Jim Rayl

Talk to basketball fans nationwide and they’ll tell you Indiana is known for high school basketball and producing the game’s best shooters. And the really knowledgeable fans will tell you that Jim Rayl was perhaps the greatest of those shooters.

Nicknamed the “Splendid Splinter” for his spindly frame, Rayl is likely Kokomo’s most recognizable athlete statewide after starring at the high school, college and professional levels – all with teams in Indiana. Rayl led Coach Joe Platt’s Kats to the 1959 state championship game where he was named winner of the Trester Award. Later that summer, he was named Mr.Basketball and Star of Stars for his outstanding play in the Indiana-Kentucky series.

He’s largely remembered at Kokomo for three legendary performances. He scored a then school-record 49 points against New Castle on a night when the Trojans’ Ray Pavy, later Rayl’s friend and teammate at Indiana University, scored 51. He also led Kokomo’s upset of No. 1 ranked Muncie Central by scoring 45 points, before popping for 40 points – including the game winner from 25 feet at the buzzer – in a 92-90 Kokomo win over Fort Wayne South in the Semistate at the Fort Wayne Coliseum.

At Indiana, Rayl was first-team All-American in 1962 and 1963, scoring 1,401 points. He still owns the IU single game scoring record of 56 points, accomplished twice, against Minnesota and Michigan State. He averaged 29.8 points as a junior and 25.3 as a senior after a run of 43 straight double-digit scoring performances. Of course Rayl, known for his long-range artistry, scored those points well before the 3-point shot came into play.

Rayl continued his career with the Indiana Pacers, leading the team for two seasons in 3-point shooting percentage. He averaged 11.1 points per game for his ABA career.
Rayl is a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1999 he was named one of the Top 50 players in Indiana history and in 2001 he was named to Indiana University’s All-Century Team.