Franklin assistant basketball coach Mike Armstrong talks with sophomore Erica Buening during a recent game.
Shawn Sanders doesn’t occupy the same chair he did during games in his eight seasons as Center Grove girls basketball coach.
Nonetheless, it’s a premium vantage point.
After stepping away from his duties after the conclusion of the 2016-17 season to focus on family, Sanders resurfaced as a Trojans assistant coach prior to the 2020-21 campaign.
He was invited to lend his expertise in practices and games by Kevin Stuckmeyer, the man who succeeded him.
Sanders, 48, is one of two Johnson County girls coaches enjoying a so-called second coaching act that years ago might have seemed unimaginable.
At Franklin, Mike Armstrong, he of the 426 career victories in his 34 years leading Perry Meridian’s program, is enjoying his second year as a Grizzly Cubs assistant. The Falcons captured six sectional and two regional championships on Armstrong’s watch; his 2002-03 squad advanced to the Class 4A state championship game, where it lost to Kokomo, 44-42.
Sanders separated himself from the sport he loves for three years, Armstrong about six weeks.
Different, yet same.
“I got out because I got married and had kids,” said Sanders, whose head coaching tenure resulted in a 110-74 record with three sectional titles. “After a while, I just missed it. I wanted to give (Stuckmeyer) space, but still cared about what went on with the program.”
With Stuckmeyer and Sanders working inside the same building, their paths were inevitably going to cross.
Would-be five-minute conversations regarding Center Grove girls hoops turned into half-hour discussions, if not longer. Stuckmeyer eventually asked Sanders if he would be interested in returning as an assistant.
Sanders talked it over with his wife, Hannah, and the answer was yes.
“Kevin has been really, really great about letting me juggle the things I need to juggle,” Sanders said. “It’s just different than being a head coach. I’ve learned a ton of new things. Kevin is an Xs and Os genius, and the relationships I’ve built with the players has really been enjoyable.”
Sanders now laughs at the immense pride he took in his 2013-14 Center Grove team permitting an average of 39.5 points a game on its way to a 16-4 record. The amusement comes from the fact Stuckmeyer’s first four ball clubs allowed 39.8, 38.5, 35.4 and 40.1 points per contest.
Center Grove is keeping with tradition, yielding just 38.5 points per night into Tuesday’s game at Perry Meridian.
Whether scouting an upcoming opponent or devoting time to a player looking to improve aspects of her game, Sanders and his extroverted personality nicely complement the more calculated Stuckmeyer.
“It’s really hard to identify one thing or another because Shawn does so much,” Stuckmeyer said. “He has so many experiences that are similar to mine, and so much experience leading young people. He has a knack of connecting with players.
“Shawn has a natural ability from experience of knowing what a head coach can’t always see because he’s focused on so many other things.”
At Franklin, last season’s addition of Armstrong to the coaching staff was overshadowed by a ballyhooed freshmen class. Likely to one day get the call to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, he got to be part of the Grizzly Cubs’ 22-3 squad that advanced to a Class 4A semistate.
The current Franklin team is 19-1 and ranked third, meaning 91% of the Grizzly Cub games Armstrong has seen up close resulted in victories.
“My intention was to take the 2020-21 season off and see if I missed basketball,” said Armstrong, 61. “That was in late January (of 2020), and I actually saw (Cubs coach Josh Sabol), and he said, ‘Are you done, or could you be convinced to do something different?’
“I said I would try being an assistant, and if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t do it again.”
Armstrong was 26 when he took the Perry Meridian job. This is his 40th season as a girls basketball coach in Indiana, a run that might not be over anytime soon.
“I enjoy what I am doing now immensely. It is a different role,” Armstrong said. “Yeah, the team is good, but the kids are fun to work with. I think I bring experience. And not just experience, but experiences.
“How do you handle playing two games in one day? Handling sectional week, depending on who you play and when you play them? Another thing is I’m willing to do whatever they want me to do.”
