Southport boys - Departing Coach Eric Brand
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- (Updated 3/20) Seven seniors graduate from the Cardinal program including Southport’s all-time leading scorer, AJ Dancler. Good Varsity Club member reports the whole varsity enchilada departs. Only sr-2-b guard Jye Rudolph returns with any significant varsity time. MS Language Arts, HS Social Studies, HS Art, and Eled. More info coming soon!

One of the finest basketball gentlemen I know suggested compiling a list of all those Indiana high school basketball courts that have been given a name. Ultimately I plan to include all these compiled lists as part of the HH Book of Indiana High School Basketball Records. This would seem to be on the easier side of compilations considering it doesn't apply to most high schools - at least I've never noticed all that many. Still I agree it's a great idea. Please drop me a email or text if you can add to this very meager beginning!

HickoryHusker@yahoo.com
317-224-7150

Floyd Central -- Joe Hinton Court
New Albany -- Romeo Langford Court
West Washington -- Ron Smith Court

Bluffton boys - Departing Coach Karl Grau
BLUFFTON, Ind. -- (Updated 3/20) Bluffton boys officially now listed on their employment info page. It’s been a tough spell for Coach Grau during his three seasons with the Tigers. 7-15, 4-19, and most recently just 2-20. It’s tough to get too excited about a roster that only won two ball games last go round, but Varsity Clubber familiar with the program does expect growth next season in terms of wins and losses. Only two seniors graduate, and sr-2-b leading scorer Tucker Jenkins is expected back. The 6-1 athlete was good for about 16 and 8 last season and did so as the focal point of most defenses. There are a handful of others that gained varsity experience the hard way. That will no doubt help, but just to what degree is the question. The Tigers were so up against it last year in terms of talent, that even with experience, a .500 record would surprise most. Another unknown is the status of 6-0 soph-2-b Kaden Grau. He went for just under 10 a game as a varsity frosh. His departure, if that occurs, and the graduation losses to boot, the Tigers will really be behind the eight ball in terms of ball handling duties. JV was reportedly surprising competitive given the varsity record, and some will probably compete for roster spots next go round for new coach. Solid middle school program in place. HS Social Studies, MS Art, Eled Sped.

New Pal girls - Departing Coach Sarah Gizzi
NEW PALESTINE, Ind. -- (Updated 3/20) A fixture at New Pal, Coach Gizzi has resigned after six seasons, nearly 100 wins, and two Sectional titles. She was also named an Indiana All-Star as a player for the Dragons. Last season New Pal finished at 13-12 and Sectional runners-up to rival Mt. Vernon. Varsity Clubber reports just one senior graduates, but it’s a very big loss. Coach Gizzi’s daughter matriculates to play college ball and takes with her nearly 25ppg. Six underclass are expected back with letter jackets on, but all will have to take on expanded roles. Another area of concern is a lack of skilled height. 5-8 will be about it for head-toppers next season in red. A decent JV should help. Not much help expected from 8th grade, but 7th grade group described as very, very good. HS Science, HS Math, HS Sped, Eled.

On the job page, it says that Wawasee's coaching stipend is $3600???? That can't be correct, can it? Even most small 1A schools are probably at least $5k+

Three to receive 2023 'Virgil Sweet Award' from IBCA Grossman, McClanahan, Lopresti to be honored by coaches' group for contributions to basketball Three individuals with significant ties to Indiana high school basketball will be recognized with Virgil Sweet Awards from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association in 2023, it was announced Wednesday (March 15).

Roger Grossman of WRSW Radio in Warsaw, summer basketball organizer Denise McClanahan of Indianapolis and longtime sportswriter Mike Lopresti of Richmond are the recipients of this year's awards. One person is honored from each IHSAA district -- Grossman in District 1, McClanahan in District 2 and Lopresti in District 3.

Virgil Sweet Awards are presented to those who have provided meritorious service in the promotion of basketball across Indiana. The award is named in honor of Sweet, a former Valparaiso High School basketball coach and executive director of the IBCA from 1974 through 1984.

This is the 47th year that the IBCA has presented an award or awards for service to basketball beyond coaching. A single winner was named from 1975 through 1979. Multiple winners have been named from 1980 to the present, although no winners were named in 1991 (no clinic was held that year) or 2021 (when the 2020 winners were honored because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

A list of winners from over the years -- plus a bio of Virgil Sweet -- are beneath the biographies of the 2023 winners.

This year's awards will be presented on Thursday, April 20 as part of the 2023 IBCA Clinic at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Ind. For more information about the IBCA, go to in.nhsbca.org.

Here is more information about each Sweet Award honoree for 2023.

