Mt. Vernon has named Joe Bradburn, left, as its new head boys basketball coach. Bradburn has 25 years of experience and 301 career wins. He spent the last seven seasons at Greenwood High School. He’s shown here, prior to a Woodmen game, with Indian Creek coach Drew Glentzer.
Photo from The Daily Journal
FORTVILLE — The highly sought-after position to be the next varsity boys basketball coach at Mt. Vernon High School has been filled.
The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation’s Board of School Trustees approved the recommendation of Joe Bradburn to be the program’s next coach at its meeting Monday evening, which was attended by members of the basketball team.
Bradburn is a veteran coach, spending the last six seasons as head coach at Greenwood High School. He has 25 years of experience including stops at Huntington North, DeKalb, Yorktown and Cowan.
He has 301 career victories and led the 2020 Greenwood team to a sectional title. He coached a sectional championship team at DeKalb in 2005 and, in 1998 at Yorktown, won a semi-state title before losing in the Class 3A state title game to Indianapolis Cathedral.
Bradburn has a career record of 301-234. He was 77-64 at Greenwood.
“Joe embodies some of the things we feel are vital; hard work, determination, discipline,” Mt. Vernon athletic director Brandon Ecker said. “I think it’s going to show on the floor, and off, in how our kids handle themselves. We look forward to that.
“(Purdue head coach) Matt Painter has known him for 35 years and spoke highly of his character and his leadership abilities. Former ADs that worked with him talked about how, if you’re looking for someone who is going to help prepare kids for postseason runs against larger schools and tough competition, they truly believe he’s the most suited for that role.”
Bradburn takes over for Ben Rhoades who resigned his position as head coach at the end of March.
Ecker said he received 45 applicants for the position.
The Marauders return the majority of their starters from a very young team that finished 16-9 and got to the Muncie Central Sectional championship game.
The Marauders top two scorers were freshmen, guards Julien Smith and Luke Ertel. They started another freshman, R’mani Wells and a sophomore Tanner Teschendorf.
Along with being the head boys basketball coach, Bradburn will be in charge of Mt. Vernon’s Interdisciplinary Cooperative Education (ICE) Program, a job he had while he was at Greenwood. Mt. Vernon’s current ICE head Karen Cochran, is retiring at the end of this school year.
“I feel fortunate and blessed and I’m ready to get started,” Bradburn told board members and those in attendance at Monday’s meeting.
(Shelley Swift contributed to this story)
