NEW PALESTINE — The calendar had just turned to 2018, and the New Palestine boys basketball team was again dealing with a little bit of adversity.
The Dragons had just had their best weekend of the year — beating Delta and walloping Hauser to snap a five-game losing streak. But as they entered a tough part of the schedule, they received news their floor general — Maximus Gizzi, the team’s starting point guard, as well as the leader in points, rebounds and assists — had been injured and would be out for the bulk of the year.
It was not a new situation for coach Trent Whitaker’s Dragons, but the next game, players stepped into new roles, and they produced a victory over Mooresville. More success followed, leading to the Dragons’ first 15-win season and highest finish in the Hoosier Heritage Conference since 2013.
The 15 wins represented a nine-game turnaround from the on-court results the year before and led to Whitaker being chosen the Daily Reporter Hancock County Coach of the Year in voting by the four county coaches and local media.
“I wasn’t really expecting this at all, but it’s an honor,” Whitaker said, while noting his level of respect for the other programs and coaches in the county. Three teams had 15-win seasons. “This is an award that has my name on it, but there’s definitely a lot of people that are a part of it. I couldn’t do it without the assistant coaches, the players and the program.”
Playing shorthanded for the bulk of the season wasn’t a new situation for Whitaker’s Dragons, who lost more than 40 man-games to injury the year before.
Sophomore Maxen Hook took over as the point guard. Matthew True and Gavin Hausz became consistent double-digit scorers, and the Dragons had several players chip in. Eight different players tallied double-figure scoring games.
The signature moment came Jan. 19, when the Dragons beat Roncalli 55-49. It was New Pal’s first victory over the Rebels since the two programs resumed their series in 2012-13, and a win over a squad that would eventually win 18 games. Two weeks later, a 55-54 win over a 16-win Shelbyville team followed.
New Palestine posted three different four-game winning streaks during the season.
“Looking back on it, that gave Maxen Hook an opportunity to step into that role. He’s always an athlete for us, but with him moving over to that point guard position, it made him have a purpose. It gave him some focus,” Whitaker said. “One phrase we use a lot this year is ‘do what you do best to help us win basketball games.’ The kids bought into that. Everybody had their own role and did it well.”
Whitaker has tried to build a family atmosphere around the New Palestine program, both on the court and off it — the team does a number of service projects during the year. The family atmosphere is reflected in the staff — Whitaker was an assistant to both of New Palestine’s previous head coaches, Adam Barton and Brian Kehrt, before matriculating to the head coaching position. Assistant coaches Jeremy Large and Chris Cherry are also longtime members of the staff.
“Family — that’s a word we’ve used all year,” Whitaker said. “When we broke huddles, it was ‘Dragons,’ and then ‘family.’”
Another piece is trust, which comes when adversity hits — whether it’s an injury, having to stave off a late comeback by an opponent, or trying to rally from a deficit.
“Trent does a great job of letting his players be players,” New Palestine athletics director Al Cooper said. “That leadership helps get the most out of the team. He values and utilizes what everyone brings to the table and trusts that his process will succeed over time.”
The 15 wins represented a nine-game turnaround. The 2016-17 team won six games on the floor and one more by forfeit. The year before, New Palestine won six games. This year’s squad featured one senior — Gavin Hausz, who emerged as one of the team’s top scorers down the stretch — and often started two sophomores and two juniors.
“Early in the year, expectations from people outside the program saw ‘they’re young again.’ We were young,” Whitaker said. “I don’t think people knew what we could be except for us. We believed in ourselves. With Gavin Hausz being our only senior, he was the perfect kid for that role, being able to lead in the locker room. He led us there.
“Last year, we were saying, ‘Let’s compete with people.’ We’re in a great conference. We went from ‘let’s compete’ to ‘let’s do more than that.’ We’re to the point now where they expect to win.”
The 15-win season was compiled against a tough schedule — six of the eight Hoosier Heritage Conference teams posted double-digit wins, and much of the Dragons’ schedule is played against larger schools.
Whitaker said his favorite thing about this season has been the change in how the players see themselves and a program.
“If I’m able to do this for another 10 or 15 years, I hope we can look back on this season and say, ‘This is the season that jump-started a 10-year run,’” he said. “Coach Kehrt and Coach Barton before me had it rolling. Coach Barton won three sectionals in four years. That was rolling. Then, the last couple of years, with six wins, seven wins and now 15, the hope is, this is the team that got us going in the right direction.”
