If 112 years of state high school basketball tournaments have proven anything, it’s that unbelievable moments and legacies can’t possibly be in short supply.

This being Indiana, they aren’t.

Now, thanks to Hoosier Historia, residents can vote for the top moments, players and deafening postseason environments that through the generations have gradually constructed out collective passion for high school hoops that is recognized globally.

Hoosier Historia is one of the many elements associated with Indianapolis hosting the 2024 NBA All-Star game next February.

Votes can be cast on pacers.com/HoosierHistoria.

https://www.ihsaa.org/media/news/hoosier-historia-gives-fans-high-school-hoops-their-own-shot

69 players selected IBCA first-team Academic All-State

36 boys, 33 girls receive top honor for 2023; 481 additional players cited as Honorable Mention

Sixty-nine Indiana high school seniors -- 36 boys and 33 girls -- have been chosen as first-team Academic All-State for 2023 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Thursday (March 9).

In addition, 234 more boys and 247 more girls were recognized as honorable mention Academic All-State for 2023, IBCA executive director Marty Johnson said. In total, 550 players received some level of recognition in this year's IBCA Academic All-State program.

The IBCA Academic All-State program is one where academic prowess and athletic prowess both are considered in the selections. Items such as grade-point average, academic class rank and SAT or ACT scores are considered along with athletic performance in areas such as points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game.

"The quality of these student-athletes shows that success in academics and success in athletics are not separate entities," Johnson said. "Rather, in many cases, a player's success in the classroom directly contributes to his or her success on the floor."

IBCA-member head coaches from schools across the state may nominate their senior student-athletes who meet criteria that include a 3.5 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale, a class rank in the upper 25 percent of one's class and either an SAT score of 1100 (on the reading and math sections) or an ACT composite score of 24. Once nominations were received, an IBCA committee reviewed the information and determined awards for first team and honorable mention.

Those selected will receive certificates from the IBCA for their honor. Plans are for certificates to be distributed in PDF form to coaches via e-mail during April for the coach to print. The coach then may present the certificate to each honored player sometime before the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year.

The IBCA has selected an Academic All-State team for boys since 1973. The program was expanded to include a girls' Academic All-State team in 1980.

Boys' first-team players for 2023 are: Landon Biegel, Oak Hill; Luke Chambers, Lewis Cass; Peter Combs, Bloomfield; Austin Cripe, West Noble; Hayden Dase, Kankakee Valley; Owen Duff, Carroll (Flora); Drew DuPont, Tecumseh; Cooper Farrall, Culver Military Academy; Landon Fritsch, Seymour; Josh Furst, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian; Ben Henderson, Harrison (West Lafayette); Isaac Higgs, Evansville Reitz; Dayton Hoover, Frontier; Jase Howell, Madison-Grant; Lucas Kegerreis, Roncalli; Ben Keil, Lakeland; Keegan Manowitz, Jennings County; Bauer Maple, Maconaquah; Luke McBride, Norwell; Peyton Merica, Rising Sun; Tyler Myers, Evansville Day; Grant Oldham, Tri-West; Andre Ozlowski, University; Jake Parker, Norwell; Cole Pride, Batesville; Ian Raasch, NorthWood; Alex Romack, Westfield; Caleb Roy, Christian Academy; Sheperd Scott, Washington Township; Gage Sefton, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian; Coda Snyder, Bloomington Lighthouse Christian; Eli Swank, McCutcheon; Wyatt Thornburgh, Blue River Valley; Lance Wilson, North Daviess; Logan Wilson, North Daviess; and Lane Zohrlaut, Jennings County.

Girls' first-team players 2023 are: Trinity Britton, South Spencer; Sidney Brown, Salem; Kristin Bukata, Valparaiso; Ally Capouch, Kouts; Cristen Carter, Ben Davis; Maci Chamberlin, Blue River Valley; Mya Cline, Washington Catholic; Vanessa Cook, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger; McKinley Correll, Southwestern (Shelby); Kelsey DuBois, University; Katelyn Fennell, West Vigo; Caitlin Heim, Bloomington South; Laila Hull, Zionsville; McKenna Layden, Northwestern; Caroline Long, Western; Reagan Martin, Owen Valley; Preslee Michael, Terre Haute North; Katie Moyer, Bremen; Karsyn Norman, Bedford North Lawrence; Bailey Parham, Tri; Abby Parsons, Cascade; Maeve Perry, Brebeuf Jesuit; Lizzie Redar, Lawrenceburg; Gabby Richie, Logansport; Tessa Robertson, North White; Katheryn Rutherford, Western Boone; Haylee Schott, Leo; Ashlee Schram, Tipton; Hallie Schweitzer, Triton Central; Avah Smith, Woodlan; Amber Tretter, Forest Park; Whitney Warfel, Pendleton Heights; and Kate Wenger, Evansville Mater Dei.

