KENDALLVILLE – All one has to know about the state of the Northeast 8 basketball race this season can be gleaned by looking at the league’s all-conference list from last season.
Of the 10 first-team All-NE8 selections, nine graduated and the remaining honoree, East Noble’s Ryker Quake, will miss most of this season with an injury.
One of last season’s conference co-champions, Bellmont, which went 6-1 in league play, lost four all-conference performers, including a pair of first-teamers. Fellow co-champion Columbia City, also 6-1 in 2023-24, lost two first-team performers and a second-teamer.
Always-strong Norwell, which was third at 5-2, lost two first-team selections and brings back just one player who scored more than 1.5 points per game last season.
In a league with so much turnover among its top players, continuity could rule the day, at least early in the season. With that being the case, East Noble, which brings back four starters and could have a fifth back late in the season if Quake can recover from his torn ACL in time, has a claim on being the league favorite.
Knights coach Brandon Durnell believes his team is capable of taking the crown, but also suggests the race is too close to call as the new season dawns.
“Honestly, our conference is so good and the coaches in it are really good,” Durnell said. “I think there’s so many great coaches in our conference that anybody can beat anybody on a given night.
“Marty Beasley at DeKalb, he’s one of the best coaches in the state, (Norwell’s Mike) McBride, yes they lost a ton, he’s one of the best coaches in the state. Our conference is loaded with really good coaching and it makes it a challenge.”
A new coach to the league this year is Leo’s Derek Hinen, who takes over following a 20-year run for Cary Cogdell in which the Lions won three sectional titles, all in the last five years. Hinen is fresh off going 20-7 at Fairfield and leading the Falcons to the second regional title in program history.
The Lions coach boasts a talented roster as Leo brings back 6-foot-4 junior wing Nolan Hiteshew (8.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals per game last season) and physical playmaker Solomon Richard (8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 40% 3-point shooting).
Leo also features the only returning first-team all-conference pick in the conference in senior guard Jaiyre Sampson, who was first-team All-SAC at Carroll last season, when he averaged 14.5 points and 3.3 assists.
“We have a lot of experience, but just not always playing with each other,” Hinen said. “With a new coach and some new players, we have a lot to learn about each other and what is going to put us in the best position to win games. I think if we can get it all figured out, we will be a tough team to beat.”
Tough to beat last year were league co-champions Bellmont and Columbia City, which broke Norwell’s two-year run at the top of the conference.
Columbia City finished in the top two in the conference for the third consecutive season in 2023-24 and while it brings back only three players who played varsity minutes last season, it still has explosive potential. Football star Stratton Fuller, a second-team all-conference basketball pick last season, will be joined by key 6-5 newcomer Caidyn Berna. Berna is making his IHSAA debut after averaging 15.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 steals last season for the Noble-Whitley Warriors, a team for homeschooled players.
Bellmont was the conference’s breakout team last season, going 20-5 in its inaugural campaign under coach Payton Selking for its first league crown in 19 years. The Braves had five players earn all-conference recognition as a result, but returns only one in guard Gavin Krull. They will likely rely on pressure defense while their group of talented-but-inexperienced players adjusts to playing big varsity minutes.
“I hope that at least for us, good programs can reload and you don’t necessarily have down years, you just pick back up where you left off,” Selking said.
Norwell took a slight step back last season, going 14-9 after winning 20 games in three of its previous four seasons, but it finished the campaign on a tear – the Knights won five in a row to close the regular season before falling to eventual regional champion Peru 45-42 in the sectional.
McBride’s team will have to replace all-conference performers Cohen Bailey, Ashton Federspiel, and Cade Shelton, but brings back an emerging star in high-scoring guard Adam McBride. Mike McBride believes his team will shoot the 3 very well and is encouraged by the chemistry the group has already developed.
The coach is excited about the quality of the league from top to bottom this season.
“(Last year), the games were all really tight and really competitive and I think it’s going to be the same way this year,” the Norwell coach said. “On any night, any team can beat someone, which makes it exciting. Whereas in the past we’ve had some teams that were kind of clear-cut, you knew this team was going to be really hard to beat, now I think every team is going to be really hard to beat every night. It’s just going to be a really challenging conference.”
Huntington North is poised to take a step forward in Year 2 under coach Eric Thompson, who has already effected turnarounds at Peru, Manchester and Peru again in his career. He’ll be helped by the return of proven scorers Ethan Zahn and Dalton Husband.
DeKalb continues to build under coach Marty Beasley, who in Year 4 has the program culture about where he wants it with a group of “guys who want to win.” The Barons feature a slew of small, quick guards and could be one of the league’s most entertaining teams because of their fast-paced style. Caiden Hinkle is one potential breakout player.
New Haven enters a new era with its first season under coach Brandon Appleton, who spent the last four seasons coaching Angola.
