The 2024-25 Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) boys basketball season is set to get underway and the eight Delaware County teams are looking to take the court.
Wapahani Raiders
Head Coach: Matt Luce
2023-24 Record: 26-3
The Wapahani Raiders’ 2023-24 campaign ended one win short of a state title as the red and black fell in the 2A IHSAA State Championship game. To head coach Matt Luce, it was a special season.
“What a wonderful run and team we had last year,” Luce said. “It just builds a lot of pride in our team and in our program. Not that we didn't have that pride before, but it just created memories that will last a lifetime.”
The Raiders come into the new season with some returners but also some changes. The biggest will be that Delaware County’s all-time leading scorer Isaac Andrews will not be a part of the roster as he graduated after last season.
“We've got a fun group of guys returning and their guys that have witnessed Isaac Andrews,” Luce said. “We had a good summer of playing basketball and working out.”
But while the Raiders’ No. 1 weapon for the last four years is no longer in Selma, Wapahani has multiple key pieces coming back. One of those is junior Camden Bell, who averaged 12.6 points and 2.4 assists per game as a sophomore.
“We really have got three guys that have played just major minutes for the Wapahani Raiders throughout the last two or three years,” Luce said. “Guys like Camden Bell, [senior] Nate Luce and [junior] Eli Andrews, that's a wonderful start. But at the same time, we weren't a one-man show or a two-man show last year.
“It was our team and it was our consistency, depth, teamwork, and our attitude. We'd be pretty good if it’s a three-on-three game, but we've got to find two or three other guys if not four that can play a role and find out what that role is quickly.”
The Raiders will start their season with a home game against Muncie Central Nov. 26. The game will start at 7:30 p.m.
Delta Eagles
Head Coach:
2023-24 Record: 23-7
For the last two years, the Delta Eagles had a core of five players that became the blue and gold’s go-to group. However, all of those players including D’Amare Hood and Jayden Furney graduated last year. Now, it’s up to a new set of Eagles to make their mark.
“I really like our senior group,” Delta head coach Mark Detweiler said. “I think they come in with a nice edge about them mentally. They're a confident group.”
In its last two seasons, Delta boys’ basketball has ended its tournament run one game away from a state finals appearance. Detweiler believes the team won’t be pressured by those accomplishments.
“Let's face it, kids have such a short-term memory anyway,” he said. “I think those are always good things to talk about and they are always good stories for you guys to write about.”
The senior group will include Bronson Edwards and Jordan Furney, two players who saw limited minutes last season due to the senior-heavy core.
“They want to kind of carve out their own identity, too,” Detweiler said. “...It's hard to do with what we've done the last couple of years.”
Though the challenge for the Eagles will be to set a consistent starting five, it’s something both coaches and players are eager to begin.
The Eagles will tip off their season when they host Connersville Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Daleville Broncos
Head Coach: Ashley Fouch
2023-24 Record: 12-10
After an up-and-down season, Daleville finished just a tick above .500 with a first-round sectional loss in 2024. A new year for the Broncos means a lot of new faces on the court, as they graduated five seniors, including the top two scorers from last year for the black and gold.
“This team is probably going to see more change than any other years that I've been here,” Daleville head coach Ashley Fouch said. “ The expectation for us is staying the same, and we're going to take advantage of our speed and the ‘all grit, no quit’ mindset that's been instilled into our culture the last three seasons.”
Many of those faces have not seen varsity experience up to this point in their careers. Despite the lack of on-court experience, Fouch thinks there will be some surprises about what they bring to this Bronco team.
Some of those new faces include seniors Cooper Sexton, Mekhi Snyder and Hunter Suchyna and juniors Bryson Sigler, Logan Parker and Caleb Aikin
“There’s a lot of people who people haven’t seen play for me yet,” Fouch said. “The group is looking different. But I can tell you, the group is very hungry to do something that they haven't got yet
Senior point guard Noah Colvin is one of the returners with a plethora of varsity experience this season and will take a large chunk of the leadership role.
“He's always been the high energy, ‘I'm never going to quit’ point guard for us,” Fouch said. “I think this year, his step is to be more poised, and we're looking for that a lot from him, and I think he's ready to do that.”
Daleville will open their 2024-25 campaign Nov. 22 with a road matchup against Morristown. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Cowan Blackhawks
Head Coach: Aaron Groves
2023-24 Record: 11-12
The Blackhawks season came to a close last year in the sectional championship game. The end of their season was the last for the seven seniors on their roster. Cowan relied heavily on the seniority of their squad last year with their top six scorers leaving the program.
“We're going to have to find guys that step up and take a leadership role, and have a big hand in scoring,” Cowan head coach Aaron Groves said.
Losing that many players opens up opportunities for new faces to make their mark the next season, which is exactly what the black and yellow are hoping will come to fruition in 2024.
This year, the Blackhawks will have to do things by committee, as the roster lacks varsity experience.
“They haven't had the limelight on them before,” Groves said. “So it'll be interesting how that works out, and how they handle being in that position.”
Some players Groves will rely on to play heavier minutes are the three returning lettermen from last season. Senior forward Gentry Groves and sophomore guards Brody Clifford and Noah Sours.
“[Gentry] is our team captain and our biggest body this year,” Groves said. “[Brody] and [Noah] will both play significant roles this year and are guys to keep an eye on to be ones to step up.”
