Nearly every basketball coach that takes over a new team faces at least some level of uncertainty and questioning from the players he or she inherits.
Though he had already been teaching and coaching (as an assistant with the boys) at Center Grove when he became the girls coach in the spring of 2017, Kevin Stuckmeyer was not immune from such scrutiny.
“We weren’t used to switching on defense, and the positioning is totally different,” junior Mary Wilson recalled. “The offense is different. And everybody was on the same level with everything; we didn’t understand what was going on.”
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What the Trojan players to understand is success — so when they won 10 of their first 11 games under Stuckmeyer, allowing just 31.8 points per game in the process after allowing 48.8 the previous season, everybody was on board.
“Once we got to the regular season,” senior Ashley Eck said, “we started to realize, like, ‘Oh, he’s right,’ and I think we understood that this was what was going to happen and what was going to work for us, and we just bought in and kept going from there.”
It hasn’t stopped since. Stuckmeyer is 61-16 entering his third postseason with the Trojans, having already won sectional titles in his first two. And despite being perpetually undersized — he’s never had a player taller than 5-foot-10 in his regular rotation — and having had to find new go-to scorers each season, the coach has kept staying the course and kept winning.
Despite Center Grove has only lost back-to-back games twice in Stuckmeyer’s tenure; it has never lost three straight.
The consistency begins on defense, where the Trojans yielded just 39.8 points a game over Stuckmeyer’s first season and have taken that number lower each year, giving up 38.5 a night last winter and 37.0 so far this season. Only four teams have scored more than 45 points against this year’s squad.
Some of that is game-planning to take away specific opponent strengths — but the Trojans have been able to routinely shut offenses down largely because of Stuckmeyer’s attention to detail and his insistence that his players take care of the small things first.
“We just try to prepare and do it the right way every game, every time,” the coach said. “Just take care of some non-negotiables and take care of some intangible things, and then let the results take care of themselves.”
It’s not the sexiest style of play, and so it wasn’t a given that a group of teenagers would embrace what Stuckmeyer was offering. But, as he noted, Center Grove’s players are generally cut from a results-oriented, substance-over-style cloth. They hate to lose, and if something works, they’ll roll with it — style points be damned.
“What our program is built upon is just having the right attitude with everything,” Wilson said, “and hard work especially, because we are the hardest-working team in the state, I think. We prepare so much, and we just want it more than anybody else. So I think our mentality sets us apart from other teams, and that’s why we stay consistent over the years.”
It’s helped them survive personnel losses that would have crippled less-stable programs. The Trojans sent Indiana All-Star Cassidy Hardin to Purdue two years ago, then graduated All-State guards Ella Thompson and Emma Utterback last year. Each time, they’ve found a way to come back just as strong.
“As a team, everyone knows their role, and we have people who can step up,” senior Claire Rake said. “Obviously, they were great players, but me and Mary have stepped up this year, and everyone has stepped up and filled a bigger role. We just have great chemistry and we all want to win for each other.”
By embracing the little things that go unnoticed in other places — taking care of the ball, being in the correct position, making the smart play instead of the flashy play — Center Grove has again put itself in position to make a deep postseason run.
Despite losing four of seven late in the season against a grueling schedule, the Trojans got themselves back on track by defeating then-No. 6 Lawrence North 31-29 in the regular-season finale, and the sectional hosts are feeling good heading into this evening’s first-round game against Shelbyville.
“We finally got our edge back on defense, like (we had) against HSE and Warren,” Rake said, “and I think everyone’s just hungry for sectionals and hopefully regionals.”
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Class 4A Center Grove Sectional
Today
Franklin vs. Franklin Central, 6 p.m.
Center Grove vs. Shelbyville, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Greenwood vs. Franklin/Franklin Central winner, 6 p.m.
Whiteland vs. Center Grove/Shelbyville winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class 3A Indianapolis Washington Sectional
Today
Indianapolis Washington vs. Cardinal Ritter, 6 p.m.
Indian Creek vs. Herron, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Speedway vs. Washington/Ritter winner, 6 p.m.
Beech Grove vs. Indian Creek/Herron winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7 p.m.
Class A Greenwood Christian Sectional
Today
Indianapolis Lutheran vs. Christel House, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Greenwood Christian vs. Providence Cristo Rey, 6 p.m.
Victory College Prep vs. Tindley, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Central Christian vs. today’s winner, 6 p.m.
Wednesday’s winners, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class A West Washington Sectional
Today
Edinburgh vs. Trinity Lutheran, 6 p.m.
Medora vs. Shawe Memorial, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Crothersville vs. Edinburgh/Trinity winner, 6 p.m.
