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Fans,
Shown below are my annual pre-season rankings for the 2017-18 season for Class 2A. Also included are a few brief comments about many of the higher-ranked squads.
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 117 schools
* www.maxpreps.com, the IHSAA-endorsed statistical service, provided usable data for 250 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
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CLASS 2A’s TOP 20 TEAMS
(For each ranked team, their 2017 record is shown along with the number of key players returning and the cumulative ppg represented by those players.)
_______________________2017___#Key Players &_______Power
Rank____Team __________W-L___PPG Returning_______Rating
01_Indianapolis Howe_______18-9______5________61___________152
02_Oak Hill_______________ 20-4______6________76___________130
03_Westview__________ ____17-7______5________47___________127
04_Andrean_______________ 17-6______4________27___________122
05_Eastern Hancock________ 12-11_____6________58___________112
06_Marquette Catholic______ 19-10_____5________45___________112
07_Heritage Christian_______ 17-10_____3________32___________112
08_Lapel__________________17-9______5________38___________111
09_Providence_____________ 22-3______3________ 0+++________110
10_Bowman Academy______ 11-12_____2_________0++_________110
11_Cloverdale______________21-7______4________40___________107
12_Gary Roosevelt__________16-9______2________19___________107
13_Forest Park_____________18-10_____ 5________0+++++______106
14_Paoli__________________15-9______ 7________56___________104
15_Indianapolis Scecina_____16-10_____ 3_________0+++________103
16_Park-Tudor_____________16-7______ 1________ 0+__________103
17_Henryville_____________ 19-6______ 4_______ 33____________99
18_Tipton________________ 17-9______ 3_______ 27____________99
19_Frankton_______________22-6______4_______ 35____________97
20_Triton Central__________ 10-13_____5_______ 43____________95
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.
04_Andrean__ _________Sect. 33/Northwest Reg./North Semi-State
10_* Bowman Academy Sect. 33/Northwest Reg./North Semi-State
12_Gary Roosevelt______Sect. 33/Northwest Reg./North Semi-State
06_Marquette Catholic__ Sect. 34/Northwest Reg./North Semi-State
03_Westview__________ Sect. 35/Northwest Reg./North Semi-State
02_Oak Hill___________ Sect. 37/Northeast Reg./North Semi-State
18_Tipton____________ Sect. 39/Northeast Reg./North Semi-State
08_Lapel_____________ Sect. 40/Northeast Reg./North Semi-State
19_Frankton__________ Sect. 40/Northeast Reg./North Semi-State
01_Indpls.Howe________Sect. 42/Southeast Reg./South Semi-State
05_Eastern Hancock____Sect. 42/Southeast Reg./South Semi-State
20_Triton Central______Sect. 42/Southeast Reg./South Semi-State
07_Heritage Christian___Sect. 43/Southeast Reg./South Semi-State
08_Indpls.Scecina______Sect. 43/Southeast Reg./South Semi-State
16_Park-Tudor_________Sect. 43/Southeast Reg./South Semi-State
11_Cloverdale_________ Sect. 44/Southeast Reg./South Semi-State
09_Providence_________Sect. 46/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
14_Paoli______________Sect. 46/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
17_Henryville_________ Sect. 46/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
13_Forest Park_________Sect. 48/Southwest Reg./South Semi-State
*__Ineligible for tournament competition in 1917-18.
Now, here’s a closer look at the Top 10 teams in 2A. Unless stated otherwise, all players are seniors. Those 6’ 3 or taller have their height mentioned, if known. Scoring average is shown in parentheses. Rebound and/or assist average is also shown where known and relevant.