The 2023-24 Delaware County boys’ basketball season begins tonight. While some teams are trying to keep the momentum from last season, others are trying to get their foot in the door and make a run in the state tournament.
Here is what you need to know about each boys’ squad in Delaware County.
Wapahani
Last season was a historical year for Wapahani. During their journey, the Raiders hoisted a 21-1 regular season record and made history as they captured the program’s first sectional and regional championships in school history.
With that, some might expect a new pressure for the red and black. However, head coach Matt Luce thinks differently.
“It's very similar to the expectations we've had in the past few years,” Luce said. “Our kids are looking forward to it. This is a group that I've probably coached since kindergarten or first grade.”
Even with losing key players like Aidan Franks and Nathan Nelson, Luce thinks that this Raiders’ team is full of depth. Names like junior Nate Luce, senior Nick Cook, and sophomore Camden Bell are some names that will get more minutes.
One key piece that Wapahani is retaining is senior Issac Andrews. In the 2022-23 season, Andrews led the Raiders in points per game (17.8) and assists (5.0).
“He's consistent, works hard, and shows up with a great positive attitude and he makes others better,” Luce said. “...The better leader he is vocally and the better leader he is by sharing the ball, the better our team will be.”
Wapahani will start the new season on Tuesday, Nov. 21, when the Raiders travel to Muncie Central. Last year, the Raiders opened their record-setting season with a loss to the Bearcats.
“It’s a great opener in the state of Indiana and Delaware County,” Luce said. “Our kids are looking forward to it, [especially] anytime you get a chance to play at the North Walnut Street Fieldhouse that has a ton of tradition.”
Muncie Central
The 2022-23 season was a big year for Muncie Central as they posted their best overall record since 2016 (15-8). However, the season left a sour taste in their mouths with a first round sectional exit.
The Bearcats were very reliant on senior production last season with their top three scorers graduating. Head coach Justin Ullom knows that there is work to be done to replace that production.
“There’s not a lot to do that makes it easy to replace it other than trusting that as the season goes, the current seniors and juniors from last year grow into that role,” Ullom said.
Ullom has his eye on a few players he believes can step into that leadership role this season. One being senior point guard Xaviya Cook.
“As long as we stay hungry, we can [accomplish] more than people think we can,” Cook said.
Some other key returners for the Bearcats are Brady McNabb and De’Markis Cole, who is the team's leading returning scorer with 6.0 points per game.
Outside of those three returners, there isn’t much varsity experience through the rest of the roster. There’s going to be a pretty heavy reliance on those seniors, at least to begin the season for the Bearcats.
“Those three guys all got minutes last year,” said Ullom. “They’re going to have to lead us as seniors.”
Muncie Centrals’ season will tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 with a home matchup with the Wapahani Raiders.
Burris
The Owls ended last season with a 10-15 record which included a 2-1 record in the Pioneer Conference. Coming into this season, fans may have expected the program to take a big step.
However, it was announced on Oct. 17 that Burris graduate and former basketball player Blair Broussard was taking over as the Owls’ head coach.
“It's so fulfilling,” he said. “My second oldest plays basketball for the elementary team. So everything is coming full circle.”
Broussard has coached the eighth grade team at Burris, the freshman and junior varsity teams at Muncie Central, and moved up to a varsity assistant for the Bearcats. Before his arrival, the Owls lost multiple key players due to graduation.
Yet the new Burris head coach isn’t afraid of having to build a new roster.
“It's almost like starting with a clean slate and I have a chance to build this thing from the ground up,” he said.
With the new season rapidly approaching, Broussard has one goal for the Owls. To compete and improve.
“Those are the two things that I want out of these guys,” he said. “I want them to put themselves in a position to be able to compete and I want us to improve. We have to improve, we have to get better, we have to leave better than how we came in.”
Burris will start the 2023-24 campaign when the Owls welcome Frankton to Ball Gym on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
Wes-Del
After the retirement of head coach John McGlothin, the Warriors began the search for their next head coach. That quest ended when it was announced that former Monroe Central athletic director Josh Burkett was the choice to lead the squad.
“I have high expectations,” Burkett said. “I'm a defensive guy and I was a defensive player. When I was playing, I always wanted to guard the best player.”
Last season, the black and maroon finished with a 9-13 record. The Warriors have some returners from last year including junior Josiah Love. Love led the team last year in points per game (17.7).
“When you talk about guys that aren't seniors, Josiah probably leads the way for us,” Burkett said. “[He’s] a great human being who is a hard worker.”
However, Burkett believes that there are some other Warriors that will step up and contribute. One of those players is junior Grayson Mealy. While Mealy is a threat on the gridiron and the baseball field, he also has some skills on the court.
“Grayson is just a workhorse,” Burkett said. He's independent and he has no expectations to score a bunch of points. He doesn't care about that stuff. He wants to win.”
The one thing that has been apparent to the Warriors new head coach is that the Warriors are buying into what he’s selling.
“This group has been very open and we're senior heavy,” he said. “We have eight seniors that played last year as juniors and so sometimes it's hard. Change is hard for that, especially when you've been doing the same thing for 10 years.”
Wes-Del will start the season when they welcome Cambridge City Licoln to Wes-Del Junior/Senior High School on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Cowan
The Cowan Blackhawks finished the 2022-23 campaign with a 10-13 record, which was five more wins than the previous season.