West Washington vs. Medora/Shawe winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
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Class 4A Center Grove Sectional
Players to watch: Center Grove — Ashley Eck, Alainna Frankel, Clair Rake, Mary Wilson; Franklin — Kyra Baker, Kuryn Brunson, Kiki Crabtree, Abby DeArmitt; Franklin Central — Rachel Loobie, Alexus Mobley; Greenwood — Quinn Kelly, Anna Pritchett, Jenna Sawyer, Brooklyn Stubblefield; Shelbyville — Kylee Edwards, Jaidyn Tackett; Whiteland — Braylyn Clendenen, Toni Joyner, Kylee Marlin, Gracie McCullars
Sagarin ratings: Center Grove 93.70 (12th in Class 4A, 13th in Indiana), Franklin Central 81.59 (34th/48th), Whiteland 69.09 (63rd/127th), Franklin 69.01 (64th/128th), Greenwood 67.71 (67th/138th), Shelbyville 53.09 (84th/238th)
Outlook: The Flashes’ Loobie is the best player in the field, a likely Indiana All-Star, but she doesn’t have a ton in the way of help, especially after losing guard Rayah Kincer to a midseason elbow injury. The Trojans beat Franklin Central 44-36 in the season opener; nobody else in the field has come within single digits of either of those teams this season, though Greenwood stayed with Center Grove for three quarters last week before falling short. The hosts had dropped four of seven before beating Lawrence North last Friday; can they regroup and hold serve this week?
Class 3A Indianapolis Washington Sectional
Players to watch: Beech Grove — Neasia Lee, Crawford Meyer, Tia O’Connor; Cardinal Ritter — Gabriella Hicks, Emma Litzelman, Meghan Sandifer; Herron — Sanaa Boyd; Indian Creek — Hannah Grider, Ali Harris, Lauren Pendleton; Indianapolis Washington — Tranae’ Mann, Aiyana Ross, Lanijah Wells; Speedway — Maddie Barnes, Brooke Hartman
Sagarin ratings: Ritter 68.62 (40th in Class 3A/132nd in Indiana), Indian Creek 67.54 (46th/140th), Speedway 59.11 (58th/196th), Beech Grove 50.28 (76th/254th), Indianapolis Washington 21.41 (98th/370th), Herron 20.80 (99th/372nd)
Outlook: Though Speedway might be capable of playing spoiler on a given night, this sectional should come down to Indian Creek and Ritter, who have not faced off yet this season but have managed very similar results against a handful of common opponents. Both clubs have balanced scoring across the board, so it may just come down to one player on either side having a hot hand at the right time. The Braves, who battled through some illnesses late in the season but should be well rested now, will be looking for their first sectional title since 2016.
Class A Greenwood Christian Sectional
Players to watch: Central Christian — Ali Lance, Asia Van Rhoon; Greenwood Christian — Ellie Bigelow, Savvanah Frye, Alexis Mead, Izzy Reed; Indianapolis Lutheran — Kaitlyn Newport, Autumn Robson; Providence Cristo Rey — Alexcia Thorpe; Tindley — Darryn Hood, Jayda Shannon
Sagarin ratings: Greenwood Christian 70.92 (sixth in Class A, 112th in Indiana), Tindley 44.91 (46th/292nd), Indianapolis Lutheran 29.96 (70th/354th), Central Christian 12.72 (82nd/384th), Providence Cristo Rey 9.58 (86th/390th), Victory College Prep (minus-11.78) (93rd/402nd), Christel House (minus-12.00) (94th/403rd)
Outlook: As you can see from the Sagarin ratings above, there’s a significant dropoff between the host Cougars and everyone else; Tindley is the only team in the bracket even within 40 points of GCA. Honestly, the toughest challenges for Alan Weems’ club this week will likely be finding ways to stay motivated against lesser competition and keeping everybody healthy for next week’s regional.
Class A West Washington Sectional
Players to watch: Crothersville — Addy Cole, Makayla Helt; Edinburgh — Callie Hancock, Haven Link, Annelise Lollar, Destiney Ramey; Medora — Mariah Cobb, Kelsey Turner; Shawe Memorial — Callie Alderman, Abigail Hill, Grace McAllister; Trinity Lutheran — Sydney Jaynes, Hannah Sabotin, Bailey Tabeling; West Washington — Kassidy Keltner, Lizzy Keltner, Sara Stice
Sagarin ratings: Trinity Lutheran 76.54 (second in Class A, 80th in Indiana), Edinburgh 62.67 (16th/172nd), West Washington 59.81 (21st/189th), Crothersville 44.75 (48th/296th), Shawe Memorial 23.04 (76th/369th), Medora (minus-7.38) (91st/400th)
Outlook: The Lancers, enjoying the winningest season in their history, would be well positioned to win a third sectional championship were it not for drawing a first-round date with the No. 3-ranked Cougars, who are unbeaten against Class A competition this season (their two losses both came to 3A Brownstown Central). One of the state’s highest scoring teams, Edinburgh certainly has a puncher’s chance — it played a competitive 71-57 game against Trinity in December — but it’ll need its best performance of the season to pull off the upset and move on.
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