Cowan will begin their season Nov. 22 as they host Traders Point Christian. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Muncie Central Bearcats
Head Coach: Justin Ullom
2023-24 Record: 8-17
Muncie Central has struggled to find consistency the last three seasons, trading winning and losing seasons during that time. The hope for the Bearcats is to flip the script on that trend by implementing a new system.
“[We’re] still getting the system in and trying to really tweak it to fit our players,” Muncie Central head coach Justin Ullom said. “So I've been growing and learning it just like they have. But we are really pretty excited about our guys that we're going to have for four years.”
Despite losing a lot of seniors the Bearcats have some players they feel can fill those leadership roles. One of them being senior LJ Strange.
“[He’s] the most experienced senior,” Ullom said. “He's developed, getting in the weight room, he's really playing at the rim and above it, and he's going to lead by example more by talking.”
In addition to the senior leadership the purple and white will get from Strange, he is one of few seniors returning with playing experience. With that in mind, Ullom will need other players who know the system well to step up.
“We’ve got a couple of juniors in Shamar Taylor and Landon Wells that we're really hoping can be the vocal leaders,” Ullom said. “Shamar has stepped into that this fall and those two guys, are probably the vocal leaders.”
This year, the Bearcats will have to play some underclassmen at the varsity level, which hasn’t been something they’ve needed to adjust to in the past.
“We’ll play some freshmen and sophomores at the varsity level,” Ullom said. “So we need to grow up quickly. If we compete in every game – win, lose or draw – but care about how we are playing, care about our effort on every play. Our talent is such that we could be in a whole lot of these games that maybe we haven't been in the last few years.”
Muncie Central will open its season on the road as the Bearcats travel to Connersville Nov. 23. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m.
Muncie Burris Owls
Head Coach: Blair Broussard
2023-24 Record: 4-19
Losing 19 of their 24 games and dropping eight of their last nine games was not the way head coach Blair Broussard hoped the 2023-24 Owls’ season would go.
Burris comes into this winter with a new mindset. Shaking off last season’s woes and turning the page to a new chapter was a point of emphasis in the offseason.
“Last year was heavily focused on changing the culture of the entire program,” he said. “We tore the entire structure down and began the entire rebuilding process at ground level. We’ve got a foundation laid now that we are ready to start building on for this year.”
Losing leading scorer and captain Asher Donahue is a major hit, but the Owls are hopeful they can put together a full team effort this season to replace the bulk of his contributions.
“We’ve got players who are with us this year that are capable of filling the void of Asher in regards to play on the floor,” Broussard said. “Where losing Asher hurts us most is now looking for someone to step up and be the leader on the floor.”
Muncie Burris will begin its season Dec. 3 when they travel to Frankton. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Wes-Del Warriors
Head Coach: Josh Burkett
2023-24 Record: 9-14
Wes-Del basketball has been a consistent .500 team since 2016-17 when they won 17 games. The Warriors and head coach Josh Burkett want to continue to build on their success and build the program under his system.
“Year one with me as the coach, we were laying the foundation for new expectations on and off the court,” he said. Our efficiency is much better and they know the expectations we have for them on and off the court so we are already ahead of where we were this time last year from a mentality standpoint.”
The Warriors retained leading scorer, senior Josiah Love, who averaged 15.5 points per game last winter. Love led the way from beyond the 3-point line as well at 33 percent.
“Having Josiah back for his senior season is huge for us. His production on the court is something we will strongly benefit from,” he said. “He has continued to develop his game and has bought into coach [Brandon] Van Matre's weight room program and the results clearly show.”
Not only is Burkett glad to have Love back, but having his other seniors, Grayson Mealy and Gabe Becerra, will be an instrumental asset for the Warriors.
“We are becoming a player-led team with the leadership of senior captains Gabe Becerra and Josiah Love, which is a coach's dream,” he said. [They] all played big roles for us last season as juniors [and] will guide our journey this year.”
Wes-Del will begin its season Nov. 27 with an away contest with Cambridge City Lincoln at 7:30 p.m.
Yorktown Tigers
Head Coach: Matt Moulton
2023-24 Record: 14-11
The Yorktown Tigers’ 2023-24 season was one of high and low swings – one that was as high as a Delaware County championship win over rival Delta, and as low as winning only one Hoosier Heritage Conference game.
Although they lost their leading scorer and some of their offensive production, head coach Matt Moulton has his team ready to compete.
“I learned early in my coaching tenure not to dwell so much on what we lost or what we don't have,” he said. “Just focus on the players we do have and every returning player is expected to maximize his potential and be dangerous at the offensive end of the floor.”
Moulton sees his program the same top-to-bottom. Every player has made jumps throughout the offseason and he is eager to see the competition his team will bring to the hardwood.
“Each new season brings a new group of players and a new group of dynamics,” he said “One player's improvement from the C-team last year to where it looks like he'll be this season is just as impressive to me as how our leading returning scorer is. We want every player hungry and willing to compete.”
Yorktown will begin the season Nov. 27 when they travel to 2024 4A Regional runner-up Kokomo. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85. Contact David Moore via email at david.moore@bsu.edu or on X @gingninj63. Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or on X @_loganconnor.
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