I am not a believer in bulletin board material. Once the game starts, all of what was said goes away. But I am a big believer in speaking things into existence. Fishers believes they will have a strong season and have a chance to make a state run. There is reason for that belief.
“I think we can go undefeated this year”, says senior guard Bryce Williams, one of 4 returning starters from last year’s 14-7 Tigers squad. Keep in mind, Fishers has never won even sectional in their school’s 16-year history. Where does this confidence come from? The Tigers were one of only two teams to knock off state champion Carmel last year. And they took state finalist Lawrence North to OT before losing in a game they lead by 6 points with under 10 seconds to go in regulation. Fishers will not sneak up on anyone this year and should be in everyone’s Top 10. Is undefeated, sectional champion and making a state run lofty? Speak it into existence. Of course, coach Winegar says it differently and stamps down the optimism.
“If we get through football with Jeffrey (Simmons) healthy, we have a chance to be pretty decent”, he says. Pretty decent? Hmmm. The Tigers return 6 of their top 8 players from last year, including 6’5″ top football recruit Jeffrey Simmons, who lead the Tigers with 16.5 points last year. Senior guards Charlie Smith (11 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists), Williams (10.2 points) and junior guard Myles Stringer (their best defender) are returning starters. Matt Brewer, Sean Milsaps and Josh Forbes also saw important minutes off the bench. They will be decent alright.
You can see the confidence in open gym as Winegar, in his second year after coming over from Warren Central, guides his team through drills. It’s one of the most organized open gyms I’ve seen. The key players from last year know where to be and eagerly guide the new or younger players to where they need to be. There is early precision already. Stringer, whose assignment last year was to guard the opposing team’s top offensive player, is looking to take on a bigger role as a leader and is vocal throughout open gym.
“We have a chance to be really good this year so we all need to hold each other accountable and put the work in”, he says.
In addition to returning players, there are key additions from the coaching side. Mike Fox, co-founder of the Indiana Elite program and varsity assistant at Hamilton Southeastern the last 3 years, heads over to the red side for the Tigers. Ken Johnson will also be an assistant and has D1 coaching experience with Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Tennessee. And the cupboard isn’t bare for the future. Freshman point guard JonAnthony Hall, Nathan Baker, Justin Kirby and Millen McCarthy have potential. And for 6’5″ freshman Jalen Haralson, a top recruit and national AAU champion for Team Teague, the future is now. Even with so many returning players for the Tigers. he will be really tough to keep off the floor.
I like what I see in open gym. The guard play is really good. They have shooters and plenty of bigs even with Simmons at football practice. I could see Stringer locking up even in drills. Enthusiasm is high amongst players and the coaching staff for good reason. This team reminds of the 2014 Hamilton Southeastern team that a deep state run.
This could be the year. Look for the Tigers to have their best season in its school’s short history. Will that mean a sectional title and state run? Time will tell.
