I look so forward to these every year! Here is the annual first legitimate look at the best in 1A for next year. Other classes over the coming days!
Fans,
Shown below are my annual pre-season rankings for the 2018-19 season for Class 1A.
These rankings are based on a formula I've developed over the years that places emphasis on each team's record for the past year combined with the number of key players they have returning along with the actual number of points returning. Strength of schedule is also a strong consideration. One aspect that is NOT considered is attempting to evaluate players who rarely played at the varsity level during this past season.
This formula usually works in a majority of cases but occasionally “misses the boat” on some others. I developed it so that my own personal biases do not enter into the final rankings. These rankings are usually more indicative of a team’s strength at the start of the season as opposed to how they might finish.
Most of the info used for this analysis was derived from the following sources:
* Coaches from 114 schools
* www.maxpreps.com, the IHSAA-endorsed statistical service, provided usable data for 249 schools.
* E.T.Pearl’s excellent website which provides complete statistical info for 62 schools in North Central Indiana. See etpearl.homestead.com./
* subscribing to five different newspapers
* researching the websites of several other papers and basketball websites.
A big Thank You to everyone who provided information.
For each school, the info below shows this past year's record along with the number of key players and points returning. Where a + is shown, that means that a key player is returning for whom I do not have statistical information.
The “Power Rating” is shown for each school so that readers can see how each of the ranked schools compared with each other. If two or more teams have the same power rating, the number of points returning is used as a “tie breaker.”
One additional note. Unless otherwise known, these evaluations assume all players stay at the school they were at last year. In this day and age, that’s not a very safe assumption anymore, but I don’t’ know of any other way to deal with it, especially at this early date.
If you know of a team that you feel should be ranked, don’t hesitate to let me know (Dan.Wantz@yahoo.com). It’s possible that I did not have enough information to properly consider them.
And lastly, a big Thank You as always to John Harrell’s great website for all of the easily accessible historical info that I often reference in these write-ups.
Enjoy,
Daniel Wantz
CLASS 1A
#Key Players &___PowerRank___Team_______Record__PPG Returning___Rating
01_Barr-Reeve___________24-5______6______51____127
02_Indianapolis Tindley____19-8______2_____ 18____121
03_Greenwood Christian___ 13-10_____5_____ 46____110
04_Lafayette Cent.Catholic_14-10______3______29____102
05_Gary 21st Century______21-7______3______27____102
06_Ft.Wayne Blackhawk___26-3______2______31_____98
07_International__________ 12-11____ 4______48_____90
08_Wood Memorial_______15-9______1______22_____89
09_Central Christian_______17-8_____ 5______48_____88
10_Indpls.Metropolitan____14-12_____2______18_____86
11_Morristown___________28-2_____ 4______28_____83
12_Morgan Twp._________14-9______4______42_____81
13_Oldenburg Academy___ 16-8______6______33_____74
14_Northeast Dubois______15-10_____1______12_____74
15_Providence Cristo Rey__ 11-12____ 5______38_____73
16_Edinburgh____________17-9_____ 4______28_____70
17_Indpls.Lutheran________4-18_____ 3______31_____67
18_Washington Twp.______16-5______3______31_____67
19_University____________21-3______2______7______67
20_Argos_______________ 14-8______5______44_____64
Projecting ahead, let’s take a look at the tournament trail for the teams shown above—starting in the far North part of the state.
05__Gary 21st Century____Sect. 49/Far North Reg./North Semi-State
12__Morgan Twp._______Sect. 49/Far North Reg./North Semi-State
18__Washington Twp.____Sect. 49/Far North Reg./North Semi-State
20__Argos_____________ Sect. 51/ Far North Reg./North Semi-State
06__Ft.Wayne Blackhawk_ Sect. 52/Far North Reg./North Semi-State
04__Lafayette CC_______ Sect. 54/No.Cent.Reg./North Semi-State
07__International_______ Sect. 58/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
10__Indpls.Metro_______ Sect. 58/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
19__University_________ Sect. 58/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
02__Indpls.Tindley______Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
03__Greenwood Christian_Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
09__Central Christian____Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
15__Prov.Cristo Rey_____Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
17__Indpls.Lutheran_____Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
11__Morristown________Sect. 60/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
13__Oldenburg Academy_ Sect. 60/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
16__Edinburgh_________Sect. 62/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
01__Barr-Reeve________ Sect. 63/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
08__Wood Memorial____ Sect. 64/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
14__NE Dubois___l_____Sect. 64/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
Now, here’s a look at the key performers for the Top 20 teams in 1A. Unless stated otherwise, all players are seniors. Those 6’ 3 or taller have their height mentioned, if known. Scoring averages are shown in parentheses. Rebound and/or assist averages are also shown where known and relevant.
