Three boys' coaches honored by IBCA for 2023-24 season
Swan, Luce and Benter to receive Bob King Awards as boys' District Coaches of the Year
Three Indiana high school boys' basketball coaches have been chosen as 2024 Bob King Coaches of the Year by their peers in the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Monday (April 1).
Clint Swan of Class 4A regional champion Crown Point, Matt Luce of Class 2A state runner-up Wapahani and Dave Benter of Class 2A state champion Brownstown Central have been selected as honorees for the 2023-24 season through voting that occurred from late January through late March, IBCA executive director Marty Johnson said.
Honors are awarded according to IHSAA district boundaries, and one coach from each district is a recipient – Swan in District 1; Luce in District 2; and Benter in District 3. These three coaches will receive plaques as an IBCA District Coach of the Year during the 2024 IBCA Clinic, which is set for April 25-26 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville.
The Coach of the Year award is named for the late Bob King, the IBCA executive director from 1984-94. King was a Lebanon native who coached at Sacred Heart and Shortridge high schools in Indianapolis before serving as an assistant basketball coach at Purdue University. He later also was as an assistant athletic director and associate athletic director at Purdue.
A list of former IBCA/Bob King Coaches of the Year in boys' basketball is below. The 2023 IBCA/Bob King Coaches of the Year for girls' basketball were announced on Thursday (March 28).
Here is information about the 2024 IBCA/Bob King boys' Coach of the Year honorees.
District 1: Clint Swan, Crown Point
Clint Swan is the IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year after directing Crown Point to a 20-6 campaign that included a co-championship of the Duneland Conference as well as titles in the Chesterton Sectional and Michigan City Regional. In 18 seasons as coach at Crown Point, his teams are 258-158 with four sectional titles (2008, 2015, 2016 and 2024) and one regional crown (2024).
Overall, Swan is 396-230 in 27 seasons with seven sectionals, four regionals and one semi-state title as a head coach. He was 83-16 from 1997-2001 at Andrean with three sectionals (1998, 1999 and 2000), three regionals (1998, 1999, 2000), one semi-state (2000) and a Class 3A state runner-up finish in 2000. He went 55-56 from 2001-06 at Frankfort before returning to northwest Indiana.
Swan is a 1991 graduate of Rensselaer Central High School and a 1995 graduate of Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer.
He began his coaching career by serving as the JV coach at North Newton, Tri-County and Andrean before being named head coach at Andrean.
Swan previously was named an IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2017. He also was chosen Coach of the Year by the Gary Post-Tribune in 1998 and 2000 as well as Coach of the Year by The Times of Northwest Indiana in 1999, 2000 and 2015.
He served as head coach of the 2000 Indiana Junior All-Stars and was an assistant coach for the 2014 Indiana All-Stars. He has guided five Indiana All-Star players (Shane Power, 2000, Andrean; Brandon Crone, 2003, Frankfort; Grant Gelon, 2016, Crown Point; Sasha Stefanovic, Crown Point, 2017; A.J. Lux, Crown Point, 2023) and 16 players from all three schools who went on to play for NCAA Division I college programs. Also, seven of his former assistant coaches have gone on to become head coaches.
Swan, who was inducted into the Rensselaer Central High School Hall of Fame in 2013, is the director of the credit recovery program at Crown Point.
He and his wife, Kim, have one child – Elliot, 18, a senior on the 2023-24 Crown Point team.
District 2: Matt Luce, Wapahani
Matt Luce is the IBCA District 2 Coach of the Year after guiding Wapahani to a 26-3 season that included a Class 2A state runner-up finish. Along the way, his Raiders won the Mid-Eastern Conference, Alexandria Sectional, Lapel Regional and Lafayette Jefferson Semi-State.
In 17 seasons at Wapahani, his alma mater, Luce has compiled a 309-97 record with six sectional titles (2013, 2014, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024), two regional crowns (2023, 2024), one semi-state trophy (2024) and the 2024 runner-up finish.
Overall, Luce is 359-157 in 22 seasons as a varsity coach. That includes a 6-16 mark in 2002-03 at Southwestern (Hanover), a 14-8 finish in 2003-04 at Crawfordsville, a 30-36 ledger from 2004-07 at Benton Central and his long run of success at Wapahani.
While with the Raiders, he mentored one Indiana All-Star in Grant Evans in 2014. His teams have won nine MEC titles (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024) and five Delaware County Tournament crowns (2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2023). He also coached in the 2014 North-South Indiana All-Star Classic, and he has been named head coach for the 2024 Indiana Junior All-Stars.
A 1992 graduate of Wapahani, Luce played four years of basketball and was an Indiana All-Star in baseball. He went on to Purdue University, where he played four years of baseball and earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership in 1997 plus a bachelor’s in math education in 2001. He later earned a master’s degree in education from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2006.
