LINDEN — Daryl Warren finally got a call.
No, wait, it was THE call.
From the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Warren, the all-time scoring leader in Montgomery County with 2,083 points received the needed votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame during a March 19, 2025 ceremony.
To say the honor is long-overdue is editorializing, but it is easier to say that than quote literally hundreds of local basketball fans who have felt for years that Warren is more than deserving of a place in the hallowed Hall.
“It feels really good,” Warren said. “To be included with the incredible membership of that place is truly overwhelming. I haven’t had much time to think about it yet, but when it sinks in, it will be beyond great. Here I am, a farm kid from Linden in that same group. I’m so happy for my teammates from back then, my opponents, coaches, fans and especially my family. I’m also entirely grateful to Tom (Speaker), Dave (White) and Fred (Johnson) for all they have done.”
Johnson is the former president of the Montgomery County BB Hall of Fame, which inducted Warren in 2005. White was an assistant coach on the Linden teams that Warren played on before graduating in 1971. Both were active in campaigning for Warren.
“Daryl is such a humble guy, now and when he played,” White said. “If you met him for the first time in 1971 or today, you would not know he was a great player because he would never tell you. In ’71 he was in the Top 12 scoring leaders and is still the all-time leading scorer in Montgomery County, and he never took a 3-point shot! He was a great team player and I am so happy for him. This is such a deserved honor.”
Johnson actually coached against Warren. He was coaching at Waynetown.
“I can’t begin to congratulate Daryl enough,” he said. “This is so overdue. His family and mine have been friends for the 50 years since we were on opposite teams, and Daryl is simply a great guy.”
Speaker, however, who was Warren’s head coach for his last three years at Linden, was on the front edge of the campaign, and spearheaded the cause for the Linden shooter (and rebounder) to enter the HOF.
“The process is detailed and the competition is fierce,” Speaker said. “The Hall will take about 12 inductees and usually half of them are coaches. Three years ago I had Daryl submit his application. Then I needed to gather supporting information from players, coaches and employers. All were eager to recommend Daryl.”
Speaker had two minutes to make his October presentation. It was his third try in three years. Then it was up to the voters.
Then came the news.
“I had no idea that Daryl made the final cut or was selected,” Speaker said. “It was November 14 and Dave Schellhase (former Purdue All-American) called me when driving back from New Castle. He was with Greg Humnicky, a major player with the Hall who will be awarded the Silver Medal for his work with the Hall at the March banquet. Dave went on and on about “this and that” and then said “Your boy, Daryl Warren was one of the first selected to be inducted in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame at our meeting today.”
“My first thought was ‘Thank you Dave, thank you God.’” Speaker continued. “I knew that Daryl was the most deserving of all the inductees. He carried us on his back for all three years I coached at Linden. People have said I was a good coach and I said I was a better jockey. If all the parents of the world were like Daryl’s parents and all the parents of my kids at Linden, this would be a wonderful world.”
Schellhase got the honor of calling Warren with the news.
“It was a pretty amazing call,” the new HOF member recalled. “Tom (Speaker) and I have been in touch nearly every year. We get together to reminisce and for him to beat me at golf. He and his wife Rosemary are really good friends.”
Warren is the first player from Linden and is the first player from the schools that make up North Montgomery since the earliest days of Indiana basketball to be inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
There are four players who played for Wingate from 1912-14. Homer Stonebraker, Alonzo Goldsberry, Lee Thorn and John Forest “Crainie” Crane. All are members of the HOF.
The last player with Montgomery County ties to be inducted was Bill Greve (Waveland), who was inducted in March of 2018.
As noted, Warren is the only player from Montgomery County to pass 2,000 points, and is one of only 52 to ever pass that mark in the basketball-rich history of this state.
He was all-county four times, was the county MVP his senior year, and led his team to the final county tournament championship before consolidation following his senior year.
After high school, he went to play collegiately at Indiana Central, which is now the University of Indianapolis. He made his mark there as well, finishing his career as 10th-leading scorer as well as being named team captain and voted MVP his junior and senior seasons.
Daryl Warren will always be known in Montgomery County as the Legend of Linden.
Today we add an extra tag line …
Member — Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