1_Barr-Reeve: 6'8 junior Keegan O'Neill (15.2 ppg, 7 rpg), Gabe Gladish (14.1), and 6'5 Austin Ainscough (9.2, 5 rpg).
2_Indianapolis Tindley: Junior Sincere McMahon (15.1)
3_Greenwood Christian: Kegan Owen (16.7), 6'4 junior Champ McCorkle (14.1), and Payton Modlin (11.6).
4_Lafayette Central Catholic: 6'4 junior Carson Barrett (18.1, 10 rpg, 7 apg). Barrett was a Soph All-State selection for this past year.
5_Gary 21st Century: Junior Johnell Davis (15.3, 6 rpg), a Soph All-State selection for this past year.
6_Ft.Wayne Blackhawk: 6'6 Frankie Davison (16.3, 5 rpg) and 6'9 soph Caleb Furst (14.4, 6 rpg).
7_International: 6'10 Mawich Kachjaani (23.0, 14 rpg) and soph Jaden Thomas (13.5).
8_Wood Memorial: 6'3 Paxon Bartley(22.1, 6 rpg).
9_Central Christian: 6'4 Zeke Brown (12.5, 5 rpg), and 6'3 Taylor Craft (8.0).
10_Indy Metro: 6'7 Noah Jordan (12.8, 11 rpg).
11_Morristown: Logan Laster (13.2, 5 rpg, 5 apg) and junior Trevon Carlton (7.1).
12_Morgan Twp.: Trevor Braden (21.3, 8 rpg) and Cody Maxwell (10.0).
13_Oldenburg Academy: Junior Jake Johnson (10.1) and soph Andrew Oesterling (8.8).
14_Northeast Dubois: Junior Reece Bauer (11.8).
15_Providence Cristo Rey: Junior Elkin Ramirez (11.0), 6'7 junior Anthony Williams (10.1, 8 rpg), and T.J. Thomas (8.3).
16_Edinburgh: Coltan Henderson (12.3) and Bryce Burton (8.9, 4 apg).
17_Indpls.Lutheran: 6'3 Riley Wilson (11.8, r rpg), Matthew Alter (9.7), and 6'3 Clayton Pittman (9.7).
18_Washington Twp.: Colin Burton (16.9) and Jared Armstrong (7.7).
19_University: Junior Sam Mervis (3.7) and Quinn Steiner (3.6).
20_Argos: Junior Sam Manikowski (11.5), 6'4 Ian Kindig (9.3), and junior Owen Nifong (8.6).
Fans,
Shown below are my annual pre-season rankings for the 2018-19 season for Class 1A.
These rankings are based on a formula I've developed over the years that places emphasis on each team's record for the past year combined with the number of key players they have returning along with the actual number of points returning. Strength of schedule is also a strong consideration. One aspect that is NOT considered is attempting to evaluate players who rarely played at the varsity level during this past season.
This formula usually works in a majority of cases but occasionally “misses the boat” on some others. I developed it so that my own personal biases do not enter into the final rankings. These rankings are usually more indicative of a team’s strength at the start of the season as opposed to how they might finish.
Most of the info used for this analysis was derived from the following sources:
* Coaches from 114 schools
* www.maxpreps.com, the IHSAA-endorsed statistical service, provided usable data for 249 schools.
* E.T.Pearl’s excellent website which provides complete statistical info for 62 schools in North Central Indiana. See etpearl.homestead.com./
* subscribing to five different newspapers
* researching the websites of several other papers and basketball websites.
A big Thank You to everyone who provided information.
For each school, the info below shows this past year's record along with the number of key players and points returning. Where a + is shown, that means that a key player is returning for whom I do not have statistical information.
The “Power Rating” is shown for each school so that readers can see how each of the ranked schools compared with each other. If two or more teams have the same power rating, the number of points returning is used as a “tie breaker.”
One additional note. Unless otherwise known, these evaluations assume all players stay at the school they were at last year. In this day and age, that’s not a very safe assumption anymore, but I don’t’ know of any other way to deal with it, especially at this early date.
If you know of a team that you feel should be ranked, don’t hesitate to let me know (Dan.Wantz@yahoo.com). It’s possible that I did not have enough information to properly consider them.
And lastly, a big Thank You as always to John Harrell’s great website for all of the easily accessible historical info that I often reference in these write-ups.
