Before we get to the Outside the Huddle All-Area Team and our end-of-year awards, Bounce wanted to take some time and take a last glance at area conferences and hand out some league-specific hardware.
We open things up with a look at our area teams that fill in our coverage, but are not part of the big four conferences. Those teams who we cover are: Blackhawk Christian, Canterbury, Lakewood Park, Whitko, Warsaw, Smith Academy and Manchester.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kellen Pickett, Blackhawk Christian
Pickett posted the second highest scoring average in the area and despite an increased role and therefore opposing defensive focus, he helped the Braves back to within inches of another state title game appearance. Pickett averaged 20.5 points and 11.9 rebounds as one of three area players to average a double double.
He was also key on the defensive end for the Braves with an area best 3.8 blocks to go with 1.1 steals.
While there were plenty of big time players outside of our four main conference’s, nobody had to deal with the array of defensive aggression that Pickett did. He became the 14th Brave to ever reach 1,000 career points and he still has another year to play. Pickett earned IBCA Underclass Supreme 15 and Indiana Junior All-Star status while scoring 20 or more points on 17 occasions.
HONORABLE MENTION: Gavin Betten (Manchester), Kyler Krull (Whitko), Devon Lewis (Canterbury), Luke Bricker (Warsaw), Isaac Smith (Blackhawk Christian)
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Devon Lewis, Canterbury
If you know Bounce’s awards and OTH history, you know MVP means something different than Player of the Year. MVP to us is someone who is legit the most valuable to their team and overall success of that program.
When you have the setup that Canterbury had this year, one thing you really need is a constant. That constant needed to be a high level guy that could bridge the gap between new and old. And if you look at the final outcome of the season, it is more than fair to say that Devon Lewis did that job to perfection.
Lewis was Canterbury’s best returning player and he shined as just that through some struggles for the program on the 2023 portion of their schedule. As the calendar hit 2024, the Cavaliers added more players to their lineup and it put a bigger target on their back. Lewis was the catalyst in making sure Canterbury flourished and he probably hasn’t been given enough credit for how he handled sharing his premier role with the program.
Lewis still averaged a team best 15.2 points as Canterbury captured the Class 1A state title and his value as both a primary option and bridge gapping leader were huge for that title run.
HONORABLE MENTION: Gavin Betten (Manchester), Mason Jolloff (Lakewood Park), Aiden Muldoon (Blackhawk Christian), Tucker Day (Canterbury), Sam Essegian (Whitko), John Parent (Canterbury)
BREAKOUT PLAYER: Brandt Martin, Warsaw
As one of just two Tigers to start every game this season, Martin scored in double figures a team second best 18 times in 25 games during his junior season.
Martin, like many in this category across the area, come into the season as a steady hand but really propelled himself into a lead/secondary role for the younger Tigers as they won a Sectional title. Martin averaged a team second best 13.6 points for Warsaw.
HONORABLE MENTION: Avery MacFarlane (Lakwood Park), Reed Hayes (Canterbury)
COACH OF THE YEAR: Matt Roth, Blackhawk Christian
Roth graduated his leader and several others from a state championship program that ran on a lot of adrenaline and emotion. Yet, he was still an overtime session from returning to the Class 2A state title game this season while leading Blackhawk Christian to their seventh straight season of 20 or more wins as the Braves compiled a 22-7 record.
Roth, like the man on the sidelines before him at Blackhawk Christian, didn’t shy away from heavy competition with his team. They played some of the best in Northeast Indiana, ventured elsewhere in the state and even battled Newport (KY) throughout the season. The Braves were able to string together winning streaks of five and eight, including winning that eight in a row leading into a semi state double overtime loss to Wapahani.
The Blackhawk program comes with an inherent amount of expectation and stress, yet Roth helped keep this program churning the right way, enough so that Blackhawk Christian will have to deal with Class 3A competition next season.
HONORABLE MENTION: Matt Moore (Warsaw), Deric Adams (Canterbury)
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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