BOYS & GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEWS: Seymour High School

Boys

Head coach: Scott Miller
2008-09 record: 9-12
Returning varsity players: Zach Toppe, Matt Trimnell, Nolan Fife, Jacob Carmichael, Connor Kirtley

2009-10 outlook:

This winter, Seymour boys basketball coach Scott Miller is working with a tight-knit group, and he expects that quality to carry the Owls.

“These guys, as a group, are very focused on being team-oriented,” Miller said. “They work very hard in practice and compete with each other while maintaining a terrific level of teamwork. It has been a while since we had this much dedication to each other. It is nice to have that.”

Varsity senior starters Zach Toppe (3.7 ppg), Matt Trimnell (17.4 ppg) and Nolan Fife (9.9 ppg) were big contributors last season, and Miller looks for that to be the case this season. He also has junior Jacob Carmichael and sophomore Connor Kirtley returning to the varsity lineup.

Looking at Toppe, Trimnell, Fife and Carmichael, Miller said, “We have a strong level of leadership this year in our four experienced players. They are totally committed to our goals and this team. They are a group of individuals who care a great deal about each other and this team. That excited us the most.”

The Owls also have first-year players Jase and Mitch Hunnicutt, who are seniors. Sophomore Josh Joray is on the varsity roster as well, and junior Kyle Fellows and sophomore Grant Hubbard will split time between junior varsity and varsity.

“Our kids put in a ton of time and worked together in all that they did,” Miller said of work during the offseason. “I am absolutely thrilled at the enthusiasm and dedication to playing that this group has demonstrated. Most enjoyable start to a season we have had in some time.”

The Owls will open Nov. 28 at home against Martinsville, which is a switch from past years, when the Owls played New Albany and Bloomington South in the first two games of the season. Now, they’ll play New Albany in the sixth game of the season, and they dropped Bloomington South from the schedule and added Indianapolis Roncalli.

“Like every year, we face some very big players in our league who are complemented by great athletes with speed,” Miller said. “I am very confident in our speed this year, but we will have to find a way to handle the size on our schedule.”

Roster

Freshmen: Tanner Payton, Hunter Klakamp, Logan Miller, Mitchell Pollmann, Jackson Stuart, Holden Fleetwood, Jacob Moore, Brandon Price, Lucas Hill, Jordan Kleber, Cody Campbell
Sophomores: Iman Tucker, Hayden Mills, Canyon Dailey, Michael Miller, Brian Clark, Evan Beach, Grant Hubbard, Josh Joray, Connor Kirtley, Luke Tormoehlen, Tanner Stuckwisch, Charlie Brown
Juniors: Kyle Fellows, Jacob Carmichael, Derek Ridlen
Seniors: Matt Trimnell, Zach Toppe, Nolan Fife, Jase Hunnicutt, Mitch Hunnicutt

Schedule

Nov. 28 Martinsville
Dec. 4 Brownstown Central
Dec. 5 at Franklin
Dec. 11 Jeffersonville
Dec. 12 Whiteland
Dec. 18 at New Albany
Dec. 19 Jennings County
Dec. 22 Scottsburg
Jan. 9 at Charlestown
Jan. 16 at Columbus East
Jan. 22 at Bedford North Lawrence
Jan. 23 Indianapolis Roncalli
Jan. 29 at Floyd Central
Jan. 30 at Franklin Central
Feb. 5 Madison
Feb. 6 at Salem
Feb. 11 Shelbyville
Feb. 19 Austin
Feb. 23 at Columbus North
Feb. 26 at Silver Creek

Girls

Head coach: Beth DeVinney
2008-09 record: 15-6
Returning varsity players: Erin Murphy, Amanda Moore, Bridgette Jones, Chelsea Reinhart, Sam Browning, Meredith Adams, Maggie Greger, Alex Carmichael, Nicole Hoene

2009-10 outlook:

Coach Beth DeVinney has a core group of players returning this winter, and it should provide for another solid season for the Seymour Lady Owls.

A big void in the lineup this year is Kristin Turner, who led the Owls for four years before graduating in May. This winter, she is playing for Oakland University in Michigan.

But Seymour has 10 returning players that provided valuable minutes last year and are expected to do so this year.

Like Turner, senior Erin Murphy will head off to play college basketball after she graduates. Murphy is set to go to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Also like Turner, Murphy made it to the 1,000-point mark during her junior season, and she is looking to add to that total and move up in the SHS record books.

DeVinney looks for Murphy to add “scoring, leadership and work ethic” to the team.

There also are seniors Chelsea Reinhart (“a work ethic like no other, rebounds, hustles, outworks bigger posts”), Meredith Adams (“long, smart defender, the heart of the interior defense”), Maggie Greger (“will bring defense and hustle) and Alex Carmichael (“great leadership abilities and will fill post roles for us”).

Sophomore Nicole Hoene split time between junior varsity and varsity last season, and at 6-foot, brings a size presence, while Brianna Gillaspy is “a very talented freshman who will transition to point (guard) throughout the season.”

DeVinney hopes the team’s summer performance will make a difference during the season.

“We played roughly 30 games, and we lost four,” DeVinney said. “We beat some very good teams from Indianapolis, including North Central, Center Grove, Rushville, Franklin Central. We also participated in the Butler Shootout, the Ben Davis Shootout and we won the IU Team Camp.”

The Lady Owls opened the season on Tuesday with a win over Southport and they play host to South Central on Friday.

Roster

Freshmen: Brianna Gillaspy, Taylor Gossett, Sidney Carr, Logan Personett, Tailor Lewis, Baleigh Allman, Kelsey Nolting, Abby Thompson
Sophomores: Nicole Hoene, Amanda Moore, Heaher Jones, Hannah Carmichael, Paige Tormoehlen
Juniors: Sam Browning, Bridgette Jones, Leah Elsner, Shayna Abel
Seniors: Erin Murphy, Chelsea Reinhart, Alex Carmichael, Maggie Greger, Meredith Adams

Schedule

Nov. 17 Seymour 69, Southport 62
Nov. 20 South Central
Nov. 27 Floyd Central
Dec. 1 at Bloomington South
Dec. 3 at Brownstown Central
Dec. 8 at Jennings County
Dec. 12 Madison
Dec. 15 at Columbus North
Dec. 19 at Whiteland
Dec. 21 at Austin
Dec. 29 Indianapolis Roncalli
Jan. 5 Columbus East
Jan. 9 Mitchell
Jan. 12 at Southwestern (Hanover)
Jan. 16 East Central
Jan. 19 at Jeffersonville
Jan. 23 at Scottsburg
Jan. 28 at New Albany
Jan. 30 at Rushville
Feb. 4 Bedford North Lawrence