Jarrett Turner, right, and his Edinburgh teammates are looking to follow up last season’s sectional title run with another successful winter.
Daily Journal file photo
Jarrett Turner’s days of playing organized sports are likely numbered. Though he’s been contacted by some college coaches, the Edinburgh senior says he’s more likely to get on with his life after he graduates and focus on his education.
That doesn’t mean he’s in any hurry for this last ride to reach its end.
Turner, one of two returning all-conference starters for the Lancers, plans to savor every bit of this upcoming season with his classmates,
“It makes it way more meaningful, knowing that you could play your last organized basketball game,” he said. “Already knowing what football felt like, I think basketball will take even more of a toll because it’s my number one passion, my favorite sport.”
Fortunately for Turner and the Lancers, the chances of extending the season deeper into March seem pretty decent. Last winter, Edinburgh won its first 11 games, finished atop the Mid-Hoosier Conference and won a Class A sectional title for the first time in four years.
Though three starters, all of whom stood 6-foot-4 or taller, graduated, Turner is back to help run the show from the point guard spot — and he has the luxury of having county player of the year Caleb Dewey back as his running mate. Some players who weren’t getting big minutes in the past are going to be counted on to fill bigger roles, but coach Keith Witty is confident that they can do so.
“We’ve had guys that have kind of been in waiting, some guys that are now seniors that have had to wait their time because they were behind some other guys,” he said. “They’ve kind of been chomping at the bit, ready to get their chance at some varsity action.”
The coach is similarly confident that Turner — who averaged 9.8 points and 2.5 assists on a balanced Lancers team as a junior — will be able to shoulder a bit more responsibility, both on and off the court.
“The biggest thing for Jarrett this year is to lead us a little bit more,” Witty said. “Last year, our seniors did a good job at leading us, and Caleb does a good job in his own way of leading us, but we need Jarrett to fill that other void, to really step in and be a vocal leader, a hustle kind of leader.”
One thing that should help Turner fill that role is motivation.
Edinburgh has never won two consecutive conference or sectional championships; this year’s team would like to be the first in school history to accomplish both of those things.
Additionally, there’s the matter of how last season ended — with a bitter 38-37 loss to eventual Class A state champ North Daviess.
“We know how close it is, so that just made us want to work harder in the summer,” Turner said. “Especially with several teams going up to 2A, 3A, we know now that we have a chance to do big things.
“It really motivates us, especially this being our last year. As a junior, it hurt losing last year, but now as a senior, it’s over if we lose. So really that makes us work even harder, not wanting it to be our last go-around — to be able to play in the championship as our last game.”
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
Coach: Keith Witty
Last season: 22-4, won sectional championship; lost to North Daviess in Class A regional semifinal
Key returnees: Braylon Bryant, Caleb Dewey, Keegan Smith and Jarrett Turner, seniors; Connor Ramey, sophomore
Top newcomers: Austin Brockman, junior; Jackson Hartwell, sophomore
Outlook: The Lancers, who have gone 40-10 over the last two seasons, lost some size and experience to graduation but remain hopeful that there’s enough talent still in town to sustain that same level of success. Dewey was the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year last winter, and he and Turner are both returning all-conference selections. Filling in around them will be players such as Bryant and Smith, who played lesser roles last winter but are eager to take on more of the workload. Edinburgh won’t be quite as big across the board, so look for Witty’s group to perhaps pick up the pace a bit more and capitalize on their talent and athleticism. After taking eventual state champion North Daviess to the wire in a 38-37 regional loss, the Lancers feel like they’re close to scaling the top of the ladder; if some new supporting players can step up around Dewey and Turner, perhaps they can take advantage of what looks like a more open path to Class A glory.
