As the search continues for Jeffersonville’s next boys’ basketball coach, the Red Devils’ former boss is settling in as the new athletic administrator at Charlestown High School, his alma mater.

“The way I see it is I left my dream coaching job to accept my dream administrative job,” said Chad Gilbert, who coached the Jeff girls’ basketball team to a Class 4-A state title in 2011 and amassed  264-51 overall record while leading the school’s boys’ and girls’ programs.

Hoosier Hills Hoops recently sat down with Gilbert to discuss his coaching years at Jeffersonville and his vision for Charlestown athletics.

What will you miss most about Jeffersonville?

I’ll miss the camaraderie among the coaches and players. That’s something I feel was really special. We were a tight-knit group, and I hope to find another fraternity like that with (area) athletic directors. I also feel like (I’m) leaving a team that has a real chance to win 20 games and a sectional championship. It’s difficult to leave, not just because of the talent, but because of the relationships.

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The first-ever National High School Basketball Coaches Association Rising Senior boys’ event will be held Sunday through Tuesday (July 14-16) at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

The competition will feature teams of boys’ basketball seniors-to-be from six Midwestern states. Plans are for the event to be held each year and grow to include additional states.

Squads representing Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin are taking part in the first-time event, which includes five rounds of games, a skills competition and off-court sessions for the teams.

Teams will arrive on Sunday (July 14) with activities including an opening ceremony, a guest speaker and a social gathering. Competition is on Monday and Tuesday (July 15 and July 16) with all games at Ben Davis (in the main gym or the multipurpose facility).

The Indiana squad features 12 players — including Indiana commit James Blackmon Jr. of Marion, Trevon Bluiett of Park Tudor and Indiana State commit Bryant McIntosh of Greensburg — who participated as Indiana Junior All-Stars last month. The squad will be coached by Columbus East’s Brent Chitty, who was the Junior All-Star coach.

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Evansville Harrison, headlined by three Duncan brothers — Ernie, a senior-to-be, and incoming juniors Everett and Stanley — is expected to be a top contender in the Pocket City when high school basketball returns this winter.

And Ernie, a 6-foot-3 guard, is especially ready to lead the Warriors to a strong showing in Class 4-A hoops after deciding on Vermont last week as his college choice.

“I’m really glad (the recruiting process) is out of the way now so I can just have fun and play AAU,” said Duncan, who will play in multiple tournaments, including events in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, later this month with his Indiana Elite 17-and-under travel squad. “I’ll have an opportunity to start (at Vermont) right away, and their style of play is just like our style at Harrison.”

Duncan, who initially made an oral pledge in early 2012 to attend hometown Evansville, entertained scholarship offers from Ball State, Florida Gulf Coast, Toledo and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Duncan’s Harrison team was eliminated last season by Jeffersonville in a regional semifinal at Seymour, and Ernie said the Warriors’ main goal is to “win a regional this time around and then go from there.”

“We should be just as good (as last season),” Duncan projected. “We have better team chemistry this year. We’re really all one.”

FOUR DUNCANS ON VARSITY?

Ernie’s will get support from his younger brothers Everett and Stanley, twins who logged significant minutes last season for Harrison. Both have also developed strong identities as up-and-coming prospects, and are now hearing from Division I schools.

But another Duncan brother — freshman-to-be Brandon — could be in the Warriors’ varsity rotation this season, according to Ernie.

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The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, with support from the Indiana High School Athletic Association, will conduct its 11th annual Top 100 Showcase events for boys (July 18) and girls (July 23) at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

The showcases are designed to give exposure to top players from across Indiana to colleges of various levels from across the country. Both events are NCAA certified and take place during the live evaluation period, meaning Division I college coaches are permitted to attend.

Here’s the list of Southern Indiana players invited to attend:

BOYS

GIRLS

Vanessa Brown, Edgewood, 2014; Mackenzie Campbell, Rushville, 2014; Olivia Carroll, South Knox, 2015; Sarah Cook, Rushville, 2015; Kelsey Cunningham, Columbus North, 2014; Bailey Dreiman, Vincennes Rivet, 2014; Tayler Goodall, Columbus North, 2014; Maria Gugliotta, North Knox, 2014; Lauren Herman, Vincennes Rivet, 2014; Brooke Hinton, Floyd Central, 2014; Ally Hunsinger, Washington, 2014; Jenna Knepp, Barr-Reeve, 2014; Meghan Knepp, North Daviess, 2014; Kendra Lambert, North Harrison, 2014; Keragan Niehoff, Rushville, 2014; Marie Rothrock, Corydon, 2014; Zuriel Sanders, Castle, 2015; Tori Schickel, Evansville Mater Dei, 2015; Stephanie Sherwood, Evansville Memorial, 2015; Annie Thomas, Southwestern (Shelby), 2014; Haley Vogen, Jeffersonville, 2014; Lauren Whitlatch, Bloomington South, 2014; Jackie Young, Princeton, 2016.

Outgoing Jeffersonville senior Darryl Baker announced a change in his collegiate basketball plans Wednesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-2 guard will first play in the junior college ranks at Lamar State—Port Arthur for “one or two seasons, depending on my improvement in the classroom,” he told Hoosier Hills Hoops.

Baker had previously committed to Lamar University’s main campus in Beaumont, a four-year school that is coached by Pat Knight, the son of former Indiana University coach Bob Knight. Former Jeff standout Sherron Wilkerson is an assistant to Knight. But due to academic issues, Baker had planned to attend Lamar but not play hoops his first year.

“I’m opening (my recruiting) back up and will definitely still consider Lamar (University) after junior college,” Baker said. “But I am also open to every school.

“Playing junior college will let me work on becoming more of a vocal leader and get stronger, quicker and work on my handles,” added Baker, who will leave for Port Arthur campus August 21. “I just want to become a better basketball player every day.”

Baker led Jeffersonville to a Class 4-A semistate appearance in March, where the Red Devils lost to eventual state runner up Indianapolis Cathedral.

MORE ON LAMAR STATE—PORT ARTHUR

According to the school’s website, Lamar State College—Port Arthur, a member of The Texas State University System, is an open-access, comprehensive public two-year college offering quality and affordable instruction leading to associate degrees and a variety of certificates.

Lamar State—Port Arthur is located 17 miles from the main Lamar University campus in Beaumont, Texas.

The school’s men’s basketball team competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association at the Division I level, and completed the 2012-13 season with a 21-11 record, falling in the second round of the NJCAA Region XIV Tournament.

Scores from Friday’s Hoosier Hills Hoops Small School Summer Shootout at Christian Academy in New Albany:

Main Gym—Rock Creek 49, New Washington 34; Austin 81, Shawe Memorial 26; Louisville Holy Cross 63, Rock Creek 50; Christian Academy (Ind.) 63, Austin 54; Rock Creek 55, Austin 50; Christian Academy (Ind.) 56, Shawe Memorial 25; Rock Creek 53, Christian Academy (Ind.) 46.

Auxiliary Gym—Louisville Holy Cross 67, Christian Academy (Ind.) 56; New Washington 62, Shawe Memorial 40; Louisville Holy Cross 71, New Washington 37; Louisville Holy Cross 65, Shawe Memorial 26.