Roger Grossman

Roger Grossman has broadcast high school basketball and other sports in Warsaw and northern Indiana for more than 30 years. He now is completing his 32nd school year with WRSW Radio.

Grossman is a 1986 graduate of Argos High School, where competed in four varsity sports – three seasons in soccer, one season in basketball, four seasons in golf and, concurrently with golf, three seasons in baseball.

He went on to Butler University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in radio/television in 1991. He began broadcasting Butler men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football games in 1987 on WAJC Radio while a college student. He also played on the Bulldogs’ golf team for one season and served three seasons as a student manager for the Butler women’s basketball team.

Grossman began his professional career in June 1991 as a summer intern at WRSW, then stayed on as a football analyst that fall and provided play-by-play coverage for Warsaw girls’ basketball that winter. He added football and boys’ basketball play-by-play duties to his responsibilities in 2002.

Over 32 seasons, Grossman has broadcast nearly 2,800 contests in boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, football, baseball, softball and soccer. He also hosts the “Tiger Talk” program on 35 Saturdays each school year.

He has been named the state Broadcaster of the Year three times by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association. He also was recognized as the IHSBCA district Broadcaster of the Year four other times.

Grossman was honored in 2010 as a recipient of the IHSAA Distinguished Media Service Award, and his broadcast location in the southwest corner of the Tiger Den in Warsaw has been named “Roger’s Roost” in his honor. He also has been a licensed basketball official since 1986. Grossman and his wife, Holly, are parents to two children – Hannah, 13, and Oliver, 9.

Officials to receive 2023 Gardner and Ball awards

Coburn, Day to be honored by Indiana Basketball Coaches Association

Game officials Eric Coburn and Ron Day will be recognized with special awards in 2023 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Coburn and Day will be honored as respective winners of the Roy Gardner and Mildred Ball awards as outstanding officials throughout long careers on the hardwood. The two officials are being cited for their work impacting the game floor, Coburn from 1985 to 2022 and Day from 1991 to the present.

Coburn officiated for 38 seasons, including five times in the boys' basketball State Finals and five times in the girls' basketball State Finals while a member of the Northern Officials Association of Indiana. The Leesburg resident received the IHSAA Award as Official of the Year in girls' basketball in 2007 and the IHSAA Award as Official of the Year in boys' basketball in 2015. He served as association secretary for 10 years, association president for eight years, has been an IHSAA clinician for 10 years and an IHSAA rules interpreter for 12 years. He also has mentored five officials who have gone on to work the IHSAA boys' and girls' State Finals.

Day, a Plymouth resident, just completed his 32nd season as an official. He has worked the boys' basketball State Finals five times and the girls' basketball State Finals five times. He has been a member of the Northern Officials Association of Indiana for 30 years and also the Lake County Association for 15 years. He has served as a clinician for a number of years and mentored many younger officials.

The Gardner Award is named after the late Roy Gardner, a Lawrenceburg native, Ball State graduate and former Batesville High School math teacher who worked three boys' basketball State Finals and officiated in the Big Ten from 1959-69. He passed away in 1977, and the IBCA has presented an award in his name since 1978. Gardner was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

The Ball Award is named after Mildred Morgan Ball, a graduate of Gary Roosevelt High School and Indiana University who served as an IHSAA assistant commissioner from 1977-97. During her time at the IHSAA, Ball was responsible for licensing and training of contest officials and also worked with the National Federation of High School Associations rules committee. The IBCA has presented an award in her name since 1997. Ball was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, and she was the 2022 recipient of the Richard G. Lugar Award for Distinguished Service.

Coburn and Day each will receive his award during the IBCA's annual clinic on Thursday, April 20 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville. For more information about the IBCA, go to in.nhsbca.org.
More information about each award winner follows. In addition, a list of previous winners for these awards follows the biography information.


* * *

2023 IBCA Roy Gardner Award
Congratulations to the Roy Gardner Award Winner: Eric Coburn

Eric Coburn of Leesburg is the winner of the 2023 Roy Gardner Award.

Coburn is a 1974 graduate of Wawasee High School, where he participated in football, basketball and track. He then went to Ivy Tech, where he earned a certification in aircraft maintenance. He was a Warsaw city police officer for 32 years and has been teaching Aviation Ground School at Warsaw High School for nine years.

Coburn started officiating in 1985 after providing a police escort for the Warsaw Tigers, who won the IHSAA boys’ basketball state championship that season. He and his long-time police partner and 20-year basketball officiating partner, Lance Grubbs, argued calls during that championship game. They both agreed to get licensed in basketball and started officiating together at the elementary level, then moved into middle school and freshman level.

