Freshman Eli Wrightsman elevates to launch a three-point jump shot as teammate sophomore Noah Lewis clears space during the second half of the Eagles basketball game against the Edgewood Mustangs on Jan. 6 in Ellettsville.
Kevin Roush | For the Democrat
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat
At the halfway mark of the season, the Brown County High School varsity boys basketball team finds itself with a big goose egg in the win column.
While first-year head coach Ronnie Lewis may not like the fact that his Eagles are winless, he is excited about his new role and understands that his young, inexperienced squad may just need some time to develop.
“My experience with the team has been amazing thus far. I wanted to coach coming out of college. It felt like a natural progression, but sometimes life has other plans for you, and coaching wasn’t part of it,” Lewis said.
“So, I figured that dream was over. When this opportunity came around, I was over the moon.”
When practice began in the fall, Lewis greeted mostly new, young faces.
Only one upperclassman, junior shooting-forward Brady Bond, returned from the 2021-22 roster, and an injury in the season opener with Hauser kept him out of the lineup until recently.
Lewis said that Bond, who is the team captain, brought a “much needed spark of energy” upon his return to the court.
On many occasions, the Eagles have played a lineup consisting of three freshmen and two sophomores.
Instead of whining about his team’s inexperience, Lewis embraces it.
“Starting out with a group that are majority underclassmen is exciting. We are starting from scratch and have a lot to learn, but our potential for the future is very bright,” he said.
The three freshmen seeing considerable court time are Eli Wrightsman, Cash Harden and Westin Fulford.
Wrightsman, a point guard, has had multiple 20 point performances, and Lewis said he has “a knack for scoring.”
Lewis calls Harden, who also plays the point, a natural-born leader who is “the heart and soul of the team.”
Fulford, a power forward, has impressed Lewis with his strength and athletic potential.
Sophomore center Jesse Hubbard saw some varsity action last season and is back to man one of the post positions again this year.
“Jesse is passionate and hungry to be the best he can be. He is our best rebounder and has shown he will be a force throughout his high school career,” Lewis said.
Lewis wants to instill in his youthful group a strong, “never say die” attitude.
“No matter what the outcome of the games are this year, we will always fight to the very last second. It’s a mindset that must be established before you can take the next step in your progression,” he said.
“To win games in basketball takes more than just being a great shooter or running faster than everyone else. It takes grit. It takes passion to be the best you can be in all aspects of the game. The road we are on will take us there.”
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The Eagles closest loss and most productive offensive game came Dec. 22 when Crothersville nipped them by a point 73-72 in the Henryville Tournament.
The defeats this past weekend were not nearly that close as the Eagles dropped a couple of Western Indiana Conference games, losing to Edgewood 73-29 on Jan. 6 and Indian Creek 82-25 on Jan. 8.
With those two losses, the Eagles fell to 0-11 overall and 0-6 in the Western Indiana Conference.
Brown County has ten regular season games remaining on the schedule, affording the Eagles plenty of opportunities to improve their skills and pursue that first victory. Lewis believes it is just a matter of time.
“As the kids continue to work on their physical skills, their on-court maturity will improve, and the game will slow down. That’s when the results in the scorebook will come,” he said.
The Eagles are back in action Friday, Jan. 13 when they visit Southwestern Shelby. The Spartans are also winless, with a record of 0-11. Then Saturday, Jan. 14, Brown County travels to Indianapolis Scecina Memorial to tangle with the 8-3 Crusaders.
