Addison True named Hancock County Player of the Year

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CHARLOTTESVILLE — Just how good is Addison True?

Take a look at the record books. This reigning Royal is all over them.

True will graduate as Eastern Hancock’s career scoring and rebounding leader and also as a conference champion — the first senior class to do so in 15 years.

True finished his career with 1,494 points and 587 rebounds, both atop Eastern Hancock’s all-time lists. He is one of five players in Royals history to score 1,000 career points and one of six to tally more than 500 career rebounds.

n addition to the career scoring and rebounding marks, True is also Eastern Hancock’s career leader in steals with 214 — 34 more than the previous leader.

The list goes on and on. And now, another accolade for the outgoing Royal: Daily Reporter Player of the Year


When Addison True first played basketball, he wasn’t starting— and he didn’t like it.

So he started going to the gym every day to shoot. That was back in the third grade.

And he kept shooting — all the way to starting on the Eastern Hancock varsity as a freshman and spending the next four seasons rewriting the Royals’ record book. He’ll graduate as Eastern Hancock’s career scoring and rebounding leader, and also as a conference champion — the first senior class to do so in 15 years.

True’s senior season, in which he averaged 19.9 points per game on the 17-6 Royals squad, has earned him the Daily Reporter Hancock County Player of the Year. Ballots were provided to reporters, broadcasters and the four Hancock County coaches, who were prohibited from voting for their own teams.

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“It means a lot,” True said. “There are some guys in my grade who are really good and going on to play college basketball. It means a lot to know I was valuable enough to be picked by the coaches in the county.”

True finished his career with 1,494 points and 587 rebounds, both atop Eastern Hancock’s all-time lists. He is one of five players in Eastern Hancock history to score 1,000 career points and one of six to tally more than 500 career rebounds.

“I’ve been going to the gym every morning before school since the fourth grade. There are some goals I’ve been working for, goals I set before my freshman year. I needed to work toward them. It means a lot to say I’ve been able to do some things some of the greater players at Eastern did, and to be talked about among those guys is a good thing.”

Earlier this season, he passed 2003 graduate Derek Harmon and 2011 alum Dustin Smith on the career scoring list and 2008 graduate Caleb Kennedy — who had 577 boards — to become the all-time rebounding leader. Harmon tallied 1,415 points in his career, Smith 1,447.

While those players were his role models as he went to Eastern Hancock games and looked up to those wearing the blue-and-white uniforms, True’s journey to joining them started in the third grade.

He played on a travel team, but he wasn’t in the starting lineup.

“That really bothered me,” True said. “Me and my dad said, ‘We’re going to go to the gym every morning and get better.’”

In addition to the career scoring and rebounding marks, True is also Eastern Hancock’s career leader in steals with 214 — 34 more than the previous leader, 2003 graduate Kevin Wright. He is fourth on the school’s all-time assists list with 244.

While True’s name will sit at or near the top of the Eastern Hancock record book in a number of categories, he said he grew most as a leader — especially after becoming a team captain his sophomore year and maturing into that role as a junior.

“This year, most of his growth this year was in the mental variety, being a leader,” Royals coach Aaron Spaulding said. “I remember a couple of instances where he stepped up. Against Blue River, which was a key game for us on the road, a weeknight game, a tough game to win. We knew if we got that one, we had a really good feeling we’d win conference. We got down double digits in the first half, and I remember him taking a really great leadership role in the second half.”

True scored 21 points in that game, a 79-75 victory on the road. He tallied 20 or more points 11 times this season, including a career high 31 in an overtime loss to Union County on Jan. 13. He followed that game up with back-to-back 27-point efforts.

While True has always been a scorer, one wouldn’t expect a 5-foot-10 guard to become a school’s career rebounding leader. He averaged 8 rebounds per game this season, and 6.4 for his career. He had 14 career double-doubles, including five this season.

“The most impressive statistic, for me, is his rebounding totals, considering he’s a 5-10 guard,” Spaulding said. “He’s, by far, the best perimeter rebounder we’ve had. Caleb Kennedy was a phenomenal rebounder but a 6-6 center. For Addison to do that from the perimeter is very impressive. He’s always played his butt off, played with tremendous intensity and great passion. Obviously, we’re going to miss him going forward.”

True was in the starting lineup in his first game as a freshman, starting all 92 games of his career. He tallied in double figures in 78 career games, including his last 29, dating back to his junior year. He scored 14 points in his first game, 19 in the next and the seeds of a strong career were born.

“I played pretty decent my first couple of games, and from there on out, I had the confidence in myself, and the coaches had confidence in me,” True said.

He said his favorite high school memory was beating Shenandoah when the Raiders were undefeated and ranked No. 1 during his sophomore year — a victory hard-earned in front of a huge home crowd. The Royals did it again this season, which helped propel them to a conference championship.

True, who also plays baseball at Eastern Hancock, will head to Hanover College next year to study business management. He will play basketball for the Panthers.

His high school experience has provided a strong foundation.

“The main thing I’ll remember will be the experience I had with my coaches and my teammates,” True said. “We played together for years. Those guys are like my brothers now. The coaches will always be a part of my life. That’s really valuable to have.”

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Player of the Year

Addison True, Eastern Hancock

The senior graduates as EH’s career scoring leader and rebounding leader and among the leaders in several other statistical categories for the Royals, helping lead EH to a 17-6 record in his senior season. He tallied 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals. He finishes the season as the county’s leading scorer, the second-leading rebounder, and second in assists.

First team

Damari Gatewood, Mt. Vernon

The senior guard tallied 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for a balanced Marauders squad, who won their first sectional title since 2013 with wins over Connersville and New Palestine in the tourney.

Maximus Gizzi, New Palestine

The sophomore guard led the Dragons in scoring (16.5 ppg), rebounding (5.3 rpg) and assists (4.7 apg), in addition to hitting 82 percent from the line. Gizzi was second in the Hoosier Heritage Conference and led the county in assists.

Gavin Hausz, New Palestine

The senior forward averaged 11.6 points per game, but was especially strong after Jan. 1, as he scored more than 16 ppg in 2018 and led the Dragons to a 15-10 record – including 11-5 after the New Year.  

Will O’Connor, Greenfield-Central

O’Connor was the county’s second-leading scorer. The senior tallied 17.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, hitting 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. O’Connor scored a career high 31 points in the Cougars’ epic 4OT game against Mt. Vernon.

Second team

Cade Gentry, Jr., Mt. Vernon

Brian Long, Sr., Greenfield-Central

Peyton Meadors, Jr., Mt. Vernon

A.J. Muegge, Sr., Eastern Hancock

Matthew True, Jr., New Palestine

Honorable mention

Tyler Castle, Sr., Eastern Hancock

Dylan Romine, Jr., New Palestine

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