03-22-2004It’s billed as the World Series of high school basketball, and I can’t help but think the selection committee struck out in choosing the coaches for this year’s Indiana All-Stars girls hoops team that will face rival Kentucky.
As has been the tradition each year, the Hoosier hoopsters (a boys team and a girls team) will face their Kentucky counterparts twice. This year the series tips off in Owensboro, Ky June 19 and then resumes June 26 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The name of this year’s Miss Basketball will be revealed Sunday in the Indianpolis Star, with the remainder of the team announced on April 11.
The Indianapolis Star, the sponsor of the team and the Mr. and Miss Basketball award in the Hoosier state, released the names of the head coach and two assistants in this past Sunday’s edition.
It’s always been my opinion – and I think that of many people in the northern and southern parts of the state – that basketball in central Indiana seems to get a little extra attention for whatever reason.
Those who know what I’m talking about refer to it as the “Indy bias.”
After seeing the names of the coaches Sunday morning on indystar.com, my opinion certainly remains the same.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big believer in high school sports and wish head coach Jodie Whitaker and assistant coaches Walt Raines and Jon Howell nothing but the best, I just think there are better suited candidates for those coaching positions.
The senior players that make up these teams and represent their states are referred to as “all-stars.”
To me that means they’re the cream of the crop, the best of the best in their respective state this year.
Shouldn’t that theory of “the best there is this year” apply to the coaching staff as well?
After a little research I was left scratching my head, so to speak, at the thought that this is the most qualified coaching staff we could put together to face a Kentucky team that boasts a pair of 6-foot-3 players and a 6-6 player that are all ranked among the nation’s best prep players.
Whitaker finished her seventh year at Indianapolis Lawrence with a 10-10 record yet was chosen as head coach of the Indiana All-Star team. Her season was filled with drama as Miss Basketball candidate Robyn Stone was sidelined after an arrest for car hi-jacking and then failing to meet academic requirements.
The Wildcats, who in seven years under Whitaker are 71-60, finished the season 16-9 last year despite having 6-foot-6 transfer Recina Russell who now plays for nationally-ranked Penn State.
Lawrence North’s season was ended early this year by Warren Central, which knocked off the Wildcats in the sectional opener and went on to finish its season with a 13-10 mark.
In nine years of coaching, Whitaker owns a career record of 95-85.
Howell, whose daughter has already committed to playing at Purdue and who is without a doubt a frontrunner for next year’s Miss Basketball award, coached Alexandria to a 2-19 record this year.
Howell’s daughter, Jodi, tore her ACL early in the season and the Tigers lost their last 15 games of the season without her. Alexandria gave up an average of 60 points per game while scoring 33.
Sounds more like a one-person team than an All-Star coaching performance.
In 22 years as a head coach, all at Alexandria, Howell owns a career coaching mark of 277-129 that includes three sectional championships and one regional title.
The third member of this year’s Indiana All-Star girls coaching staff, Walt Raines, guided Franklin to a 14-9 record.
Like the other two coaches he’ll join on the staff, his team bowed out of the state tournament with a loss in the sectional.
In the past three years Franklin has won 31 games, 14 of them coming this season.
Ok, now that I guess I’ve picked apart the trio of coaches that will be there, allow me to list a few of the coaches I think deserve to be there.
And like it seems the Indianapolis Star has done for the central part of the state, I’m going to lobby for the north and start with a pair of veteran coaches that squared off in an epic semistate battle.
I’ll be labeled a homer for this one, but Warsaw’s Will Wienhorst is without a doubt, in my opinion anyway, more than deserving to be on the staff.
His team was preseason No. 1 and finished the season ranked No. 2 with a 26-3 record. En route to a state runner-up finish, Wienhorst’s Tigers downed last year’s 3A and 4A state runner-up teams in South Bend St. Joe and Perry Meridian, won the Hall of Fame Classic, beat Illinois’ big-class state runner-up in the prestigous Chicagoland Classic, came from behind to beat rival Carroll in the sectional final, upended No. 9 Huntington North and No. 10 Kokomo by double digits in the regional, and then came from eight points down with four minutes to go to beat Valpo for the semistate title.
In my opinion, Wienhorst’s resume, which includes a 420-134 record in 25 years speaks for itself.
Greg Kirby of Valpo certainly deserves to be on the staff. All his team Viking team did this year was hold their opponents to a state-best 32 points per game.
In 23 years overall he boasts a 405-133 mark. In 14 years at Valpo he’s an impressive 290-48 with a state-best five Final Four appearances. His team finished this year’s season 23-3.
Among other 20-game winners I think are deserving are Tippecanoe Valley’s Gary Teel and Rochester’s Tony Stesiak.
Three years ago Valley’s girls basketball program hadn’t won a sectional championship, now the Vikings have three straight. They bowed out of the state tournament this year in the regional championship with a loss to state runner-up Fort Wayne Luers but along the way knocked off No. 1 Warsaw and spent five weeks themselves at No. 1 in the 3A polls.
The Vikings finished the season with a 21-3 mark and in the past three years have gone 61-11, a much better mark than Raines’ Franklin program that has won just 46 games the past four years.
Stesiak, a 30-year-old, fourth-year skipper, led Rochester to the 2A state championship and a 25-2 record.
In four years with the Zebras his coaching career includes a sparkling 82-14 record.
In my opinion, Stesiak is deserving to be at least an assistant on the All-Star staff.
Just for good measure, I’ll throw out one more name – Fort Wayne Luers coach Teri Rosinski.
All her team did this year was put together a 22-4 season and a state runner-up finish in 3A.
In three years with the summit city school she owns a 61-14 coaching record.
I’m sure there are more qualified coaches out there, space won’t allow me to name them all.
I didn’t even touch on the south, or even for that matter the three coaches from Indianapolis that guided their teams to Conseco Fieldhouse two weeks ago.
I saw the Top 40 workout Sunday at Ben Davis High School, got a chance to see Kosciusko County players Jaclyn Leininger and Rebekah Parker.
I think the best players in the state will be in uniform to face Kentucky, if only I felt that way about the coaches.