Koch selected to play in Futures Game

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Eastern Hancock freshman girls basketball player Kenzie Koch was among the 24 players named to play in the upcoming 2024 All-Star “Futures Game,” games director Mike Broughton announced Friday.

Koch helped lead the Royals to conference, sectional and regional titles along with a trip to the Class 2A Final 4. She averaged 18.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.8 steals and shot 82 percent from the free-throw line.

Two players each from Lawrence Central, Hamilton Southeastern and Homestead plus one player from 18 other schools were chosen for rosters.

The Futures Games, one each for boys and girls, are a second-year part of the Indiana All-Star basketball program. The Futures Games will pair teams of current Indiana freshmen and sophomores in a North-South format. The second Futures Games will be played Monday, June 3 at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers. The girls’ game is set for 6 p.m., and the boys’ game will follow about 8 p.m.

Koch is on the South Team that includes sophomores Lola Lampley and Aniyah McKenzie of Lawrence Central as well as sophomores Kennedy Holman and Kayla Stidham of Hamilton Southeastern. They are joined by sophomore Mollie Ernstes of Jennings County, sophomore Denell Jacobs of Warren Central, freshman Hannah Menser of Plainfield, sophomore C.C. Quigley of Noblesville, sophomore Brooklynn Renn of Silver Creek, freshman Paige Schnaus of Gibson Southern and sophomore Madalynn Shirley of Evansville Central.

Sophomores Myah Epps and Gabby Helsom of Homestead will team with 10 others on the North Team. Completing that squad are sophomore Lillian Barnes of Valparaiso, sophomore Kenedi Bradley of Chesterton, sophomore Joslyn Bricker of Warsaw, sophomore Laniah Davis of Marquette Catholic, sophomore Gracyn Gilliard of Munster, freshman Lillie Graves of McCutcheon, sophomore Vanessa Rosswurm of Norwell, sophomore Miley Wareing of Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, sophomore Khala Williams-Thomas of Fort Wayne Northrop and sophomore Laniah Wills of Lapel.

Kyle Brasher of Gibson Southern is head coach for the South Team. He will be assisted by Tyler Choate of Evansville North. Lisa Finn of Indianapolis Cathedral is head coach for the North Team. She will be assisted by Amy Shearer of Columbia City.

Players and coaches for the All-Star Futures Games are picked by a Futures Games committee chaired by Broughton. In a change from last year, the 2024 Futures Games will feature only freshmen and sophomores. The inaugural Futures Games in 2023 included freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

In the first boys’ Futures Game last year, Braylon Mullins of Greenfield-Central scored 16 points to lead a balanced South Team to a 100-96 victory.