Luce – from a family of coaches that includes father Mike, brothers Joe and Kris as well as nephew Tommy – began his coaching career as an assistant at Fountain Central in 1999-2001. He then was an assistant at Crawfordsville in 2001-02 before beginning his head coaching career at Southwestern (Hanover) in 2002-03.
He currently is in his ninth year as an assistant principal and athletic director at Wapahani after teaching math at the school for eight years. He also was a math teacher for the seven previous years at his earlier coaching stops.
Luce and his wife, Marie, are parents to five children – Drew, 22, a senior at Anderson University; Lauren, 19, a freshman at Purdue; Nate, 17, a junior on the current Wapahani team; and twins Emily and Megan, both 16 and sophomores on the Wapahani girls’ team.
District 3: Dave Benter, Brownstown Central
Dave Benter is the IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year after leading Brownstown Central to a 28-4 season that included the Class 2A state championship. In the process, his Braves won the Mid-Southern Conference, Southwestern (Hanover) Sectional, Washington Regional and Southport Semi-State.
In 26 seasons at Browntown, his alma mater, Benter has a 477-166 record with 12 sectional titles (2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), four regional crowns (2004, 2009, 2023, 2024), three semi-state trophies (2004, 2009, 2024), two Class 2A state runner-up finishes (2004, 2009) and the 2024 Class 2A state crown.
Benter is a 1992 graduate of Brownstown Central, where he played four years of basketball and baseball and was an IBCA honorable mention All-State player as a senior. He matriculated to Hanover College, where he stands fourth in school annals with 1,934 career points, was a three-time team MVP, was the 1996 NCAA Division III Player of the Year and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and physical education in 1996.
He later earned a master’s degree in education from from Olivet Nazarene University in 2002.
Benter started his coaching career as the freshman team coach at Southport from 1996-98. He then became the Brownstown Central varsity coach starting in the 1998-99 season.
He previously was an IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2010, his teams have won 14 Mid-Southern Conference championships, and he is a six-time HBCA District 4 Coach of the Year (2003, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2022, 2024). He also was a Junior All-Star assistant coach in 2004, the Junior All-Star head coach in 2010 and the Indiana All-Star head coach in 2014.
A teacher for 28 years, including the last 26 at Brownstown Central, Benter currently teaches health and is the School-to-Work coordinator at Brownstown.
Benter and his wife, Kristy, have two children – Katherine, a junior on the women’s team at Hanover, and Jack, a senior on the current Brownstown Central team.
Swan, Luce and Benter to receive Bob King Awards as boys' District Coaches of the Year
Three Indiana high school boys' basketball coaches have been chosen as 2024 Bob King Coaches of the Year by their peers in the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Monday (April 1).
Clint Swan of Class 4A regional champion Crown Point, Matt Luce of Class 2A state runner-up Wapahani and Dave Benter of Class 2A state champion Brownstown Central have been selected as honorees for the 2023-24 season through voting that occurred from late January through late March, IBCA executive director Marty Johnson said.
Honors are awarded according to IHSAA district boundaries, and one coach from each district is a recipient – Swan in District 1; Luce in District 2; and Benter in District 3. These three coaches will receive plaques as an IBCA District Coach of the Year during the 2024 IBCA Clinic, which is set for April 25-26 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville.
The Coach of the Year award is named for the late Bob King, the IBCA executive director from 1984-94. King was a Lebanon native who coached at Sacred Heart and Shortridge high schools in Indianapolis before serving as an assistant basketball coach at Purdue University. He later also was as an assistant athletic director and associate athletic director at Purdue.
A list of former IBCA/Bob King Coaches of the Year in boys' basketball is below. The 2023 IBCA/Bob King Coaches of the Year for girls' basketball were announced on Thursday (March 28).
Here is information about the 2024 IBCA/Bob King boys' Coach of the Year honorees.
District 1: Clint Swan, Crown Point
Clint Swan is the IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year after directing Crown Point to a 20-6 campaign that included a co-championship of the Duneland Conference as well as titles in the Chesterton Sectional and Michigan City Regional. In 18 seasons as coach at Crown Point, his teams are 258-158 with four sectional titles (2008, 2015, 2016 and 2024) and one regional crown (2024).
Overall, Swan is 396-230 in 27 seasons with seven sectionals, four regionals and one semi-state title as a head coach. He was 83-16 from 1997-2001 at Andrean with three sectionals (1998, 1999 and 2000), three regionals (1998, 1999, 2000), one semi-state (2000) and a Class 3A state runner-up finish in 2000. He went 55-56 from 2001-06 at Frankfort before returning to northwest Indiana.
Swan is a 1991 graduate of Rensselaer Central High School and a 1995 graduate of Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer.
He began his coaching career by serving as the JV coach at North Newton, Tri-County and Andrean before being named head coach at Andrean.