After joining the Northern Indiana Officials Association and being mentored by many veteran officials and learning from several past winners of the Gardner Award, they started working junior varsity games. Coburn’s first boys’ varsity game came at Penn High School in the inauguration game of the new “Penn Palace” basketball court.

After 38 years, Coburn has worked in both the girls’ basketball and boys’ basketball state tournaments. For girls, he has worked 28 sectionals, 19 regionals, 11 semi-states and five State Finals. For boys, he has worked 21 sectionals, 13 regionals, nine semi-states and five State Finals. He also has officiated in three Hall of Fame Classic events in New Castle.

Coburn received the IHSAA Outstanding Girls’ Basketball Official Award in 2007 and the IHSAA Outstanding Boys’ Basketball Official Award in 2015.

As a member of the Northern Officials Association of Indiana, Coburn has served as secretary for 10 years and president for eight years. He has also been an IHSAA clinician for 10 years and an IHSAA rules interpreter for 12 years. Coburn has mentored five officials who have gone on to work the IHSAA boys’ and girls’ State Finals.

He enjoys golf, hunting and flying. He has been an Angel Flight pilot since 2006, providing no-charge airplane flights for people in need to hospitals or doctors.

Coburn is humbled to receive this recognition from the IBCA and would like to give credit to mentors Gene Butts, Frank DeSantis, Tim and Jay Smith, Clark Hamilton, and current partners Kirk Robinson, Trent Long, Brett Patrick, and many others with whom he has officiated.

He also would like to thank the athletic directors who had confidence in hiring him and to the coaches who made him get better in officiating. He also expressed gratitude to his wife of more than 49 years, Yvonne, daughter Erica and son Will, who did not realize what they had gotten into.



2023 IBCA Mildred Ball Award
Congratulations to the Mildred Ball Award Winner: Ron Day

Ron Day of Plymouth is the winner of the 2023 Mildred Ball Award.

Now in his 32nd as an official, Day began officiating in 1991 and has worked at least one State Finals’ game in each class for both boys and girls. Among those games, he called the 2009 Class 4A girls’ title game in Lucas Oil Stadium between Ben Davis and South Bend Washington, a game considered a mythical national title game as the teams were ranked first and second in national polls. It was among the best attended girls’ basketball games with a crowd of 13,449.

During his time as a official, Day has worked 26 sectionals, 16 regionals, seven semi-states, five State Finals (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2021) for boys’ basketball as well as 26 sectionals, 18 regionals, eight semi-states and five State Finals (2006, 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2019) for girls’ basketball. He also called the 2004 girls’ Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle.

Day as been a member of the Northern Officials Association of Indiana for 30 years and also the Lake County Association for 15 years. Has served as a clinician for a number of years and mentored many younger officials.

A 1981 graduate of Plymouth High School, Day participated in basketball and track, was a two-time all-conference honoree in track and part of a 400-meter relay that held a school record for more than 25 years. He went on to Indiana University, where he was a 1986 graduate of the Kelley School of Business. He has been a self-employed contractor in a family business for 33 years.

Day and his wife, Lori, have two adult children – Katie (husband Brendan) and Eric (wife Kristen) – as well as two grandchildren with a third grandchild due in June. In his free time, Day enjoys spending time with family as well as traveling, reading, golfing and cheering the Minnesota Vikings.

As for officiating, Day said: “I was fortunate to have three excellent regular partners in officiating – Tim Filson, Brian Allen and Tom Hinz. They made it fun each and every night. Also, a shout out to my son, Eric, who attended hundreds of my games and is the best observer I ever had.”

East Central boys - Departing Coach David Disbro
ST. LEON, Ind. -- (Updated 3/16) Veteran Coach Disbro wraps-up 23 largely successful years at East Central. This season’s Trojans were 7-16, and dropped the 4A Columbus Sectional opener to Shelby in OT. Varsity Clubber reports that only about seven Trojans regularly saw varsity court time, and of them, two graduate. That being said, neither grad put much in the scoring column. Shooting guard Carson Pieczonka (15ppg) highlights a pretty solid jr-2-b group. A trio of 6-4’s provide the height of the program, although much of that will be taking on expanded and unproven roles. JV squad is below average. 8th grade described as a very nice group - finished regular season 13-3. 7th grade squad competitive. Eled only at this point, but more are expected, and also deserves mention that Varsity Cubber reports EC not opposed to lay coach.

