Edinburgh junior Caleb Dewey is the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year in boys basketball.
Submitted photo | Kami Ervin
Nothing lasts forever — a hard truth that Caleb Dewey had to face just a couple of weeks ago.
“It first hit me, really, at the end of the regional game against North Daviess,” he said. “In the locker room with Travis (Jones), Riley (Palmeter), Landen (Burton), all our seniors, it kind of just made me realize it goes by so quick.”
Fortunately for Dewey, he’s still got one more year to make things happen. The Edinburgh junior hasn’t been leaving everything until the last minute, though.
Dewey poured in 21.2 points a game for a Lancers squad that went 22-4 and ranked among the top teams in Class A almost all season before losing to state champion North Daviess by a point in the regional semifinal. For his efforts, he is the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year in boys basketball.
Though he was the go-to scorer almost every night for the Lancers, pouring in a season-high 36 against North Decatur and going for 20-plus on 15 other occasions, Dewey was quick to credit his teammates for making his life on the court much easier. The talent surrounding him made it tough for defenses to send too much attention his way.
“Definitely having everybody else be able to do the things they can do (took) some of the pressure off me,” Dewey said. “There would be some games where I’d be getting double-teamed, but then somebody else starts scoring a bunch and they can’t double-team me anymore, so that opened stuff up for me.”
That might change next season; the Lancers graduate six seniors and Jarrett Turner is the only other returning starter, so Dewey will undoubtedly face more attention. He’s looking forward to the challenge, though, and trying to improve various aspects of his game in preparation.
Among the items on his to-do list are improving his handle and his ability to shoot off the dribble along with becoming more aggressive at the defensive end. Those improvements should also help increase the attention he’s been getting from college coaches.
With 1,229 points already to his credit, Dewey is just 182 points behind Kyle Wuest on Edinburgh’s career scoring list; if he stays healthy, he’s all but certain to eclipse that mark. He’s also likely to end his career among the top five boys scorers in Johnson County history.
Such individual milestones and accolades are always in the back of Dewey’s mind, but they’ll always take a back seat to the lofty team goals that he’s helped make a yearly expectation at Edinburgh.
Especially since he knows he’s only got one more season left here.
“This summer, I’m going to try to get everybody to buy in, put the work in, and hopefully have the same result next season as we did this season,” Dewey said. “It starts in the summer, getting up early, coming in and getting shots up, working out, just being dedicated. Buying into what the coaches are saying and just trusting each other.
“(The individual stats are) always there in the back of my mind, but it’s not something I … push toward every day. It would be nice, but at the end of the day there’s a bigger picture.”
__________
The 2022 All-County team for boys basketball:
Marcus Ankney, Center Grove junior: Earned All-MIC honors after leading the Trojans in scoring at 14.9 points per game and adding 4.1 boards and 3 assists … An honorable mention IBCA Underclass All-State pick … Shot 40% from 3-point range and 55% inside the arc.
Noah Apgar, Greenwood senior: Developed into a do-everything asset for Woodmen, contributing 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while playing all but 36 minutes and serving as the team’s defensive stopper … Shot 51% overall and 39% from 3-point range … An All-Mid-State Conference selection.
Micah Davis, Franklin sophomore: Came on at the end of the season and led the surprising Grizzly Cubs to the 4A regional final … Scored 23 points in sectional title win over Center Grove … Averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals … All-Mid-State and honorable mention IBCA Underclass All-State.
Caleb Dewey, Edinburgh junior: Scored 21.2 points per game for the Lancers, helping lead the team to a sectional championship … Also averaged 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals … An honorable mention IBCA Underclass All-State pick … Enters his final season with 1,229 career points.
Austin Willoughby, Whiteland junior: Did it at both ends for the Warriors, averaging 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists and guarding the opposing team’s top player on most nights … Earned All-Mid-State Conference honors while helping lead the team to a share of the league title … Helped Whiteland win county tournament title.
Honorable mention
Sam Auger, Franklin; Shane Bennett, Center Grove; Max Booher, GCA; Landen Burton, Edinburgh; Tyler Cerny, Center Grove; Javan Crouch, Indian Creek; Drew Higdon, Whiteland; Carson Hunter, Franklin; Kyson Jones, Whiteland; Travis Jones, Edinburgh; Wiatt McLaughlin, Whiteland; Jake Mosemann, Greenwood; Wyatt Nickleson, Franklin; Riley Palmeter, Edinburgh; Blake Shewmaker, GCA; Landon Sichting, Indian Creek; Max Sullivan, Whiteland; Jarrett Turner, Edinburgh; Jordan Vaughns, Center Grove