“Last year we made some strides [to get better],” Blackhawks head coach Aaron Groves said via email. “So this is our last chance [with these seniors] to be together and see what we can do as a group.”
The senior group that Groves speaks of has been a big part of the program over the last few seasons. Two of this season’s seniors, Cole Duncan and Mason Kidd, stood out on the court.
Duncan led the team in points per game (9.3) and blocks per game (4.6). Kidd proved to be solid on the defensive side as he led Cowan with 1.0 steals per game.
However, the Blackhawks lost six seniors last year. Grove believes that junior forward Gentry Groves, senior guard Zack Lawson, and junior forward Bryce Hahn will be new faces that Cowan will use to fill those spots.
Continuing the tradition that former head coach Lee Ingles set, who passed away in a car accident on Oct. 19, 2020, “family” will be the Blackhawks motto.
“Everyone in a family has a role and you have to lift each other up and help each other no matter what your role might be,” Groves said. ‘Older members need to be a good example to the younger ones.
“Just like any family, situations arise. We just hope and pray we can deal with those situations together and as best as is humanly possible for the good of both the team and the individual.”
Cowan will start the new season when the Blackhawks face Hagerstown on the road on Saturday, Nov. 25. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Delta junior D’Amare Hood attempts a layup in the 3A regional championship March 11 at New Castle Fieldhouse. Zach Carter, DN
Delta
A few weeks into the 2022-23 season, Eagles’ head coach Mark Detweiler was not the happiest coach in the county. Delta started the season 2-2, and after their second loss to Yorktown, Detweiler talked about how his team was selfish.
After that loss, Delta found some success and finished the season 19-10 and made a tournament run before falling in the semi-finals of semi-state. The Eagles are only losing one player from that team.
“I think this group of returners figured out how to get out of their own way,” Detweiler said. “I think that was probably the biggest growth that we saw.”
Some key returners for the blue and gold are seniors Jackson Wors and D’Amare Hood. Wors led the Eagles in points per game (14.0) and Hood led the team in rebounds per game (4.8).
“I think last year taught us who we are as a team and who we are as players,” Wors said. “We realized that we have roles and want to do the best for the team.”
Another piece that the Eagles are retaining is senior Jayden Furney. In his junior season, Furney averaged 10.3 points per game and grabbed 3.4 rebounds per game. He wants this campaign to be one filled with success.
“[I want to] win everything,” Furney said. “We are going to take it day by day, but I want to win everything.”
Yet the returners are just the start for Delta as there are many underclassmen that could make their mark on season.
“I'm really high on our juniors and they're not getting many minutes because of the group in front of them, " Detweiler said. “We got some dudes like Jordan Furney, Bronson Edwards, Chase, Richie and Cooper Bratton that can play.”
The Eagles will start on Nov. 25, when the blue and gold travel to face Connersville.
Daleville
Last year was an up and down season for the Broncos as they finished the year just below .500 at 11-12. They were able to lean on top three scorers to lead them to the second round of sectional play.
Despite losing two of those three scorers in Carson Buck (13.4) and Dylan Scott (11.0), head coach Ashley Fouch is optimistic and is relying on the depth and competitiveness within this year's team.
“It’s going to depend on if nine to ten young men can compete for roles,” Fouch said. “They’re probably the most hard working team that I’ve had, and if they can understand their roles and work together it can get pretty lethal.”
The Broncos have some strong returners this season. One of those is their leading scorer from last season in Meryck Adams (16.1). Adams is looking to take from his predecessors in stepping up into a leadership role.
“Last year I got to watch how Dylan Scott led the team,” Adams said. “I’ve witnessed very good leaders and I feel like I can pick up on the things they’ve done to lead.”
Some other key pieces returning are Koleman Newsome, who led the team in rebounds (7.9), and Noah Colvin, who led with 28 steals last season.
“Koleman has been poised throughout the preseason, and Colvin is just a relentless playmaker on both ends and is ready to step up in a bigger role,” Fouch said.
The Broncos will begin their 2023-24 season against Shenandoah on Nov. 22. Tip-off is set for 7:30.
Yorktown
The Tigers ended in the middle of the pack in the 2022-23 season. They posted a 14-9 overall record with a 4-3 record which was good for fourth in Hoosier Heritage Conference (HHC) play.
They were led by their senior captain AJ Dunn who was their season leader in scoring (18.2) and led in rebounds (4.7). Filling the role isn’t easy, but replacing the vocal leadership and energy he brought to the team is an even taller task.
“His stats are what his stats are,” Moulton said. “What nobody saw was the energy, enthusiasm, and hard nosed grit he brought into practice every day.”
Incoming seniors Kieran Tewari and Jacob Grim have taken to that challenge from Moulton and are looking to step up.
“I definitely want to be more of a leader,” Tewari said. “Last year AJ and Garret [Thurman] had that role. So me and Jacob [want to try] to be this year's AJ and Garret in terms of leadership.”
Tewari and Grim were major contributors for the Tigers last season on both ends of the floor, and look to continue that trend this year. Part of the motivation for Tewari is seeing the underclassmen come in and work to improve their games every day in practice.
“They bring a lot of energy,” Tewari said. “People like [sophomore Connor] Rowray, and [sophomore Ryan] Burkholder make it easy to keep pushing in practice.”
Yorktown will open its 2023-24 campaign at Greensburg on Saturday, Nov. 25. Tip-off is set for 7:30.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85. Contact David Moore with comments at david.moore@bsu.edu or on X @gingninj63
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