Still receiving insight on these openings for write-ups. I at least wanted to get them listed while I work on them:

Carmel girls
East Noble girls
Crawfordsville girls
West Washington girls
Trinity Lutheran boys

Sadly there's only one team I'm rooting for this year: Ashland Blazer

The 22-11 Tomcats -- home of notable alum such as Wynonna and Ashley Judd, Cy Young Award winning twirler Brandon Webb and former game show host Chuck Woolery -- fell to Boyd County in the 64th District Championship, 74-67. But thanks to Kentucky's awesome double-elimination aspect in the district championship game, Ashland Blazer smashed Boyd County in the 16th Region final, 73-51, to earn a spot in Kentucky's Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.

The Tomcats have a shot at making the Elite Eight as they'll face 19-10 Owensboro on March 15 at 8:30 p.m.

Kentucky Sweet 16 Bracket

Bill Zych at Pike posted resignation letter on Twitter today.

Our annual contest is through Yahoo again. Most of us are in a handful of different contests. Please feel free to throw your bracket in HickoryHusker.com’s! Opens with the tourney draw Sunday night

Crawfordsville girls - Departing Coach Tyler Smith
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. -- (Updated 3/14) Athenians will have a new leader after AD announced they were not renewing Coach Smith’s contract after four seasons. Crawfordsville has been up against it in terms of talent for some time, and every coach that has been there has dealt with this as best they could. Cville has managed a .500 record only a handful of times in the past decade and a few of those seasons have been downright dismal. It hasn’t been since 2010 that the girls had enough talent to truly make some noise. Beyond that, it has been a struggle to be competitive. County schools and rivals 2A Southmont and (barely) 3A North Montgomery have caught and, in many instances, surpassed the once king of Montgomery County. One Varsity Club member emails that this is at the heart of much of the angst. This report alleges Crawfordsville still sees itself, in traditional county seat style, as superior to these small county schools. Trouble is they simply aren’t that much smaller anymore, and in some cases simply have better athletes. Still the unwritten standard of beating these schools applies. In an interview with the Crawfordsville Journal-Review, Coach Smith stated, “While I am still confused by this sudden decision…One of my goals was to bring some respectability back to the program, and I believe we did that.” Getting back to the roster, though, this most recent batch of Athenians (7-16) doesn’t lose a great deal. 5-10 sr-2-b post Taylor Abston (First team all-conference) is the only letterwinner that managed to hit double figures on a consistent basis (12ppg.) Four other underclassmen were regular varsity players, and that should help. Guard play will be an area that will need extra attention. JV will reportedly provide very little support as they were routinely blasted last go round. Not much better news on the feeder school front either. 8th grade was held scoreless in at least one game last year and 7th grade was routed several times as well.

East Noble girls - Departing Coach Shawn Kimmel
KENDALLVILLE, Ind. -- (Updated 3/15) Now official that Coach Kimmel will not be returning to the Knights’ sideline for a fourth season. Last year EN went 5-18, and a Varity Club email pints to simply the lack of scoring. Nobody had the ability to put points on the board in a consistent manner. Only two seniors depart from last year’s roster, but with that goes about 15ppg - roughly half of the already limited production. Report does glass half-full-it with two frosh that were in varsity rotation. Neither of the sophs-2-b lit it up, but did show signs of future varsity contribution. (Kate David specifically.) Not a ton of athleticism in the post, but enough height reported to defend and rebound. Turnovers were another major issue for the Knights last season, and that will likely continue to be a challenge for the incoming coach. One Varsity Club email projected them ahead of only New Haven in next year’s NE8 Conference production. Some help on the way though as Varsity Club member reports 6, 7, and 8 grade teams all very strong. $10,800 stipend. Openings include: Several Eled, HS Theater, Sped more expected

Carmel girls - Departing Coach Erin Trimpe
CARMEL, Ind. -- (Updated 3/14) A tweet from Carmel’s AD announced that Coach Trimpe will not be back for a fifth season. The Greyhounds struggled through a season of growing pains following huge graduation losses. In fact, last year’s 4-19 roster only loses one senior and about 8ppg, so incoming coach should (in theory) benefit from their on-the-job training. Paper being paper, a good varsity Clubber also reports there are several unseen undertows at play in Carmel. Yes, stipend and facilities are among the highest level in the state, but parent expectations and internal rivalries among players/families are also at a fever pitch. Good Varsity Clubber reports for that reason alone, X’s and O’s and typical administrative skills expected of a varsity coach are simply not enough to steer this gilded vessel. Talent-wise, Carmel has decent, but not great skill players. Varsity Clubber reports plenty of height and enough athleticism to be competitive, but hitting .500 with Carmel’s schedule (brutal) will still be a noteworthy accomplishment if they can pull it off next season. Internal interest expected, but Varsity Clubber predicts an outside hire. JV is about .500, but given that so many underclassmen were varsity contributors last go round, not a ton will be needed from the curtain raisers. Three very large middle schools feed into Carmel, so no shortage of players coming up in Hamilton County. Openings aplenty for Carmel-Clay Schools and more on the way: Several Eled, MS Math, Sped at multiple levels, HS Biology.

