News

(New Castle) – 2018 IHSAA 3A girls champion Northwestern and undefeated 4A boys champion Warren Central are among stellar fields of outstanding teams, players and coaches for the 2018 Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic, to be played at the New Castle Fieldhouse on Friday, December 28 and Saturday, December 29.

The prestigious event, spotlighting the best in Indiana high school basketball, will be held for the 35^th time for girls and it will be the 42^nd edition for the boys. 

 2018 Girls’ Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic
New Castle Fieldhouse – Friday, December 28, 2018

11:00 a.m. (ET)         Bedford North Lawrence vs. Northwestern
to follow                     Jeffersonville vs. Homestead
6:00 p.m.                   Consolation Game
to follow                     Championship Game

2018 Boys’ Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic
New Castle Fieldhouse – Saturday, December 29, 2018

11:00 a.m. (ET)         Westview vs. Center Grove
to follow                     Valparaiso vs. Warren Central
6:00 p.m.                   Consolation Game
to follow                     Championship Game

Selecting from the best teams in the state, the girls’ tournament has included 18 teams that went on to win a state championship that season, including 11 class champions and six class runner-up teams in the past 16 years alone. 

On the boys side, 14 participating teams have gone on to win their state championship – including 2018 2A champion Oak Hill – with six more finishing as state runner-up that season. 

Tickets for the tournaments will be available through participating schools and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in the 2018-19 school year.

ABOUT THE TEAMS

Girls:

Bedford North Lawrence – The Lady Stars return four starters and nine total players from their 23-5 squad that reached the final four of the 2018 4A girls state tournament.

6’1” junior Jorie Allen (Indiana University), who was a member of the 2018 Indiana Junior All-Stars Core team, averaged 17.1 points and 8.0 rebounds, 6’2” sophomore Madison Webb averaged 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds and 5’8” freshman Chloe McKnight averaged 8.0 points.

One of the  most decorated girls basketball programs in state history, BNL has won 19 or more games for seven straight seasons with a 167-23 (.879) record in that time, including two 4A championships, seven sectional titles, three regional championships and two semi-state victories in that span.

Jeff Allen is 89-19 in four seasons as head coach at Bedford North Lawrence.

The BNL girls become just the second program to make four appearances in Girls Classic history and are one of only three programs to have previously won the Girls Classic twice.  After a 1986 appearance, the Lady Stars won the 1990 and 2013 events, each of those occurring en route to a state tournament title (1991 state championship and 2014 4A championship) later that same season.

Northwestern – Following the most dominating postseason in IHSAA girls basketball history, the Lady Tigers return four starters and over 86% of their scoring from their 29-1 2018 3A championship squad.

6’1” sophomore guard Madison Layden (Purdue University) averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 assists and 4.1 steals, 6’1” sophomore post Kendall Bostic (Michigan State University) averaged 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds.

Northwestern outscored their state tournament opponents by 42.9 points per game this postseason, the highest average by a champion team in IHSAA girls state tournament history.  They are 51-5 over the past two seasons and averaged 68.5 points per game this past season, 3^rd best in the state.

Kathie Layden is 98-45 in six seasons as head coach at Northwestern and 276-145 in 18 seasons overall, including leading Tri-Central to 1A championships in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Northwestern makes their first appearance in the Classic.

Jeffersonville – Following a 20-6 campaign, the Lady Devils return significant weapons from a team that finished the 2017-18 season ranked #7 in the state polls. 

5’11” sophomore Nan Garcia averaged 16.7 points and 6.8 rebounds while 5’8” junior Tori Handley averaged 8.5 points this past season.

Another traditional girls basketball success, the Jeffersonville girls have won 15 or more games in each of head coach Mike Warren’s five seasons at the helm.

Warren has an 84-60 record in his five-year tenure.

Jeffersonville makes their third appearance in the Girls Classic.  After appearing in the 2003 event, they were runner-up in the 2010 event.

Homestead – Among the state’s most successful programs over the past decade, the Spartans expect to return 11 of their top 12 players from a 19-3 season that concluded ranked #6 in the state.

5’8” junior Sylare Starks, named a 2018 Indiana Junior All-Star, averaged 17.8 points and 3.1 assists, 6’0” sophomore Sydney Graber averaged 15.1 points and 7.7 rebounds, 6’0” junior Haley Swing averaged 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds and 5’6” junior Kara Gealy averaged 7.4 points and 4.6 assists. 

The Homestead girls program is 202-29 (.874) over the past nine seasons, including a pair of 4A championship game appearances and 2017 4A championship victory.

Rod Parker is 289-115 in 17 seasons as head coach at Homestead.

Homestead makes their 2^nd appearance in the Classic.  They were runners-up to Bedford North Lawrence in the 2013 event, with both programs appearing again in the event in 2018.

Boys:

Westview – Returning the top four scorers from their 28-2 2A semi-state finalist squad, the Warriors expect continued success in the 2018-19 season.

6’4” sophomore Charlie Yoder averaged 16.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, 6’4” junior Elijah Hales averaged 14.8 points and 5.5 assists and has been named a 2018 Indiana Junior All-Star, 6’5” junior Nick Rensberger averaged 10.9 points and 5.4 rebounds and 6’1” junior Josh Hostetler averaged 8.3 points.