Enjoy,
Daniel Wantz
CLASS 1A
#Key Players &___PowerRank___Team_______Record__PPG Returning___Rating
01_Barr-Reeve___________24-5______6______51____127
02_Indianapolis Tindley____19-8______2_____ 18____121
03_Greenwood Christian___ 13-10_____5_____ 46____110
04_Lafayette Cent.Catholic_14-10______3______29____102
05_Gary 21st Century______21-7______3______27____102
06_Ft.Wayne Blackhawk___26-3______2______31_____98
07_International__________ 12-11____ 4______48_____90
08_Wood Memorial_______15-9______1______22_____89
09_Central Christian_______17-8_____ 5______48_____88
10_Indpls.Metropolitan____14-12_____2______18_____86
11_Morristown___________28-2_____ 4______28_____83
12_Morgan Twp._________14-9______4______42_____81
13_Oldenburg Academy___ 16-8______6______33_____74
14_Northeast Dubois______15-10_____1______12_____74
15_Providence Cristo Rey__ 11-12____ 5______38_____73
16_Edinburgh____________17-9_____ 4______28_____70
17_Indpls.Lutheran________4-18_____ 3______31_____67
18_Washington Twp.______16-5______3______31_____67
19_University____________21-3______2______7______67
20_Argos_______________ 14-8______5______44_____64
Projecting ahead, let’s take a look at the tournament trail for the teams shown above—starting in the far North part of the state.
05__Gary 21st Century____Sect. 49/Far North Reg./North Semi-State
12__Morgan Twp._______Sect. 49/Far North Reg./North Semi-State
18__Washington Twp.____Sect. 49/Far North Reg./North Semi-State
20__Argos_____________ Sect. 51/ Far North Reg./North Semi-State
06__Ft.Wayne Blackhawk_ Sect. 52/Far North Reg./North Semi-State
04__Lafayette CC_______ Sect. 54/No.Cent.Reg./North Semi-State
07__International_______ Sect. 58/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
10__Indpls.Metro_______ Sect. 58/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
19__University_________ Sect. 58/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
02__Indpls.Tindley______Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
03__Greenwood Christian_Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
09__Central Christian____Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
15__Prov.Cristo Rey_____Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
17__Indpls.Lutheran_____Sect. 59/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
11__Morristown________Sect. 60/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
13__Oldenburg Academy_ Sect. 60/South Cent.Reg./South Semi-State
16__Edinburgh_________Sect. 62/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
01__Barr-Reeve________ Sect. 63/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
08__Wood Memorial____ Sect. 64/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
14__NE Dubois___l_____Sect. 64/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
Now, here’s a look at the key performers for the Top 20 teams in 1A. Unless stated otherwise, all players are seniors. Those 6’ 3 or taller have their height mentioned, if known. Scoring averages are shown in parentheses. Rebound and/or assist averages are also shown where known and relevant.
1_Barr-Reeve: 6'8 junior Keegan O'Neill (15.2 ppg, 7 rpg), Gabe Gladish (14.1), and 6'5 Austin Ainscough (9.2, 5 rpg).
2_Indianapolis Tindley: Junior Sincere McMahon (15.1)
3_Greenwood Christian: Kegan Owen (16.7), 6'4 junior Champ McCorkle (14.1), and Payton Modlin (11.6).
4_Lafayette Central Catholic: 6'4 junior Carson Barrett (18.1, 10 rpg, 7 apg). Barrett was a Soph All-State selection for this past year.
5_Gary 21st Century: Junior Johnell Davis (15.3, 6 rpg), a Soph All-State selection for this past year.
6_Ft.Wayne Blackhawk: 6'6 Frankie Davison (16.3, 5 rpg) and 6'9 soph Caleb Furst (14.4, 6 rpg).
7_International: 6'10 Mawich Kachjaani (23.0, 14 rpg) and soph Jaden Thomas (13.5).
8_Wood Memorial: 6'3 Paxon Bartley(22.1, 6 rpg).
9_Central Christian: 6'4 Zeke Brown (12.5, 5 rpg), and 6'3 Taylor Craft (8.0).
10_Indy Metro: 6'7 Noah Jordan (12.8, 11 rpg).
11_Morristown: Logan Laster (13.2, 5 rpg, 5 apg) and junior Trevon Carlton (7.1).
12_Morgan Twp.: Trevor Braden (21.3, 8 rpg) and Cody Maxwell (10.0).
13_Oldenburg Academy: Junior Jake Johnson (10.1) and soph Andrew Oesterling (8.8).
14_Northeast Dubois: Junior Reece Bauer (11.8).
15_Providence Cristo Rey: Junior Elkin Ramirez (11.0), 6'7 junior Anthony Williams (10.1, 8 rpg), and T.J. Thomas (8.3).
16_Edinburgh: Coltan Henderson (12.3) and Bryce Burton (8.9, 4 apg).
17_Indpls.Lutheran: 6'3 Riley Wilson (11.8, r rpg), Matthew Alter (9.7), and 6'3 Clayton Pittman (9.7).
18_Washington Twp.: Colin Burton (16.9) and Jared Armstrong (7.7).
19_University: Junior Sam Mervis (3.7) and Quinn Steiner (3.6).
20_Argos: Junior Sam Manikowski (11.5), 6'4 Ian Kindig (9.3), and junior Owen Nifong (8.6).