Swan previously was named an IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2017. He also was chosen Coach of the Year by the Gary Post-Tribune in 1998 and 2000 as well as Coach of the Year by The Times of Northwest Indiana in 1999, 2000 and 2015.
He served as head coach of the 2000 Indiana Junior All-Stars and was an assistant coach for the 2014 Indiana All-Stars. He has guided five Indiana All-Star players (Shane Power, 2000, Andrean; Brandon Crone, 2003, Frankfort; Grant Gelon, 2016, Crown Point; Sasha Stefanovic, Crown Point, 2017; A.J. Lux, Crown Point, 2023) and 16 players from all three schools who went on to play for NCAA Division I college programs. Also, seven of his former assistant coaches have gone on to become head coaches.
Swan, who was inducted into the Rensselaer Central High School Hall of Fame in 2013, is the director of the credit recovery program at Crown Point.
He and his wife, Kim, have one child – Elliot, 18, a senior on the 2023-24 Crown Point team.
District 2: Matt Luce, Wapahani
Matt Luce is the IBCA District 2 Coach of the Year after guiding Wapahani to a 26-3 season that included a Class 2A state runner-up finish. Along the way, his Raiders won the Mid-Eastern Conference, Alexandria Sectional, Lapel Regional and Lafayette Jefferson Semi-State.
In 17 seasons at Wapahani, his alma mater, Luce has compiled a 309-97 record with six sectional titles (2013, 2014, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024), two regional crowns (2023, 2024), one semi-state trophy (2024) and the 2024 runner-up finish.
Overall, Luce is 359-157 in 22 seasons as a varsity coach. That includes a 6-16 mark in 2002-03 at Southwestern (Hanover), a 14-8 finish in 2003-04 at Crawfordsville, a 30-36 ledger from 2004-07 at Benton Central and his long run of success at Wapahani.
While with the Raiders, he mentored one Indiana All-Star in Grant Evans in 2014. His teams have won nine MEC titles (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024) and five Delaware County Tournament crowns (2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2023). He also coached in the 2014 North-South Indiana All-Star Classic, and he has been named head coach for the 2024 Indiana Junior All-Stars.
A 1992 graduate of Wapahani, Luce played four years of basketball and was an Indiana All-Star in baseball. He went on to Purdue University, where he played four years of baseball and earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership in 1997 plus a bachelor’s in math education in 2001. He later earned a master’s degree in education from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2006.
Luce – from a family of coaches that includes father Mike, brothers Joe and Kris as well as nephew Tommy – began his coaching career as an assistant at Fountain Central in 1999-2001. He then was an assistant at Crawfordsville in 2001-02 before beginning his head coaching career at Southwestern (Hanover) in 2002-03.
He currently is in his ninth year as an assistant principal and athletic director at Wapahani after teaching math at the school for eight years. He also was a math teacher for the seven previous years at his earlier coaching stops.
Luce and his wife, Marie, are parents to five children – Drew, 22, a senior at Anderson University; Lauren, 19, a freshman at Purdue; Nate, 17, a junior on the current Wapahani team; and twins Emily and Megan, both 16 and sophomores on the Wapahani girls’ team.
District 3: Dave Benter, Brownstown Central
Dave Benter is the IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year after leading Brownstown Central to a 28-4 season that included the Class 2A state championship. In the process, his Braves won the Mid-Southern Conference, Southwestern (Hanover) Sectional, Washington Regional and Southport Semi-State.
In 26 seasons at Browntown, his alma mater, Benter has a 477-166 record with 12 sectional titles (2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), four regional crowns (2004, 2009, 2023, 2024), three semi-state trophies (2004, 2009, 2024), two Class 2A state runner-up finishes (2004, 2009) and the 2024 Class 2A state crown.
Benter is a 1992 graduate of Brownstown Central, where he played four years of basketball and baseball and was an IBCA honorable mention All-State player as a senior. He matriculated to Hanover College, where he stands fourth in school annals with 1,934 career points, was a three-time team MVP, was the 1996 NCAA Division III Player of the Year and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and physical education in 1996.
He later earned a master’s degree in education from from Olivet Nazarene University in 2002.
Benter started his coaching career as the freshman team coach at Southport from 1996-98. He then became the Brownstown Central varsity coach starting in the 1998-99 season.
He previously was an IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2010, his teams have won 14 Mid-Southern Conference championships, and he is a six-time HBCA District 4 Coach of the Year (2003, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2022, 2024). He also was a Junior All-Star assistant coach in 2004, the Junior All-Star head coach in 2010 and the Indiana All-Star head coach in 2014.
A teacher for 28 years, including the last 26 at Brownstown Central, Benter currently teaches health and is the School-to-Work coordinator at Brownstown.
Benter and his wife, Kristy, have two children – Katherine, a junior on the women’s team at Hanover, and Jack, a senior on the current Brownstown Central team.