Just got the email that Floyd Central is looking for a new Men's Basketball Coach.

Special to Hickory Husker

We have 64 winners now to play Saturday. at 32 sites..

Five new drought enders: Mishawaka 86, Scottsburg 05, Jennings County 05, Corydon Central 10, and Hammond Central New school.

So 14 drought enders finally with Lake Station being the big winner after 82 years beating out Mishawaka.

Ten sectional winners have never won a regional::
Hammond Central 4A ( But their original school won in 1954) Favorite
New Palestine 4A Underdog
Lake Station 3A Big Underdog
Wapahani 2A Fav
Northeastern 2A even Money
North Decatur 2A Big Dog
Tri County 1A Big Dog
Fountain Ctl 1A Underdog
Bethesda Christian 1A Fav
Rock Creek Academy 1A Fav

Long Droughts:

Mishawaka 55 Underdog
South Bend Washington 65 Fav
Indian Creek 83 Not Fav
Fort Wayne Wayne 81 Not Fav
Noblesville 97 Fav
Columbus North 93 Even
Penn 98 Fav
Jennings County 98 Fav
Gibson Southern 99 not Fav


John Ockomon

Week-18 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Program Highlighted by Boys’ Sectional Play

Last week, the boys’ IHSAA State Tournament finally got underway, and there were several notable performances throughout the state. There were a handful of big scoring nights, quite a few double-doubles, but at the end of the day, we chose three young men due to their consistency in helping their programs to Sectional Championships.

Chesterton Junior Tyler Parrish, Delta Junior Jackson Wors, and Gibson Southern Senior Cole McKee stood out as selections for Feb. 27-Mar. 4 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Parrish is the recipient for District-1. Wors takes home honors in District-2. McKee was a standout in District-3.

Following a 29-1 2021-2022 season and a run to the State Finals, Chesterton is back at it, having won Sectional #2 once again. A big part of their success lies on the shoulders of Junior Tyler Parrish. In their two Sectional wins, he was on target, providing a 28.0 point per game average. In their matchup with host Crown Point, a 59-50 win for the Trojans, the 6-3 Junior guard scored 25 points on 9-18 shooting, plus he was a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. He also collected nine caroms in the Semi-Final win. In the championship game, Parrish was even better, knocking down 11-19 shots, 2-3 from deep, and again went 7-7 from the free throw line, scoring 31 points in this outing, as the Trojans knocked off Valparaiso, 66-50. The Junior guard snagged four more rebounds and handed out five assists in the big win.

The Delta Eagles won their third Sectional title in the last five years, posting a 3-0 record last week. Junior Jackson Wors stood out each game, as he contributed in a variety of ways. During a 63-41 win against Centerville, Wors scored a highly efficient 27 points on 11-15 from the field and 5-7 from the free throw stripe. He also collected four rebounds and three steals in the victory. In Friday night’s Semi-Final, the 6-3 forward tossed in 20 points on 8-13 shooting, including a 3-pointer and three made free throws. Wors added six rebounds, two assists, and two steals, as the Eagles took care of Hamilton Heights, 61-42. As for Championship Saturday, the Junior forward was again steady in a 50-37 outcome against host New Castle. Wors scored 21 points, made 10-16 shots from the floor, and grabbed five rebounds in the title triumph.

In District-3, the Gibson Southern Titans won their first Sectional crown since the 2001-2002 season, and Senior Cole McKee played an impactful role in that success. In their first game, Friday, against Boonville, the Titans escaped with a hard-fought, 66-55 victory over the host Pioneers. McKee was very methodical, scoring 15 points on just 5-7 shooting, he made one shot from 3-point range, and he was a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. He added a pair of rebounds and dished out five assists on the night. Saturday evening, the Titans broke a 21-year curse, as they knocked off Evansville Mater Dei, 70-51. The 6-0 guard was even better in this contest, shooting a blistering 6-8 from beyond the arc and again a perfect 4-4 from the stripe, scoring 24 points in total on the night. His three rebounds and four assists were also welcomed additions to the stat sheet.

This is the 15th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, but just the third season it is being presented by Franciscan Health, a corporate sponsor of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Player of the Week winners are chosen each week from each of the IHSAA’s three districts. Girls’ winners were chosen through February 25th, following the IHSAA Girls State Finals. Boys’ winners will be chosen through the Monday following the IHSAA Boys State Finals.