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He was on a Diversion Program for the earlier Public Intox charge. That will presumably be nullified and this OWI charge from last night could get enhanced to a felony. Plus he will be further prosecuted on the previous offense.

It is also my understanding that he had a previous similar alcohol related offense in prior years.

I hope Coach Hart gets some help - he obviously has an issue that can't continue.

Anderson Prep boys - Departing Coach B
ANDERSON, Ind. -- (Updated 3/14) APA is now officially listed. To say that things have been rough for the Jets would be an understatement. The Jets, at 1-22 last season, were everyone’s whipping boy. Even teams that were struggling themselves somehow got well when playing Anderson Prep. Just how bad has it been? Since APA started playing in the IHSAA tourney, they have gone 17-163 with exactly zero Sectional wins. It gets worse. A good Varsity Clubber has crunched the numbers and, of their eight sectional losses, the closest has been a 24 point loss to Southern Wells in 2019. Other first round tourney losses.. -41, -49, -39, -52, -46, -25, and -66. Yeah, it’s bad. Report does indicate only one senior departs, and two underclassmen that both went for about 10 a game last season are expected back. So there’s that. Plus JV did manage to go 8-6. Will it translate to more wins? Report says new coach had better have a “magnetic personality” when it comes to Anderson athletes, or else it will be more of the same. Eled is only opening at this. Stipend: $4000

South Spencer girls - Departing Coach Brent Mathew
ROCKPORT, Ind. -- (Updated 3/3) Word now that Coach Mathew has resigned after five seasons in Rockport. The Rebels enjoyed two consecutive successful seasons 17-6 and 18-7, but both ended short of a Sectional title. Six seniors graduate from that group including leading scorer (15ppg.) However, sr-2-b guard Molly Schulte should be back as a proven varsity contributor all over the floor. Varsity Club report indicates there are enough underclassmen that logged varsity time to likely fill out a competitive roster, but collectively a step back win-wise is realistic. Decent JV should also help. Varsity Clubber reports both 8th grade and 7th grade classes boast solid scorers that should contribute at varsity level down the road. Early name being mentioned is SS assistant coach and teacher David Hall.

Salem boys - Departing Coach Duane Malloy
SALEM, Ind. -- (Updated 3/14) After two rough years (5-17) & (1-22), the Salem Lions job is open. In addition to a turkey buzzard plague on the city square, (Yes, it’s true - town is actually using an air cannon to disperse the foul) reports of toxic combination of thin depth of talent combined with character issues among those that were depended upon to contribute. Without quality depth to push for playing time, things were tough to keep on the rails. When you consider this same roster finished the 2021-22 campaign on a 1-10 skid, this year’s 1-22 really begins to take on new meaning. The cupboard of attitude troubles will reportedly not be completely cleaned in May, but will be in a better state. Talent-wise, though, report states not much in terms of improvement. No world beaters coming-up from JV. Apps deadline 3/28. Salem was winless the last two years in the MidSouthern Conference: Austin (2A), Brownstown (3A), Charlestown (3A), Corydon (3A), Eastern (Pekin) (2A), North Harrison (3A), Scottsburg (3A), and Silver Creek (3A). No teaching jobs yet, but hiring of new superintendent may impact timeline.

Heritage Christian boys - Departing Coach Brandon Coffer (Interim)
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- (Updated 3/14) Interim Coach Coffer went 3-6 during his time leading the Eagles. The entire campaign finished at 11-12 a first round Sectional exit courtesy of Brebeuf. Varsity Club report predicts a step back for the Eagles next season, as shit ton graduates. A couple of underclassmen earned varsity minutes, but none were major contributors in any way. On the bright side, JV was pretty solid last season, but those guys will have to make that big step to varsity level. Despite Heritage Christian’s small enrollment, report states they field two teams in both 7th and 8th grade which helps. HC boasts one of the larger coaching staffs in the area, and while inside interest is expected, Varsity Clubbers states finding a dynamic outside candidate may be the goal of some in the hiring process. Report continues, “After all, no one grows up in the Heritage Christian school district dreaming of playing in blue. Every kid, every family has to choose to go here. That personality is a must.” Love it or hate it, that is probably very true. Only teaching gig at this point in the early spring is HS English. Not timeline yet