From the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
NEW CASTLE – The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to announce the fields for the girls and boys 2010 City Securities Hall of Fame Classic tournaments to be held Wednesday, Dec. 29, and Thursday, Dec. 30, at New Castle Fieldhouse.
The prestigious event will be held for the 27th time for the girls and will be the 34th edition for the boys.
Selecting from the best teams in the state, the girls tournament has included 13 teams that went on to win a state championship that season, including six state champions and four runner-up teams in the past eight years alone.
On the boys side, 10 participating teams have gone on to win a state title, with four more finishing as runner-up that season.
A deeper look at the schools involved …
The girls lineup:
• Jeffersonville vs. Brownsburg, 11a
• Carmel vs. Evansville Memorial, 1p
• Consolation, 6p
• Championship, 8p
Jeffersonville
Chad Gilbert’s Red Devils have five starters who all project to become three-year starters during the 2010-11 campaign. 23-4 a year ago, they finished this season 20-2 and No. 2 in the final Indiana Basketball Coaches Association all-classes-combined poll.
Sophomores Jalynn McClain (13.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Lakin Roland (9.2 ppg, 7 rpg) both stand 6’1” and were statistical leaders. As many as eight juniors project to be back next season, including 5’10” Brooke Valentine (8.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.1 apg) and 5’2” guards Brooklyn Kinnaird (7.2 ppg) and Jamice Williams (5.9 ppg, 5.1 apg).
Jeffersonville makes its second appearance in the girls Classic. Gilbert coached the team in the 2003 event, when the Red Devils lost to eventual state runner-up Warsaw then won the consolation contest over Indian Creek.
Brownsburg
The Bulldogs emerged from a 4-17 campaign a season ago to record an 18-6 mark this year. They lost in the sectional championship to eventual Class 4A champion Ben Davis.
Brownsburg was led in scoring and rebounding by 6’2” freshman Stephanie Mavunga, who averaged 11.3 points and 7 rebounds. Four junior starters expected to return as seniors are 5’9” Ryne Carr, 5’8” Erika Lesch, 5’9” Lindsey Dall, and 5’6” Morgan Miller. Carr, Lesch, and Dall each averaged between 8.0 and 8.8 points per game this past season.
Brownsburg makes its first appearance in the girls Classic. Coach Amy Brauman is the school’s second-leading scorer and top all-time leader in rebounds. She was a 1991 Indiana All-Star and has completed her third year as coach.
Carmel
Scott Bowen’s Greyhounds return all but one player from a 14-7 year. Their three leading scorers return in 5’8” sophomore Blaire Langlois (13.9 ppg), 6’0” Purdue recruit and Indiana Junior All-Star Torrie Thornton (13.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg), and 5’9” junior Lucy DeFruscio (10 ppg). Another senior-to-be is Jordan Foyer, while Langlois is one of six sophomores from this past season’s roster.
Carmel will make its second appearance in the girls Classic. Bowen led the team to a runner-up finish in the 2005 event, defeating Columbus East before a four-point setback against Lebanon in the final.
Evansville Memorial
Bruce Dockery’s Tigers rattled off 17 wins in a row before a loss in the 3A semistate ended their season at 23-4. Dockery looks forward to his 24th season with plenty of returning talent and height.
6’0” Indiana Junior All-Star Mallory Ladd averaged 22 points and 14 rebounds. 5’10” sophomore Natalie Cohlmeyer returned from an ACL injury to average 10.4 points on the season, while 6’0” junior Anna Hackert contributed 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds. 6’3” junior Marie Hackert, 6’0” junior Allison Keiffer, and 6’0” sophomore Emily Nesbitt give Memorial five returning players at 6’0” or taller.
Evansville Memorial will make its second appearance in the girls Classic. Dockery brought his team to the 2004 event, where the Tigers lost to East Chicago by four and Bloomington North by three.
The boys lineup:
• Washington vs. Center Grove, 11a
• Bloomington South vs. Warsaw, 1p
• Consolation, 6p
• Championship, 8p
Washington
The Hatchets reached the 3A championship game and won for the third time in six seasons. Coach Gene Miiller will work with the third Zeller brother, Cody, for another season.
The 6’10” Zeller averaged 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds this season as a junior. Other juniors are 5’10” Kurtis Anthony (6.3 ppg), 6’6” Robert Pittman (5 ppg and 3.9 rpg), and Dylan Ervin, who averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds as a sophomore.
Washington makes its second appearance in the boys Classic. In 2004 with coach Dave Omer, the Hatchets lost to Carmel and Bellmont in the Classic, their only two losses on the way to a 27-2 3A championship season. Gene Miiller will coach in his second Classic – he led Vincennes Lincoln to a runner-up finish to Paoli in the 1993 tournament.
Center Grove
The Trojans won an outright Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championship as part of a 17-4 campaign. Cliff Hawkins, who has completed six seasons at Center Grove, surpassed 400 career wins this season with the help of a trio of top players.
6’0” junior point guard Jonny Marlin triggered the attack with 14.1 points and 5.8 assists per contest. 6’7” junior Andy Smeathers led the Trojans with 14.2 points, while 6’7” sophomore Joe Reed put in over 10 points and 6 rebounds per game. 6’8” John Degenhardt and 6’6” Tyler Gleismann are seniors-to-be who could add more size to the front line.
Center Grove makes its first appearance in the boys Classic, although it is scheduled to be the third in Hawkins’ coaching career. In 1996, his DeKalb team featuring future Mr. Basketball Luke Recker lost to Anderson and Madison-Grant in the event (Center Grove’s girls won that year). In 2002, Hawkins’ DeKalb team captured the Classic championship by topping Perry Meridian and Lebanon.
Bloomington South
Undefeated 4A champions in 2009, the Panthers nearly set a state record winning 49 games in a row before a two-point loss in the 4A regional to Jeffersonville. In J.R. Holmes’ 28th year at South, they finished 23-1 this season and were ranked No. 1 in multiple polls for the duration of the season.
Among the top returning talent for Bloomington South is a trio of players who recorded strong junior seasons. 5’11” point guard Darwin Davis Jr. (committed to Xavier University) averaged 15.7 points and 5.4 assists. 6’3” guard Matt Carlino averaged 13.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, and 6’4” Spencer Turner scored 11.2 points per contest.
Bloomington South will make its fifth appearance in the boys Classic. Under Bill Springer, the Panthers participated in the inaugural Hall of Fame Classic in 1977. Participants again in 1986, they won the Classic championship in 1998 with wins over Benton Central and Blue River Valley and were runner-up in 2005 in beating Loogootee and falling by two against Anderson.
Holmes is scheduled for his fourth Classic, which would tie George Griffith of South Bend LaSalle and Richmond for most in event history.
Warsaw
The 4A state runner-up Tigers should have another successful season on the horizon. Under Doug Ogle, Warsaw was 19-3 a year ago and finished this year at 22-4. Winners of their final 11 regular-season games, the Tigers reached No. 6 in the 4A Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the all-class IBCA poll.
Leading the way is 5’9” junior guard Nic Moore, who averaged 21 points and 5.2 assists this season. Two key sophomores are 6’4” Lucas Grose (9.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and 6’2” Jordyn **** (6.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg). The Tigers also have five others who project as seniors-to-be along with Moore.
Warsaw will make its second appearance in the boys Classic. The Tigers were 1994 Classic champions as Indiana Mr. Basketball Kevin Ault scored 51 points in wins over Madison and top-ranked Ben Davis. Ogle was an assistant on that squad behind Hall of Fame coach Al Rhodes.
Tickets for the tournaments will be available through participating schools and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame during the 2010 school year.
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