt the the school is third on the all-time winningest team list for Illinois with just under 2,100, so the product on the floor is worth going to see, even after they turn the lights back on.
When the lights go out
Oh. What’s this business about the lights going out? Yeah, kinda forgot to mention that. That’s when the Devil show up. One of the can’t miss things that go on anywhere in the state when it comes to high school basketball is the pre-game show at Quincy. I could do a whole post on just the 5 minutes before tipoff, so it’s probably easier if you just watch the video below. If you really can’t wait for the fire show, skip to 2:40.
The gym itself is a traditional two-tier gym with a double set of retraceable bleachers on each side. It’s a copy of so many of the larger-school gyms in the state, that without all the added effects would probably not have made the list, but on a personal ranking, it makes my Top 20.
What Makes It Great
- Fan-O-meter
- Video wall
- VW horn as the in-game buzzer
- Baseline balcony with the band
- Accolades & Art-work on the wall
- And oh that Flame carrying Blue Devil
The Quincy is like a few other schools in the state and play their home games in a grade school. But don’t worry if you are showing up to play the Blue Devils for the first time and end up at the high school. Just wander over to Baldwin Elementary, which on the same campus, but west of the high school.