With a 211-69 (.754) record the past 11 seasons, Westview has the 7^th most victories in the state in that period, including a 45-9 mark the past two campaigns.

Rob Yoder has a 257-115 record in 15 seasons as head coach at Westview.

Westview makes their 2^nd appearance in the Classic.  Their team – the eventual 2000 2A champion – was runner-up in the 1999 Classic to that season’s eventual 4A champion, Marion.

Center Grove – Led by a 2019 Mr. Basketball candidate, the Trojans were 20-7 4A regional finalists last season.

6’9” junior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana University), a member of the 2018 Indiana Junior All-Star Core team, averaged 21.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks, while 6’0” classmate Spencer Piercefield averaged 11.2 points.

Center Grove has won 37 games and a pair of 4A sectional championships over the past two seasons while annually facing one of the state’s toughest schedules.

Zach Hahn is 59-41 in four seasons as head coach of the Trojans.  He will lead his team onto a familiar court and a familiar event – a 2007 graduate of New Castle Chrysler High School, he was a junior starter on their 2006 3A championship team, a member of New Castle’s 2006 HOF Classic runner-up team and named a 2007 Indiana All-Star.  He becomes the 2^nd man ever named to the Boys Classic All-Tournament Team to return and lead a team in the event as head coach (Scott Hicks).

Center Grove makes their 2^nd appearance in the Classic.  The Trojans were champions of the 2010 event, defeating Washington and Bloomington South.

Valparaiso – Coming off their third consecutive 20-win season and returning four starters and eight of their top 10 players, the Vikings have high expectations again for the 2018-19 season.

The Vikings were led this season by a duo of juniors – 6’4” guard Brandon Newman (Purdue University), a member of the 2018 Indiana Junior All-Star Core team, averaged 25.0 points and 9.1 rebounds while 6’6” wing Nate Aerts (Bethel College) averaged 14.0 points.

Continuing a tradition of success at Valparaiso (the 6^th winningest program in the state in the last 18 years), the Vikings are 79-22 (.782) the past four years and are on the heels of a 20-6 record, 2018 4A sectional championship and back-to-back Duneland Conference titles.

Barak Coolman is 61-17 in three seasons as head coach at Valparaiso and 163-79 in 10 years overall, including seven seasons at Fort Wayne Northrop.

Valparaiso makes their 3^rd appearance in the Classic, after appearing in the 1981 and 2006 events.  It is the 2^nd team Coolman will lead into the Classic, after his Northrop team won the consolation game in the 2012 event.

Warren Central – With the best record in the state over the past two seasons and a 32-0 4A championship in 2018, the Warriors return three starters next season.

6’3” junior David Bell, a 2018 Indiana Junior All-Star, averaged 12.0 points and 6.4 rebounds, 6’5” junior forward Jesse Bingham (UIndy) averaged 11.0 points and 6’6” junior Jakobie Robinson averaged 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds.

The Warriors’ 53-3 (.946) record the past two seasons is unsurpassed in the state in that span as Warren Central has claimed consecutive Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championships and a 2018 Marion County tournament championship.  

Criss Beyers is 63-15 in three years as head coach at Warren Central and 76-25 overall as a boys head coach. 

Warren Central makes their 1^st appearance in the Boys Classic.  The Warren Central girls won the inaugural girls event in 1984.  Beyers was head coach of the Bloomington South girls team in the 1995 event and becomes the first person in history to lead teams as a head coach in the Girls and Boys HOF Classic.

History:
25 young women who went on to win the Indiana Miss Basketball award have participated in the Girls Classic, including each of the last ten Miss Basketball winners (Skylar Diggins, Courtney Moses, Bria Goss, Jessica Rupright, Stephanie Mavunga, Whitney Jennings, Ali Patberg, Jackie Young, Karissa McLaughlin and Amy Dilk).

Girls legends who have played in the Classic include Stephanie White, Katie Gearlds, Shanna Zolman, Kristen Spolyar, Lisa Shepherd, Abby Conklin, April McDivitt, Kelly Faris, Jennifer Jacoby, Jodie Whitaker, Shrya Ely and Tiffany Gooden, among others.

27 men who went on to win the Indiana Mr. Basketball award have participated in the Boys Classic, including 10 of the last 14 award winners. 25 men to have played in the Classic have been named McDonald’s All-Americans, while 17 have been NBA Draft picks.

Legends to have competed in the Boys Classic include Damon Bailey, Steve Alford, Glenn Robinson, Shawn Kemp, Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Eric Montross, Sean May, Delray Brooks, Tom Coverdale, Michael Menser, Pat Graham, Troy Lewis, Woody Austin, Josh McRoberts, Gary Harris, Luke, Tyler and Cody Zeller and Trey Lyles, among others.

Entering the 2018 Classic, the event has included 91 different IHSAA-member girls programs and 101 different IHSAA-member boys programs in tournament history.

Sponsors:
2018 is the 2^nd year under the event title “Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic”

Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF) is a leading diversified financial services company providing private client group, capital markets, asset management, banking and other services to individuals, corporations and municipalities. The company has approximately 7,500 financial advisors in more than 3,000 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $750 billion. Public since 1983, the firm has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1986 under the symbol RJF. Additional information is available at www.raymondjames.com.

Additional event sponsors include adidas, Henry Community Health and Jostens.