This book is a memoir that reflects and compares the past present and future of Indiana High School Basketball and its amazing tradition. In the process of reflecting on my experiences as a player, coach and administrator this book honors family, teammates, players, coaches, administrators and friends who have been a part of my life and shared many of these experiences.

This book is intended to be enjoyable for the true basketball fan and informative for those who are students of the game.

The words of wisdom, past experiences and how challenges were handled back in the day might serve as valuable advice for todays coaches as they strive to better meet the needs of the players they serve today.

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Southport opened up on-line purchase of tickets for Saturday's regional at Noon today.

I bought two tickets - tix are $10 with a $3 service fee.

Click on the link at this website

Southport Regional Tickets

My contact down south called me awhile ago. Apparently the boys job at Shoals is either open or about to be open. Bryson Abel has or is stepping down after several years at the helm.

South Central girls - Departing Coach Lynn Thomas
ELIZABETH, Ind. -- Rachel Conder (Closed 3/8)

Anderson, Ind. -- Thanks to an update, Anderson Prep has a new leading scorer. Jack Scott finished the 2021 season with 1155 points - now listed with top honors for the Jets. The previous career leading scorer for APA was Noah Long (1024) graduating in 2015..

Southport, Ind. -- Thanks to an update, Southport High School has a new leading scorer AJ Dancler finished his season with 1456 points - now listed with top honors for the Cardinals. The previous career leading scorer for Southport was Kellon Thomas (1366) graduating in 2012..



Link to complete list: https://hickoryhusker.n.rivals.com/news/career-leading-scorers-by-school

!5 Sectionals still to play Monday nite but here is what has transpired so far.

Nine droughters have won:
Lake Station 1941
Fort Wayne Wayne 94
Indian Creek 2000
Gibson Southern 02
John Glenn 05
Bethany Christian 09
South Bend Washington 10
Noblesville 10
Columbus North 13


Ten other schools playing Monday nite to end 10 or more years of droughts
West Noble 1966
Mishawaka 86
Michigan City 95
Rising Sun 98
Bishop Chatard 04
Scottsburg 05
Jennings County 05
Corydon 10
Hammond Central New school
Illiana Christian New

Teams that lost again but deserved better?
Shoals 1913 Give a team a break!
Fishers 1922 But of course they were closed for 30 yrs
Harrison West Laf 1999 had Kokomo on the ropes
North Posey 1966 Lost by one !
Indpls Ritt 09 Almost knocked off Defending 3A champ
Frontier 89 Lost a squeaker

Surprise Winners:

Twin Lakes 5 % chance of winning
Gibson Southern 13%
Scecina 10 %

Two former Indiana high school basketball coaches were recognized among the honorees of the John Wooden Legacy Coaching Award presented by the National High School Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Thursday (March 2).

Jack Butcher, former long-time boys’ coach at Loogootee, and Cinda Rice Brown, the former girls’ coach at Rushville, are the 2022-23 honorees from the Hoosier state as nominated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. The two are among 61 winners from 31 states in an NHSBCA program coordinated with the Wooden family.

The award honors scholastic basketball coaches from around the country who are educators and have achieved excellence on the floor, in the classroom and in the community that further embody the characteristics and legacy of the late John Wooden. The criteria for the award are rooted in the ideals of education, longevity, character, service and excellence.

Butcher, with an 806-250 career record, was Indiana’s all-time boys’ basketball winningest coach when he retired from coaching in 2002. Brown, with a 448-109 record in IHSAA games, was Indiana’s all-time girls’ basketball winningest coach when she stepped down in 2000.

Butcher, 90, is a 1951 Loogootee graduate who helped his team to three sectional titles and earned all-sectional and all-regional honors as a senior. He was the Lions’ career leading scorer when he graduated and then went on to a four-season career over six years at Memphis State University as his time in college was interrupted by two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Butcher was a three-year starter at Memphis State, being named an NCAA all-regional player in 1956 and to the all-NIT team as a senior in 1957 when his team was the NIT runner-up. The Boston Celtics selected Butcher in the 10th round of the 1957 NBA Draft, but he turned down that opportunity to instead return home to Loogootee as the school’s basketball coach – a position he held for 45 years while working for six superintendents and eight principals.

During Butcher’s tenure at Loogootee, his teams posted 43 winning seasons with 14 20-win seasons, four undefeated regular seasons (1962-63, 1974-75, 1981-82 and 1989-90) and three one-loss regular seasons (1966-67, 1976-77 and 1979-80). In the postseason, his Lions claimed championships in 20 sectionals, eight regionals and two semi-states with a state runner-up finish in 1975.

