Staff report
It’s the high school hoops fanatic’s dream come true.
The annual IBCA/IHSAA Boys Basketball Team Showcase, in memory of Charlie Hughes, runs today through Sunday in Carmel and Westfield.
A record 156 teams, including all four from Hancock County, will be playing in the event hosted by the basketball coaches association and the high school sanctioning body.
The number of teams for this year’s “Charlie Hughes” exceeds last year’s record of 132.
Hughes, who passed away in 2014, was a longtime behind the scenes worker for youth basketball and coordinator of the high school basketball showcase each year.
The event is, for many programs, a wrapup of summer play. It is also a showcase for college scouts to watch Indiana talent. Coaches from NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA are all expected to be in attendance scouting future players.
The IBCA and the IHSAA partnered to make the Showcase a “scholastic event” under NCAA and National Federation of State High School Associations rules, thereby making the events open for NCAA Division I coaches to attend in person for purposes of evaluating prospective players. Only events sanctioned by the IHSAA and IBCA may have NCAA Division I coaches attend during this “scholastic recruiting period.”
A girls showcase was held for the first time last week at Hamilton Southeastern and Mt. Vernon. It included 72 teams.
“It’s the Who’s Who of Indiana,” Greenfield-Central head coach Luke Meredith said. “This tournament is THE tournament of the summer.”
Teams are guaranteed four games. Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon and New Palestine will play two games each today and Saturday. Eastern Hancock will play two games on Saturday and two on Sunday.
“It’s the end of our summer and kind of what we build up for,” New Palestine coach Trent Whitaker said. “You get to play teams from around the state you don’t normally play or see during the season. You see different styles of basketball and it’s an opportunity for the kids with college coaches being able to be there.”
For Greenfield-Central, New Palestine and Eastern Hancock it’ll be another chance to get a look at their teams that will have a much different look than they did in 2022-23. New Palestine and Eastern Hancock each graduated four starters from successful teams. Greenfield-Central lost three starters.
New Palestine graduated its top two scorers (Blaine Nunnally and Ian Stephens). Eastern lost over 80 percent of its scoring and Greenfield-Central graduated Hancock County Player of the Year Dylan Moles, the school record-holder for 3-pointers. Both New Palestine (22) and Greenfield-Central (21) set school records for victories. Eastern Hancock won 19 games and spent most of the season ranked in Class 2A’s Top 10.
Mt. Vernon has most of its players back from a youthful 16-9 team, but will be led by a new head coach, Joe Bradburn, who comes to the Marauders from Greenwood.
The Marauders, led by their trio of rising-sophomores Luke Ertel, Julien Smith and R’mani Wells, open at 4:30 p.m. today against perennial-power Lawrence North at the Westfield Fieldhouse.
Greenfield-Central will showcase rising-junior Braylon Mullins and the Cougars on the Carmel High School main gym floor at 8:30 p.m. tonight against Clarksville Providence. They also have matchups against New Albany, Gary 21st Century and Class 1A state champion Lutheran.
“I don’t care if we go 0-4. You want to win, but it’s more about figuring out who you are,” Meredith said. “You want to figure out who your core is and what kind of guys it takes to win and what kind of guys you’re going to need in the season to win as many games as you can.”
Meredith said his program has one more week left with summer league tournament. They drew defending Class 4A state champion Ben Davis in their first-round game. They also have a scrimmage set up next week against Decatur Central.
Along with Lawrence North, Mt. Vernon will play Center Grove, Portage and Class 3A runner-up Guerin Catholic.
New Palestine will face Munster, Bloomington South, Avon and Warsaw. Eastern Hancock has games against Lowell, Kankakee Valley, Rising Sun and Tri-Township.
“The month of June is kind of a mini-camp, mini-season,” Whitaker added. “You see what kind of work you’ve done. We’re definitely going to be tested (this weekend).”
The showcase is open to the public. Admission is $10 per day. IBCA members are admitted free by showing their membership card at the door.
Net proceeds support the IBCA Scholarship Fund and Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
More information on the Charlie Hughes, including schedules and game locations can be found here: https://www.charliehughesbasketball.com/
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2023 IBCA/IHSAA Charlie Hughes Showcase
June 23-25 (Carmel, Westfield)
Hancock County Games
Friday
Time;Game;Location
4:30 p.m.;Mt. Vernon vs. Lawrence North;Westfield Fieldhouse No. 1
5:50 p.m.;Greenfield-Central vs. New Albany;Carmel Dad’s Club No. 4
5:50 p.m.;New Palestine vs. Munster;Carmel Dad’s Club No. 3
7:10 p.m.;Mt. Vernon vs. Center Grove;Westfield High School Main
8:30 p.m.;Greenfield-Central vs. Providence;Carmel High School Main
8:30 p.m.;New Palestine vs. Bloomington South;Carmel Dad’s Club No. 1
Saturday
10:20 a.m.;Mt. Vernon vs. Portage;Westfield Fieldhouse No. 2
11:40 a.m.;New Palestine vs. Avon;Carmel High School Gold
11:40 a.m.;Eastern Hancock vs. Lowell;Carmel Dad’s Club No. 4
1 p.m.;Mt. Vernon vs. Guerin Catholic;Westfield Fieldhouse No. 3
2:20 p.m.;Greenfield-Central vs. 21st Century;Carmel Middle Main Gym
3:40 p.m.;Eastern Hancock vs. Kankakee Valley;Carmel Dad’s Club No. 1
6:20 p.m.;Greenfield-Central vs. Lutheran;Clay Middle School Main
6:20 p.m.; New Palestine vs. Warsaw;Carmel HS Freshman/Aux.
Sunday
11:40 a.m.;Eastern Hancock vs. Rising Sun; Carmel Dad’s Club No. 1
2:20 p.m.;Eastern Hancock vs. Tri-Township;Carmel High Fieldhouse No. 1
