It’s almost that time of year when the temperatures get cold and sports move from the field to the hardwood. Basketball season is almost here and it should be a great one, yet some people can feel overloaded by all of the different high schools to follow throughout the year. Luckily, I took the time to form my professional and 100% factual opinions on these schools to break down all of the best teams and important storylines to keep track of during this season of IHSAA basketball. 

Class 4A

Lawrence Central

To me, this team has to be the easy favorite to win it all this year coming into the season. Led by four star prospects Deandre Davis and Nijel Pack, who are committed to Louisville and Kansas State, respectively. This team has great senior leadership and the ability to beat you with multiple scoring threats. Look for this team to be dominant all year long and if they manage to make it out of their brutal sectional, compete for a state title.

Warren Central

Despite losing a couple of important pieces last year, this is a team that still has a lot of experience playing basketball at the high school level. They are well coached and have been dominant in each of the last two seasons. While they might struggle early on in the season, never underestimate the talent the Indy schools have available for their teams.

Lawrence North

Behind one of the best coaches in the state and senior leader, Tony Perkins, this team should have enough young talent and role players to get the job done and win a lot of games this season. They are in the same boat as the previous two schools. Getting out of sectionals will put them in a good position to win the state title.

Bloomington South

I debated about this one for awhile to figure out where to put them. I even considered them for the top spot, but I decided to put them at fourth. Led by senior stars Noah Jager and Anthony Leal, this team can get it done on the offensive end and clamp up other teams’ guards around the perimeter. These two combined with other role players, behind the winningest coach in Indiana High School basketball history, JR Holmes, will make the Panthers a tough opponent for any team come tournament time. Keep an eye on Anthony Leal’s point total and Noah Jager’s assist total because both are on pace to set a school record in each of their respective categories.

Honorable Mentions:

Ben Davis lost a lot of talented players but have reached the championship game 2 out of the last three years so they could potentially go on a run late in the season like they have in the past.

Khristian Lander for Evansville Reitz shot up to a 5 star recruit over the summer and could help lead his team to more success than they have had in the past.

Jalen Washington, an explosive sophomore from Gary West Side, should be looking to improve on what he did last year.

Culver Academy moved up to 3A this year so look for them to possibly make some noise in the higher class.

Marion’s Jalen Blackmon should look to improve on his 27 points per game from last season.

Class 3A

Silver Creek

Star junior, Trey Kaufman, and his supporting cast are looking to be back to back state champions. With the departure of Culver to 4A the odds of this happening are increasingly likely. They should be a dominant force in 3A all season and are definitely the team to beat in the postseason.

Greensburg

While there is a clear drop off between the top two teams and the rest, Greensburg could make some noise. With an entire arsenal of quality players they can build on what they did last year and potentially compete for the state championship in postseason play.

Heritage Hills

A team that was very successful has multiple returning players who scored a lot of points and were valuable assets to the team last year. Their returning players with experience should be able to lead this team to another great season that could even go deep into the tournament.

Edgewood

I am not very confident about this spot but there seemed to be no other team that fits the mold for this spot Edgewood should be pretty good this year even with the departure of a few key players for them last year. Returning for the Mustangs is Trevor Taylor who will be able to get it done offensively.

Honorable Mentions:

Marian Mishwaka should decline with the departure of Jaden Ivey to La Lumiere.

Delta’s basketball team lost many key pieces so they should be worse after their impressive 1 loss season last year.

Class 2A

FW Blackhawk Christian

Caleb Furst is just about all I need to mention about this team. A team so dominant in 1A last year they were forced to move up into 2A. In my opinion this shouldn’t slow them down too much as many of the teams in 2A don’t have an answer for Furst.

Andrean

The defending state champions should be on the prowl for another state title. Losing only a few seniors from last year, they should be able to have another good season if their younger guys step up and elevate their game.

Shenandoah

An impressive season last year has earned them this spot here on my list. They lost two seniors from their team last year so virtually everyone is back from last season. I think they can build on what they did last year.

Linton-Stockton

Lead by Lincoln Hale this team is hungry for the state title after falling short last year. The Miners should be dynamic to watch and could easily have a repeat of last year. They really want to win it all this year and have a really good chance to.

Class 1A

Barr Reeve

Barr Reeve is a very consistent team in Class 1A basketball and always is up at the top competing for a state title. With Blackhawk Christian gone to bigger and better things in 2A, Barr Reeve is in great position to claim the state title

Gary 21st Century

With lots of experience returning to this roster, this team should be really good this year and might be the second best team in their class. I expect them to take their experience with them into the state tournament this year and make some noise.

Lafayette Central Catholic

Coming off of a great season last year, LCC could improve and have another really good year. I don’t expect a championship out of them, but against the other 1A schools they should be objectively good.

Covington

Moving down from 2A to 1A, Covington, who went 22-5 last year in 2A, should be pretty successful against weaker competition. I expect them to perform pretty well in their new class.

These might be the best rankings you can find on the internet. Eons of research were put into the creation of these rankings, which makes me the most qualified basketball expert with the most accurate rankings on the internet. Look forward to semi-regular updates to my rankings where I point out everywhere I was spot on with my predictions and ignore what I got wrong.