Butcher coached 11 players who scored 1,000 points or more during their careers and two Indiana All-Stars in Junior Gee (1963) and son Bill Butcher (1975). He was named Indiana’s state Coach of the Year in 1970 and 1975, was an IBCA district Coach of the Year in 1980 and 1989, and was Indiana’s nominee for NFHS national Coach of the Year in 1970, 1999, 2001 and 2002. In 2004, he authored a book entitled “Butcher Ball: It’s Not Just a Game.”

In 1986, he was among founding members of the Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association, a group that serves coaches in southern Indiana. He was the group’s first executive director and was inducted into the HBCA Hall of Excellence in 2013.

Butcher also received an IBCA Virgil Sweet Award in 2003 and has been awarded “Keys to the City” in Loogootee, Indianapolis and Memphis. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Memphis State (now University of Memphis) Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. He was named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Gov. Frank O’Bannon in 2000. The current Loogootee High School gymnasium was named The Jack Butcher Sports Arena in 1983, and it is located on Butcher Boulevard, the roadway being renamed in his honor from Vincennes Street in 2000.

“I think my longevity had so do with the fact it was my hometown,” Butcher told the Bedford Times-Mail in 2002 after his retirement. “It was a dream of mine, before I was ever qualified to coach, before I realized I would be able to go to college. … I sometimes think it was destiny that I stayed here as long as I did.”

Since retiring, Butcher has helped create two scholarships that annually benefit Loogootee graduating seniors. The first was founded in 2004 and now is called the Butcher2-Gee-Brett Scholarship in honor of the four Loogootee players who have been inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame (Jack Butcher, Junior Gee, Steve Brett and Bill Butcher). The second was founded in 2011 through the Martin County Community Foundation and is called the Jack and Rita Butcher Loogootee Basketball Family Scholarship. Nearly 65 students have received scholarships from the two funds.

Butcher still attends Loogootee basketball games and plays golf when he can. He used to fish a lot and has enjoyed traveling with his wife to Alaska, Canada, the Bahamas and to Florida among other places over the years. He and his wife, Rita, have seven children, 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren with two more on the way.

Maybe - Maybe - an interesting piece of IHSAA State Tournament history today.

Earlier today, Faith Christian lost to my Alma Mater Rossville in the Semi-Finals of the Fountain Central Sectional.

With that, no Tippecanoe County team played in a Sectional Championship game this year.

As best as I can recall or find out (fairly quickly), that is the first time in history a Tippecanoe County team did not play for a Sectional title. That goes back to the Peach Basket days and jump balls after every basket!

"Central dispatch received a third-party call from a law enforcement official in Illinois who reported limited information about a possible school shooting. The official indicated that a male subject, claiming to be in Tell City, called him with indirect and non-specific details about a school shooting. ... A thorough sweep of the school was conducted by law enforcement officers and no concerns were noted.

"Detectives promptly tracked down the adult male Tell City resident that placed the initial call. It was determined that no credible information existed to substantiate a threat to our schools or community. Information that is delivered indirectly and without details often becomes misguided. However, our agency will always take proactive measures in the spirit of public safety."

Cowan girls - Departing Coach Jeff Tharp
MUNCIE, Ind. -- (Updated 3/3) It’s now official that Coach Tharp will not be returning for a fifth season at Cowan. The Blackhawks went 39-53 during that span - most recently finishing 10-14. Varsity Clubber with a limited report on this one, but does mention sr-2-b guard Davelynn Lindsay as proven contributor and leader. JV is reportedly horrible. Routinely blown out last season. 8th grade was competitive - just under .500. 7th grade also described as very weak. No teaching positions yet open. No timeline set yet for hiring process.

Last night at the Elkhart sectional, Warsaw had zero students in the students section. I am hearing rumors of a boycott but was hoping someone with more intel could give insight. Warsaw was the second best team (behind prohibitive favorite Penn) and lost a close one last night. Their missing student sections was noticeable.

New Albany boys – Departing Coach Jim Shannon
NEW ALBANY, Ind. – (Updated 3/2) Matt Lynch is not interested in the New Albany job and plans to stay at Charlestown.

Speedway HS is looking to add 3 games to our schedule next season. Dates open and if we would have to travel are as follows:

Nov. 14, 15, 21 (Travel), 22
Dec. 19 (Travel), 20 (Travel), 21, 22, 29 (Travel), 30
Jan. 9 (Travel), 16 (Travel), 17, 18, 19 (Travel)

Please reach out to Head Coach, Joe Smith at jsmith@speedwayschools.net if interested.